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-40638

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 targets it has set for job transitions supported through the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme for each of the next three years, and how it will report progress.

The Passport is one tool in a wider landscape of support for Scotland’s oil and gas workers – which all support the shared outcome of a just transition for this valued and highly skilled workforce. For example, the Passport is complemented by the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (launched in July 2025 as a joint initiative from Scottish and UK Governments) which offers tailored careers advice and funded training for eligible workers looking to build the skills needed for work in Scotland’s sustainable energy sectors.

The Passport is an industry led project, and the Scottish Government does not hold detailed information on operational and reporting matters. For such queries, we recommend directly contacting the lead industry bodies - Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and RenewableUK (RUK).

Question reference: S6W-40634

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 any approved change requests have altered the scope, cost or timeline for the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme, and what the rationale has been for each change.

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-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-40627

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 steps it has taken to achieve employer recognition and use of the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme among offshore operators, wind developers and tier-one contractors.

Question reference: S6W-40639

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 contingency plans are in place should the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme not achieve its expected (a) uptake and (b) outcomes, and what anonymised, regular datasets on this it plans to publish to support scrutiny of progress towards meeting these.

Question reference: S6W-40631

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 key performance indicators it is using to measure the success of the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme, and what the current performance is against each indicator.

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-40746

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) percentage and (b) area in km2 of (i) inshore Marine Protected Areas and (ii) other inshore waters have year-round spatial restrictions on (A) scallop dredging, (B) nephrops trawling, (C) both scallop dredging and nephrops trawling, (D) creeling and (E) all commercial fishing.

The area calculated for restrictions is based on where there is a limit on the fishing activity all year round dependent on, for example, vessel size and power usage as well as where there is a complete ban on that type of fishing activity in a designated site as part of the MPA network and other inshore waters. The Scottish Government are currently developing fisheries management measures for MPAs where they are required, but not already in place, and for Priority Marine Feature (PMF) management areas outside of MPAs and aim to launch a public consultation in November.

The presumption for MPAs is that their use will be sustainable use, therefore fishing gears restricted in MPAs is based on their potential impact on the protected features of the site, usually allowing some fishing to continue. In other inshore waters not all areas are suitable for trawling and dredging therefore there will be areas that have never been considered for restrictions.

(a) The area of Marine Protected Areas where scallop dredging is currently restricted is 4,753 square kilometres. This is 13% of waters in the inshore MPA network.

The area of other inshore waters where scallop dredging is currently restricted is 3,315 square kilometres. This is approximately 6.3% of the inshore area outwith the MPA network.

(b) Nephrops trawling is included in measures restricting trawl, bottom trawl or mobile gear. The numbers presented below reflect this. The area of Marine Protected Areas where nephrops trawling is currently restricted is 5,084 square kilometres. This is 13% of waters in the inshore MPA network.

The area of other inshore waters where nephrops trawling is currently restricted is 3,313 square kilometres. This is approximately 6.3% of the inshore area outwith the MPA network.

(c) The area of Marine Protected Areas where both scallop dredging and nephrops trawling is currently restricted is 4,665 square kilometres. This is 12% of waters in the inshore MPA network. This was calculated in areas where there are overlapping restrictions on both scallop dredging and nephrops trawling not the individual percentage and area for each gear type added together.

The area of other inshore waters where both scallop dredging and nephrops trawling is currently restricted is 3307 square kilometres. This is approximately 6.2% of the inshore area outwith the MPA network.

(d) The area of Marine Protected Areas where creeling is currently restricted is 2,659 square kilometres. This is 7% of waters in the inshore MPA network.

The area of other inshore waters where creeling is currently restricted is 3001 square kilometres. This is approximately 5.7% of the inshore area outwith the MPA network.

(e) The area of Marine Protected Areas where all commercial fishing is currently restricted is 60 square kilometres. This is less than 1% of waters in the inshore MPA network. The presumption for MPAs is that their use will be sustainable use, therefore fishing gears prohibited in MPAs is based on their potential impact on the protected features of the site, usually allowing some fishing to continue.

The area of other inshore waters where all commercial fishing is currently restricted is 6 square kilometres. This is less than 1% of the inshore area outwith the MPA network.

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.