Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-43625

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 17 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the total amount of business rate income received from onshore renewable energy installations was in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25, broken down by (i) technology type, including onshore wind, solar and battery energy storage systems, and (ii) local authority area.

Table 1 shows estimated non-domestic rates income from onshore electricity generators in 2023-2024, and Table 2 in 2024-2025.

As we cannot reliably identify electricity generators, or specifically renewable electricity generators, Tables 1 and 2 do not present a total for each council area.

We have identified electricity entries in the valuation roll by the ‘core’ variable listed therein, and classified energy sources by the ‘description’ variable. In most cases, the description shows the energy source or type of subject (where the subject relates to transmission or distribution). Where the description identifies a subject as an electricity generator, but does not clarify the energy source, this is listed under ‘other generators.’ Electricity entries which do not specify whether they relate to generation or not are listed as ‘other electricity,’ and this category may also include distribution and transmission subjects.

Under the Non-Domestic Rating (Valuation of Utilities) (Scotland) Order 2005, South Lanarkshire Council is responsible for the billing of designated electricity utilities (generation, distribution, and transmission). As a result, the figures presented for South Lanarkshire include estimates of non-domestic rates income for designated generation entries located across Scotland.

Figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000. Where a figure is greater than zero, but would round down to zero, this is marked as “[low]”.

Table 1: Estimated non-domestic rates income from electricity generators in 2023-2024, by council area (£)

Council area	Wind	Solar	Hydro	Biomass	Landfill gas	Other generators	Other electricity
Aberdeen City	30,000	0	0	0	0	0	340,000
Aberdeenshire	7,050,000	0	0	0	0	0	4,510,000
Angus	300,000	60,000	80,000	30,000	20,000	0	0
Argyll and Bute	0	0	0	0	0	3,730,000	0
City of Edinburgh	0	0	0	0	0	[low]	0
Clackmannanshire	0	0	0	0	0	10,000	0
Dumfries and Galloway	5,800,000	0	0	0	0	2,850,000	260,000
Dundee City	40,000	0	0	0	0	0	60,000
East Ayrshire	540,000	0	0	0	0	260,000	0
East Dunbartonshire	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
East Lothian	0	0	0	0	0	30,270,000	0
East Renfrewshire	0	0	0	0	0	300,000	0
Falkirk	520,000	0	0	0	0	90,000	0
Fife	0	0	0	0	0	1,300,000	400,000
Glasgow City	0	0	0	0	0	1,440,000	0
Highland	10,740,000	0	4,310,000	0	0	7,840,000	10,000
Inverclyde	0	0	0	0	0	300,000	0
Midlothian	0	0	0	0	0	1,180,000	0
Moray	6,010,000	0	0	0	0	0	2,750,000
Na h-Eileanan Siar	650,000	0	0	0	0	40,000	0
North Ayrshire	0	0	0	0	0	1,660,000	0
North Lanarkshire	370,000	0	0	0	0	480,000	0
Orkney Islands	390,000	0	0	0	0	0	0
Perth and Kinross	2,210,000	50,000	790,000	80,000	90,000	0	0
Renfrewshire	0	0	0	0	0	30,000	0
Scottish Borders	5,650,000	0	0	0	0	90,000	0
Shetland Islands	120,000	0	0	0	0	700,000	0
South Ayrshire	250,000	0	0	0	0	610,000	0
South Lanarkshire	37,050,000	0	0	0	0	58,560,000	0
Stirling	1,960,000	0	0	0	0	820,000	0
West Dunbartonshire	0	0	0	0	0	180,000	0
West Lothian	0	0	0	0	0	2,030,000	0
Scotland	79,670,000	110,000	5,180,000	110,000	110,000	114,790,000	8,350,000

Table 2: Estimated non-domestic rates income from electricity generators in 2024-2025, by council area (£)

