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-44221

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any implications for its energy policy, what representations it has made to the UK Government since 2021 regarding the sufficiency of gas storage capacity in the UK.

Question reference: S6W-44311

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many wind farms there currently are in operation, broken down by how many are (a) connected to the grid and (b) fully operational.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) publishes ‘Renewable electricity – number of sites by region’ on an annual basis as part of the Accredited Official Statistics publication Energy Trends. The latest statistics were published on 30 September 2025 and show that as at the end of 2024, there were a total of 3,721 onshore and offshore wind sites based in Scotland.

Site specific information is not published and would be needed to provide the requested breakdowns. This is held by DESNZ.

Question reference: S6W-44277

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many renewable energy applications in the Highlands and Islands region that were rejected by local authorities were subsequently given consent by the Energy Consents Unit, in each year since 2021.

The Energy Consents Unit(ECU)does not grant consent to renewable energy applications that were previously refused by local authorities.

The ECU administers applications made directly to the Scottish Ministers under Sections 36 and 37 of the Electricity Act 1989.

When a local authority refuses an application made under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, the applicant is able to make an appeal to the Scottish Ministers.

The appeal process is administered by the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA), and the ECU has no role in this process.

Question reference: S6W-44304

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a detailed breakdown of all costs that it has incurred to date on all aspects of the Deposit Return Scheme.

The Scottish Government has spent £234,285.95 in setting up the Deposit Return Scheme since 2018. This includes the costs associated with consultation, publication of regulations and associated documents, evaluations, independent reviews and assurance.

In addition, as of January 2026, the costs incurred by the Scottish Government in the legal challenge from BIFFA Waste Services Ltd in relation to the Deposit Return Scheme is £447,092.

Civil Servants operate flexibly across a range of policies and programmes according to the specific requirements of their work at any given time. They do not, as a matter of course, record the proportion of their time spent working on particular matters. It is therefore not possible to provide an expenditure figure regarding how much the Scottish Government has spent on work by Civil Servants involved with the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-44253

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made in the Climate Change Plan of the impact of Peterhead Carbon Capture Power Station on (a) terrestrial and marine (i) environmental quality and (ii) biodiversity, (b) greenhouse gas emissions, (c) carbon capture technology development and (d) carbon capture technology efficiency.

Question reference: S6W-44259

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that (a) ScotWind leases and (b) Supply Chain Development Statements (SCDS) produce stable, long-term economic benefits for (i) workers and (ii) businesses in north east Scotland.

The ScotWind leasing round and the Supply Chain Development Statement (SCDS) process have been carefully designed and are managed by Crown Estate Scotland (CES). The process has produced a leasing round focused on quality and deliverability of bids, and long-term supply chain investment which promises to be transformational for Scotland’s economy.

We are building on the commitment of ScotWind developers to invest an average projection of £1.5 bn in Scotland per project by leveraging private investment in our supply chain through our offshore wind strategic investment. Working with our enterprise agencies, we continue to support companies in the North East and Moray - areas that have provided energy security through oil and gas for generations - to access opportunities emerging from offshore wind.

Question reference: S6W-44257

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what communication it has had with Crown Estate Scotland regarding the relinquishing of the CampionWind lease by Shell UK in November 2025.

Crown Estate Scotland(CES)is responsible for the leasing of the seabed and provides the Scottish Government with regular updates on the progress of offshore wind projects.

The handing back of CampionWind’s lease option to CES was a commercial decision made by Shell UK. The Scottish Government was informed of this development by CES.

Individual developers and companies routinely reassess their commercial priorities. This is a normal feature of the offshore wind market and the wider industry.

Question reference: S6W-44370

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43887 by Gillian Martin on 5 March 2026, what action it is taking to promote the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund for the supply of skilled workers to SSEN Distribution’s five contract partners.

The Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (TTF), currently in its 2025-26 pilot phase and delivered by Skills Development Scotland, supports eligible oil and gas workers with careers advice and funding for training to access roles across a range of sustainable energy sectors. This includes roles in electricity grids, distribution and transmission.

It is for individuals applying to the TTF to set the overall direction of their application and therefore the sector(s) they may wish to access following training. This flexibility allows workers to assess their options, supported by expert careers advice, based on their experience, existing skill set, aspirations and the availability of jobs in their area.

In October 2025, the Scottish and UK Governments announced joint funding of up to £18 million to extend and expand the TTF over financial years 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29.

Question reference: S6W-44227

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any implications for its energy policy, what its response is to reports that Great Britain's electricity grid nearly experienced a blackout on 8 January 2025, during a period of low wind power generation and high demand due to a cold snap, which resulted in emergency balancing costs of up to £23 million, mostly paid to gas generators, and, in light of Great Britain's gas storage capacity reportedly being equivalent to less than two days' supply, what its position is on whether this increases the risk of (a) higher balancing costs and (b) brownouts and blackouts occurring.

Question reference: S6W-44229

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any implications for its energy policy, what its position is on what proportion of electricity supplied to Scotland should come from renewable sources, and, with such a proportion of renewable energy supply, whether back-up generation from gas-fired power stations would be required to prevent the risk of blackouts.