Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-40619

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 22 January 2025, Energy Skills Passport, how the £3.7 million allocated to the pilot scheme has been apportioned, broken down by (a) software development, (b) project management, (c) consultancy, (d) hosting, (e) marketing, (f) evaluation and (g) other costs.

The Energy Skills Passport received Scottish Government funding via the Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray over the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24. In total, £3,703,610 was drawn down. A breakdown of spend in the relevant financial years is provided in the following table:

Financial Year	Spend
2022-2023	£1,871,968
2023-2024	£1,831,642
TOTAL	£3,703,610

Funding allocated by the Scottish Government to the Energy Skills Passport was not apportioned by the categories outlined in the question. All grant payments are based on the conditions set out in the relevant Grant Award Letter and the terms of the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

Question reference: S6W-40633

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether an independent evaluation of the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme will be commissioned and, if so, when the evaluation report will be published.

The Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray, which was the source of the £3.7 million funding awarded over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to the industry-led development of the Energy Skills Passport, has been independently evaluated. The report from that evaluation was published in July 2025 and is available here : Final report of the evaluation of the impact of the Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray.

Question reference: S6W-40778

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what subjects were discussed at the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy's meeting with the Chief Financial Officer of SSEN Transmission on 17 March 2025, including whether any live or prospective electricity transmission consent applications were referenced, and which projects these were.

I was invited to attend the event at the Had Fab factory to celebrate the awarding of a non-government contract by SSEN to partner companies to manufacture pylons. This represented significant investment in Scotland’s manufacturing and supply chain.

There was no agenda item to discuss live or prospective electricity transmission consent applications.

The Ministerial Code clearly states that “the Planning Minister or any other Minister involved in the planning decision, must do nothing which might be seen as prejudicial to that process, particularly in advance of the decision being taken. Action that might be viewed as being prejudicial includes expressing an opinion publicly on a particular case which is before, or may subsequently be referred to, the Minister(s) for decision”.

It also states that a Minister cannot comment on decisions once they have been issued, other than in terms of what has appeared in the decision letter.

Any meetings that Ministers have with network companies are part of ongoing engagement with industry and follow the same principle.

Question reference: S6W-40620

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 22 January 2025, Energy Skills Passport, how much of the £3.7 million allocated to the pilot scheme has been spent, and what the forecast outturn is for 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-40630

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme users have (a) found work and (b) commenced funded training where use of the platform was recorded as part of the process in renewable or low-carbon roles since the scheme was launched on 22 January 2025.

Question reference: S6W-40625

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when Phase Two of the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme will be completed, and what additional sectors and functions this will include.

The Scottish Government is looking forward to seeing the Energy Skills Passport develop further as soon as possible, providing more options and pathways for workers to transition between sectors.

The Energy Skills Passport is an industry-led project, with Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and RenewableUK (RUK) as the lead bodies. Decisions on the timings for “phase 2” of the initiative is, therefore, a matter for those bodies and the associated Steering Group, which also includes representation from employers, training bodies and trade unions. Success during “phase 2” of the Passport will require it to be fully supported from a range of bodies, including UK Government.

The Scottish Government continues to support an industry-led approach to the development of the Passport which promotes collaborative working across energy sectors and also between trade bodies, employers, training bodies and trade unions.

Question reference: S6W-40777

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what role the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy has at the Had-Fab Ltd transmission contracts award event on 28 August 2025, and which companies were represented at ministerial-level meetings held on the margins of that event.

I was invited to attend the event at the Had Fab factory to celebrate the awarding of a non-government contract by SSEN to partner companies to manufacture pylons. I gave a short speech followed by the Secretary of State for Scotland, followed by a tour of the workshops in which she spoke to members of the Had Fab workforce before leaving.

The event was also attended by SSEN, Wood Group and Murphy. There were no ministerial level meetings in the margins.

Question reference: S6W-40776

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what planning applications were live at the time of the Had-Fab Ltd transmission contracts award event on 28 August 2025 involving Had-Fab Ltd, SSEN Transmission, Murphy, and Wood Transmission and Distribution Ltd, and what information it holds regarding whether any of these companies have indicated an intention to submit further applications in the next 12 months.

Responsibility for dealing with day-to-day land use planning matters generally rests, in the first instance, at the most local level. The Scottish Government does not hold information on applications which are being or may be considered by planning authorities.

On 28 August 2025, 22 applications from SSEN Transmission to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit were live. We expect further applications to be submitted over the next 12 months.

Planning applications did not form any part of the joint visit by the then UK Secretary of State and Cabinet Secretary to HAD Fab.

Question reference: S6W-40623

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what additional public funding, beyond the initial £3.7 million announced in its news release of 22 January 2025, Energy Skills Passport, it has committed to the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme, and what representations it has made to the UK Government regarding the scheme getting support from Great British Energy.

The Scottish Government has supported the initial phases of industry led development of an Energy Skills Passport by providing £3.7 million through the Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray over the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24. There are no plans at this time for further funding from the Scottish Government.

We nonetheless remain a close project partner and Scottish Government officials engage regularly on the Passport with the lead industry bodies, Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and RenewableUK (RUK), as well as with UK Government officials.

Following the launch of an initial version by the industry lead bodies in January, the Scottish Government is looking forward to now seeing the Passport develop further and provide more options and pathways for workers to transition between sectors. Success during “phase 2” of the Passport will require it to be fully supported from a range of bodies, including UK Government.

Question reference: S6W-40618

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the uptake of the Energy Skills Passport has been among offshore workers since the pilot scheme was launched on 22 January 2025.