Council area	Wind	Solar	Hydro	Biomass	Landfill gas	Other generators	Other electricity
Aberdeen City	30,000	0	0	0	0	0	1,410,000
Aberdeenshire	7,430,000	0	0	0	0	0	4,960,000
Angus	310,000	80,000	80,000	30,000	20,000	0	0
Argyll and Bute	0	0	0	0	0	4,280,000	0
City of Edinburgh	0	0	0	0	0	[low]	0
Clackmannanshire	0	0	0	0	0	20,000	0
Dumfries and Galloway	8,170,000	0	0	0	0	3,050,000	280,000
Dundee City	40,000	0	0	0	0	0	80,000
East Ayrshire	570,000	0	0	0	0	270,000	0
East Dunbartonshire	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
East Lothian	0	0	0	0	0	32,430,000	0
East Renfrewshire	0	0	0	0	0	240,000	0
Falkirk	550,000	0	0	0	0	90,000	0
Fife	0	0	0	0	0	1,390,000	3,610,000
Glasgow City	0	0	0	0	0	1,540,000	0
Highland	13,520,000	0	4,250,000	0	0	6,880,000	0
Inverclyde	0	0	0	0	0	320,000	0
Midlothian	0	0	0	0	0	1,260,000	0
Moray	6,330,000	0	0	0	0	0	3,190,000
Na h-Eileanan Siar	480,000	0	0	0	0	10,000	0
North Ayrshire	370,000	0	0	0	0	1,810,000	0
North Lanarkshire	1,250,000	0	0	0	0	530,000	0
Orkney Islands	410,000	0	0	0	0	0	0
Perth and Kinross	2,360,000	80,000	960,000	80,000	100,000	0	0
Renfrewshire	0	0	0	0	0	40,000	0
Scottish Borders	6,030,000	0	0	0	0	120,000	0
Shetland Islands	120,000	0	0	0	0	750,000	0
South Ayrshire	270,000	0	0	0	0	650,000	0
South Lanarkshire	40,900,000	0	0	0	0	59,320,000	0
Stirling	2,080,000	0	0	0	0	820,000	0
West Dunbartonshire	0	0	0	0	0	250,000	0
West Lothian	0	0	0	0	0	2,110,000	0
Scotland	91,240,000	150,000	5,300,000	110,000	120,000	118,170,000	13,530,000

Question reference: S6W-43624

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the maximum planning fee applicable is for onshore renewable energy project applications, broken down by capacity of (a) under 50MW and (b) 50MW and over.

Onshore renewable energy projects under 50MW are determined under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 and are handled by the relevant planning authority. Fees are set by the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications) (Scotland) Regulations and vary depending on the size of the application. The maximum fee for a generating station application is £178,560.

For projects 50MW and over, consent is required from Scottish Ministers under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. Fees are prescribed by the TheElectricity (Applications for Consent and Variation of Consent) (Fees) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022 and vary depending on the MW capacity of the application. There is no maximum fee.

Question reference: S6W-43613

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 17 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many Section 36 onshore energy generation project applications are currently live and awaiting determination by the Energy Consents Unit, broken down by (a) technology type, including onshore wind, solar and battery energy storage systems, and (b) local authority area.

Details of Section 36 applications in each local authority area currently live and awaiting determination by the Scottish Ministers are as follows:

Local Planning Authority	Technology Type	Total Number
Aberdeenshire	Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)	1
	Gas	1
Argyll and Bute	Wind Farm	2
Dumfires and Galloway	Wind Farm	4
Edinburgh	Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)	1
Fife	Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)	1
	Hybrid (Solar and Battery)	1
Glasgow City	Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)	1
Highland	Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)	2
	Wind Farm	6
Midlothian	Wind Farm	1
Moray	Wind Farm	1
North Lanarkshire	Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)	1
Perth and Kinross	Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)	1
	Hybrid (Solar and Battery)	1
	Wind Farm	1
Scottish Borders	Wind Farm	1
South Ayrshire	Wind Farm	1
South Lanarkshire	Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)	2
	Hybrid (Solar and Battery)	1
	Hybrid (Wind, Solar and Battery)	1

Question reference: S6W-43626

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 17 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the business rate income received from onshore renewable energy installations in 2023-24 and 2024-25 was returned to each of the local authorities where the rates were collected.

