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-42635

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to maintain or increase its funding allocation to the Climate Justice Fund in its upcoming Budget.

Question reference: S6W-42633

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the alignment of its international development and climate justice programmes, including Climate Just Communities, with international commitments to increase climate adaptation finance made at COP30.

Question reference: S6W-42632

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to continue funding the Climate Just Communities programme beyond March 2026, and when it expects to make a decision on any future support.

Question reference: S6W-42634

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to mitigate any risk of disruption to projects funded by the Climate Justice Fund if current contracts conclude in March 2026 without further or replacement funding in place.

Question reference: S6O-05296

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent ScotLand Futures report, which found that 96% of respondents believe that changes are needed regarding how land is owned and used, what steps it will take to ensure that land reform goes further than the current Land Reform (Scotland) Bill does to deliver land justice.

Question reference: S6W-42175

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made towards delivering its commitment made in the 2023 Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal to determine Section 36 applications for onshore wind projects in 12 months where there is no Public Local Inquiry and 24 months where there is one.

The Onshore Wind Sector Deal includes the commitment that from 2025, we will aim to determine Section 36 applications for new sites, and for the re-powering of existing operational sites, within 12 months where there is no public inquiry, or 24 months if there is a public inquiry.

This year, in most circumstances, it has not been possible to determine applications made prior to 2025 within these timeframes. This is due to legacy issues within the applications themselves, which must be resolved to ensure that we can achieve positive outcomes in the public interest, for all relevant stakeholders.

Accordingly, it is too early to assess whether the sector deal actions have achieved the intended impact on determination timescales. We remain committed to meeting these timeframes for applications submitted from 2025 onwards.

The Energy Consents Unit has committed to publishing an Annual Report in 2026, which will set out the progress made against this commitment in more detail.

Question reference: S6W-42179

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made to deliver its commitment to collaborate on a consistent, evidence-based, proportionate national approach to measuring and evidencing biodiversity enhancements on onshore wind project sites, as set out in the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal agreed in 2023.

Question reference: S6W-42174

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains committed to achieving 20GW of operational onshore wind in Scotland by 2030 as set out in the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal in 2023.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the ambitions set out in the Onshore Wind Sector Deal. Joint working with industry is central to delivering Scotland’s energy transition and achieving our climate change ambitions.

We will continue to work closely with industry partners to support investment, create skilled jobs, and ensure benefits are shared with communities across Scotland.

Working together, industry and government can achieve our shared long-term goals to the benefit of both Scotland communities and its economy.

Question reference: S6W-42177

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to ensure that Scotland can maximise the number of onshore wind projects that are eligible to bid for a Contract for Difference and can contribute to its ambition to achieve 20GW of operational onshore wind by 2030, as set out in the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal agreed in 2023.

Question reference: S6W-42180

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has agreed a peatland compensation ratio for onshore wind projects, and, if so, whether it will publish the scientific evidence it used to inform that decision.