Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39497 on 15 August 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

These are operational decisions for ScotRail Trains Ltd. In discharging its operational responsibilities, SRT is required to comply with Scottish Government Fair Work policies.

The Scottish Government recognises the concerns raised by residents living near major transport corridors, including the M90, regarding environmental impacts such as excessive noise and dust.

We recognise transport noise is a concern, can be distressing, and has an impact on health and well being, and we are committed to working collaboratively in partnership with others to manage this.

As part of the fourth round of noise mapping for Scotland, under the Environmental Noise (Scotland) Regulations 2006, the Scottish Government have recently completed modelling and mapping to identify key areas impacted by noise exposure in Scotland. This will inform the development of the Transport Noise Action Plan (TNAP) 2025 to 2029.

You mentioned the M90 motorway specifically in your correspondence. Analysis undertaken to date, in preparation for the new TNAP 2025 to 2029, suggests no significant noise impacts have been identified on or around the M90. Where specific noise impacts are identified anywhere on the trunk road network Transport Scotland will review these, and, where appropriate, will apply noise management interventions on a prioritised basis during existing maintenance and improvement programmes where reasonably practicable.

The TNAP will be published for public consultation in due course, and the document will be available on the Scottish Government Consultation Citizen’s Space website, at https://consult.gov.scot/, and on the Transport Scotland Consultation Page at https://www.transport.gov.scot/consultations.

All projects and maintenance works on the trunk road network are robustly assessed for their potential environmental impact. This ensures legislative requirements are met, best practices are implemented, and environmental effects are minimised.

In relation to managing dust, our Operating Companies, sweep our motorways at regular intervals, using water-assisted dust sweepers, to ensure dust is minimised.

We are aware that SEPA pay negotiations with Unison, continue with regular, engagement and dialogue.

SEPA’s initial informal offer was for a split pay offer of 2% for 9 months and 3% for 3 months for 2025-26. With further years to be determined once the Scottish Government pay award was known. SEPA agreed with Unison to wait for the Scottish Government pay offer before making any formal offer.

SEPA have informed Unison they wished to implement an interim payment from 1 April 2025 to alleviate any financial hardship whilst pay negotiations continue, Unison rejected this suggestion.

The 2025-26 Public Sector Pay Policy sets out the framework for pay increases for staff pay remits and applies to public sector employers including SEPA. Public sector employers are expected to explore fair and sustainable pay levels in dialogue with trade unions considering associated funding options and living within available budget.

The Scottish Government Planning Application Statistics (PAS) asks planning authorities to indicate the number of planning applications they have decided for major housing developments (50 or more dwellings or a site area that is or exceeds two hectares) and local housing developments (less than 50 dwellings or a site area of less than two hectares). The PAS does not include the number of new homes approved in each reporting period.

The number of decisions made on local planning applications for housing for the period 2021-22 - 2023-24 is:

• 2021-22 - 4608
• 2022-23 - 4194
• 2023-24 - 3653

The number of decisions made on major planning applications for housing for the period 2021-22 - 2023-24 is:

• 2021-22 - 123
• 2022-23 - 97
• 2023-24 - 77

Total numbers of approvals can vary from year to year in line with numbers of applications submitted in any given period. The overall rate of approvals of applications in 2023-24 was 92.3%.

The CMA’s Housebuilding Market Study included figures for the number of housing units given planning approval from 2014-15 – 2021-22, informed by the Home Builders Federation’s (HBF) quarterly “New Housing Pipeline” report. This report is published on the HBF’s website, and the most recent edition records a figure for the number of housing units given planning consent for all of Scotland in the years 2022 - 2024 as:

• 2022: 26,301
• 2023: 23,867
• 2024: 24,054

The Housing Statistics for Scotland Quarterly Update: New Housebuilding and Affordable Housing Supply records the number of new dwellings started in Scotland for the years 2022 - 2024 as:

• 2022: 22,088
• 2023: 16,849
• 2024: 15,759

The Housing Statistics for Scotland Quarterly Update: New Housebuilding and Affordable Housing Supply records the number of new dwellings completed in Scotland for the years 2022 - 2024 as:

• 2022: 23,486
• 2023: 21,318
• 2024: 19,988

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39145 on 29 July 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Now that they have discounted zonal pricing, we will continue to urge the UK Government to immediately set out what a reformed national market will mean for bill-payers, developers and investors. It is essential that the UK Government takes urgent action to address the high energy bills faced by the people of Scotland – in an energy rich country like Scotland, people should not be struggling to pay their bills. We are also committed to working closely with the UK Government, Ofgem, energy suppliers and organisations to advocate for the delivery of a social tariff across Great Britain.

The Scottish Government continues to monitor and consider a range of evidence in relation to the energy sector. We have commissioned and published independent analysis on Scotland’s Energy System and Just Transition, which includes consideration of offshore energy supply chains during the transition.

The regulation of the offshore oil and gas sector, including in relation to decommissioning, are matters currently reserved to the UK Government.

The Scottish Government has met with trade unions regarding its policy position on nuclear energy.

We regularly meet representatives from the nuclear industry.