Non-domestic rates income is notionally pooled at a national level in the Rating Account or ‘non-domestic rates pool,’ and redistributed to local councils. The Scottish Government guarantees the overall sum of non-domestic rates income and General Revenue Grant funding available to each council.

In addition, the Non-Domestic Rates Incentivisation Scheme (NDRIS) allows councils which meet targets for growth in the tax base to retain the additional income associated with that growth (excluding designated utilities), over and above the total guaranteed amount. We are unable to separately identify amounts related specifically to renewable energy installations.

Question reference: S6W-43612

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 17 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many onshore energy generation project applications are currently live and awaiting determination by the Energy Consents Unit, broken down by capacity of (a) under 50MW and (b) 50MW and over.

Consent from Scottish Ministers is required under the Electricity Act 1989 for electricity generating stations over 50MW. Developments below this threshold are determined under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 and are handled by the relevant planning authority.

There are currently 32 onshore energy generation project applications that are at the decision stage and are being processed by the Energy Consents Unit for determination by the Scottish Ministers.

Question reference: S6W-43716

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43381 by Gillian Martin on 10 February 2026, whether it will provide the same figures for 2025.

Question reference: S6W-43534

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent (FTE) staff have been allocated to the development of management measures for inshore Priority Marine Features, in each week since 2 September 2025.

Question reference: S6W-43532

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 12 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what area of Scotland's seabed located within the proposed Priority Marine Feature management area options, as published in September 2025, has been subject to towed bottom-contact gear, such as scallop dredging and trawling for nephrops, since the publication of the consultation on protection from these practices in July 2018.

The following table sets out the area (in km2) within the proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) management areas (options 1 & 2) that have been subject to towed bottom-contacting fishing activity. These figures are drawn from the available dataset used to inform the assessments underpinning the consultation on the proposed PMF management measures. The years used are between 2015 and 2022 (the years of 2020 – 2021 were not considered representative of regular fishing activity due to the Covid pandemic and so were not included). It should be noted that the dataset relates only to vessels over 12 metres in length that are required to carry an electronic Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) and therefore does not capture activity by smaller vessels.

	Option 1	Option 2
Total area of proposed PMF areas (km2)	922.2	1223.7
Total area fished by towed bottom contacting gears (km2)	142.6	235.1

Question reference: S6W-43533

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 12 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent (FTE) staff have been allocated to the development of management measures for inshore Marine Protected Areas, in each week since 2 September 2025.

The level of resource allocated to the inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Priority Marine Features (PMFs) workstream between 1 September 2025 and 6 February 2026 has varied in line with operational requirements. During this period, the dedicated core resource ranged from 8.1 to 9.3 FTE. Additional resource was deployed as needed, varying between 0.6 and 10.4 FTE. The highest levels of additional resource were applied during the two-month period of preparation for the planned public consultation, which was subsequently postponed until after the Scottish Parliamentary Election.

Work on MPAs and PMFs is undertaken through a single integrated work programme and it is not possible to separate staffing by individual workstream. The figures therefore represent the combined resource allocated across both areas.

The work undertaken relates to the statutory and other assessments of the management measures being proposed including the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Sustainability Appraisal, Business Regulatory Impact Assessment, Island Communities Impact Assessment and Fisheries Assessments. This also includes preparatory work for the forthcoming consultation, such as consultation build, consultation report and other associated documents.

The core FTE resource provided also covers routine work relating to MPAs and PMFs, including responding to Parliamentary Questions, Ministerial correspondence (MiCases), Environmental Information Requests, and similar commitments.

Question reference: S6W-43535

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 12 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether external consultants continue to be employed to assist with the development of management measures for inshore Marine Protected Areas, and, if so, when any such contracts run to.

Scottish Government currently employs one contractor to assist with the development of fisheries management measures. This contractor was engaged to carry out the socio-economic impact assessment, strategic environmental assessment, and the sustainability appraisal. This contract runs to September 2026, in order to complete the Post Adoption Statement after the consultation. With the delay to the public consultation, it is likely this will be extended.

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