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: S7W-01270

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government following the closure of the Listed Places of Worship Scheme, whether it will implement a replacement scheme as has been done in England.

Question reference: S7W-01431

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is working to support coexistence between the offshore wind and fisheries sectors.

The Scottish Government has an important role in managing Scotland’s marine space, ensuring the interests of all marine users are appropriately considered. We want to see a prosperous future for the offshore wind and fisheries sectors.

The Scottish Government participates in the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) Barriers to Deployment Group, which brings together representatives from the offshore wind industry and fishing sector to discuss coexistence matters between the two sectors. Through this group, the Scottish Government is working with stakeholders to scope potential options to support coexistence, drawing on input from both sectors before reporting these options to Scottish Ministers for consideration.

Fishing interests also play an active role in both sectoral planning and project consenting processes, and developers are required to engage with fishers to agree appropriate fisheries mitigation, monitoring and communication as part of the consenting process.

This reflects the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensuring that offshore wind deployment is delivered sustainably while recognising the importance of Scotland’s fishing industry.

Question reference: S7W-01433

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government and the National Energy System Operator to ensure that Scotland's offshore wind potential, including the ScotWind and Innovation and Targeted Oil & Gas (INTOG) leasing rounds, is fully reflected in the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan.

Question reference: S7W-01429

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the implementation and operation of critical policy frameworks underpinning the offshore wind sector, including the Sectoral Marine Plan and Scottish Marine Recovery Fund, what resources (a) are currently allocated to (i) the Offshore Wind Directorate, (ii) the Marine Directorate and (iii) NatureScot and (b) it plans to allocate in the future.

The Scottish Government is committed to accelerating the growth of Scotland’s offshore wind sector, and to maximising the economic opportunity from the transition to net zero, including through delivery of the Sectoral Marine Plan (SMP) and establishment of a Scottish Marine Recovery Fund (MRF).

The Offshore Wind Directorate(OSW)currently comprises 70 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff and operates a lean and focused structure, prioritising resources across a broad portfolio of offshore wind activity. This includes 5 FTE staff dedicated to the development and delivery of the Scottish Marine Recovery Fund and 3 FTE supporting delivery of the Sectoral Marine Plan.

The OSW Directorate also draws on specialist expertise from across the Scottish Government and its public bodies, including the Marine Directorate and NatureScot, where required. Support for the SMP and MRF is provided through wider multidisciplinary teams that contribute across a range of programmes and functions.

Resourcing requirements across these programmes continue to be kept under review to ensure that priorities can be delivered efficiently and effectively.

Question reference: S7W-01720

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01249 by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026, for what reason it has not prepared its own analysis of the proportion of Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions that is attributable to rail transport.

Question reference: S7W-01721

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01249 by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026, what figures, data sources and evidence it relies on when considering the proportion of Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions that is attributable to rail transport, and what assessment it has made of the accuracy and reliability of that information.

Question reference: S7W-01406

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 10 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcomes and KPIs set for the Just Transition Fund were, which of those it expects to achieve by the end of the current parliamentary session and what milestones (a) were set and (b) have been achieved so far.

The Just Transition Fund does not have a single set of programme-wide KPIs. Instead, each funded project has its own agreed targets and milestones, which are monitored through quarterly, annual and final reporting.

The Fund's overarching outcomes are:

Jobs, skills and economic opportunities;
Communities and places;
People and equity; and
Environment, biodiversity and adaptation.

The Scottish Government expects the Fund to continue contributing to all four outcomes during the remainder of the current parliamentary session. £83.5 million has been allocated to 28 projects since 2022, with a further £17 million due to be allocated this year. A fresh evaluation of the impact of the Fund will be undertaken this year to get a more comprehensive picture of impact.

Just one project supported by the Just Transition Fund, the ETZ Supply Chain Challenge Fund, has generated 267 jobs and leveraged £17 million in private investment in four years, with further benefits expected as projects continue to be delivered.

Question reference: S7W-01407

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 10 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Just Transition Fund, whether it will provide information on how much has paid out to date, who all the recipients are and when future funding rounds will open.

The Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund has invested more than £83.5 million since 2022, supporting 28 projects across the North East and Moray.

Information on all recipients of Just Transition Fund awards, including project descriptions and funding allocations, is publicly available through a Scottish Government Freedom of Information release published in July 2025: [gov.scot]. This provides a comprehensive list of projects supported through the Fund.

The most recent funding round reopened on 2 March 2026, with up to £17 million available to support green jobs, innovation, supply chain diversification and community-led projects. Details of future funding opportunities will continue to be published on the Scottish Government website in the usual way.

Question reference: S7W-01408

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 10 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many former oil and gas workers have successfully transitioned from the oil and gas sector to the renewables sector as a result of funding provided by the Just Transition Fund, and what proportion of funding already made available has been directed towards projects involving skills, retraining and/or employment support for workers currently or formerly employed in the oil and gas sector.

Approximately £9.7 million from the first round of the Just Transition Fund was allocated to skills interventions aimed at supporting workforce transferability and the transition, including the Energy Skills Passport and Energy Transition Skills Hub.

The Passport is an industry led project and for the most recent data on uptake we recommend contacting Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and Renewable UK (RUK) directly. The latest information available to Scottish Government regarding uptake, which covers the period from launch in January 2025 to March 2026, is that over 650 user profiles have been set up on the Passport’s digital system. The Hub represents a major investment in Scotland’s green energy workforce, aiming to support 1,000 people into energy transition roles over its first five years.

The Just Transition Fund is complemented by the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (TTF). The Scottish and UK Governments have each committed £3 million to the TTF for 2026/27, which aims to support over 1,000 oil and gas workers with careers advice and funding for training to access opportunities in sustainable energy and other growth sectors.

Question reference: S7W-01409

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 10 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Just Transition Fund, whether it will set out its objectives and what assessment has been made to ensure that funded projects contribute directly to those objectives.

The Scottish Government has set out clear objectives for the Just Transition Fund – to support the North East and Moray in transitioning to a net zero economy and mitigate the economic and social challenges associated with reducing dependence on carbon-intensive industries. These objectives are reflected in the criteria for the Fund this year which are; jobs, skills and economic opportunities; communities and place; people and equity; environment, biodiversity and adaptation.