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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-21686

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 6 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many offshore oil and gas (a) workers and (b) businesses have received support through the Just Transition Fund to date, broken down by region.

So far, the Just Transition Fund has allocated £75 million to date, supporting a cross-sector portfolio of projects ranging across sectors like energy, agriculture, digital innovation and construction while also supporting communities across the North East and Moray to create jobs, support innovation, and secure the highly skilled workforce of the future.

Individuals are not eligible to apply directly to the Just Transition Fund, however through our £50 million multi-year capital grant programme we are providing support to the current and future offshore energy workforce, including oil and gas workers, as they transition to net zero.

For example, this year we are funding 400 free pilot training courses in energy transition skills. We are also sponsoring the development of an Offshore Energy Skills Passport which, once complete, will aim to support any member of the UK offshore energy workforce to transition between offshore energy sectors.

Through our Supply Chain Pathway and Energy Transition Challenge Fund project we are supporting energy supply chain companies currently servicing the oil and gas markets to transition to new opportunities in green energy across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, and Moray. In Year 1 we supported 11 local businesses and over the Fund’s 4-year lifetime we will deliver £10 million in grant support to companies in the region.

Question reference: S6W-21688

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 6 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives from (a) the offshore oil and gas sector, (b) the offshore renewables sector and (c) trade unions in Scotland to discuss the operation of the Just Transition Fund.

Question reference: S6W-21626

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 29 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total volume, in kilograms, was of below Minimum Conservation Reference Size (a) cod, (b) haddock, (c) herring, (d) whiting, (e) sole, (f) plaice and (g) saithe that was discarded by Scottish boats in 2022, in ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) areas (i) 4 and (ii) 6a.

The total quantity of discards below Minimum Conservation Reference Size from Scottish vessels is not currently estimated. The Marine Directorate of the Scottish Government estimates the total weight of bycatch (catch that was not considered suitable for commercial sales) below Minimum Conservation Reference Size for demersal trawlers and seine netters for each year, using data collected by scientific observers on-board fishing vessels. Fishing trips by vessels using other gears are not surveyed. The estimates for 2022 are given in the table below. These estimates are for fishing trips by UK vessels landing into Scotland and Scottish vessels landing abroad, however the estimates for solely Scottish vessels are likely to be of similar magnitude.

Estimates of the total weight of bycatch (kg) below Minimum Conservation Reference Size, rounded to the nearest tonne, caught in 2022 in ICES subarea 4 and division 6a by UK vessels landing into Scotland and Scottish vessels landing abroad, fishing with demersal trawls or seines.

Species	ICES region
Species	(i) 4	(ii) 6a
(a) Cod	316,000	6,000
(b) Haddock	6167,000	630,000
(c) Herring	1,000	0
(d) Whiting	380,000	58,000
(e) Sole	0	0
(f) Plaice	139,000	1,000
(g) Saithe	12,000	0

Question reference: S6W-21557

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when its Bioenergy Action Plan will be published, as committed to in its Scottish Energy Strategy and its Bioenergy: update - March 2021 publication.

Question reference: S6W-21555

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 28 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total volume, in kilograms, was of (a) cod, (b) haddock, (c) herring, (d) whiting, (e) sole, (f) plaice and (g) saithe that was discarded by Scottish boats in 2022, in ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) areas (i) 4 and (ii) 6a.

The total quantity of discards from Scottish vessels is not currently estimated. Marine Scotland estimates the total weight of fish bycatch (catch that was not considered suitable for commercial sales) for demersal trawlers and seine netters for each year, using data collected by scientific observers on-board fishing vessels. Fishing trips by vessels using other gears are not surveyed. The estimates for 2022 are given in the following table. These estimates are for fishing trips by UK vessels landing into Scotland and Scottish vessels landing abroad, however the estimates for solely Scottish vessels are likely to be of similar magnitude.

Estimates of the total weight of bycatch (kg), rounded to the nearest tonne, caught in 2022 in ICES subarea 4 and division 6a by UK vessels landing into Scotland and Scottish vessels landing abroad, fishing with demersal trawls or seines.

Species	ICES region
Species	(i) 4	(ii) 6a
(a) Cod	3,667,000	551,000
(b) Haddock	12,822,000	1384,000
(c) Herring	865,000	51,000
(d) Whiting	3,301,000	107,000
(e) Sole	0	0
(f) Plaice	258,000	2,000
(g) Saithe	3,160,000	13,000

Question reference: S6W-21282

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 26 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the recommendations of the Active Travel Transformation Project will be made publicly available.

The recommendations of the ongoing Active Travel Transformation Project will be made publicly available. It is intended that these will be shared in the coming months.

A report which summarises the work undertaken and lessons learned from the first stage of the Project will be also published. This report will include learning from Project workshops, and summarises issues surfaced through wider Project engagement.

Question reference: S6O-02559

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its final Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.

Question reference: S6O-02476

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 August 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the development of an offshore training passport, as funded by the Just Transition Fund.

Question reference: S6W-20144

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 15 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition on 29 June 2023, regarding Highly Protected Marine Areas, what the timescales are for establishing fisheries management measures for "tranche two" of the existing Marine Protected Areas.

“Tranche two” Marine Protected Areas are included in work currently ongoing to implement fisheries management measures within existing Marine Protected Areas.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20143 on 15 August 2023 for details of the timescale for this work.

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

Question reference: S6W-20143

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 15 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition on 29 June 2023, regarding Highly Protected Marine Areas, whether there will be any delay to the deadline of March 2024 for the delivery of fisheries management measures in existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), as set out in the Bute House Agreement.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering fisheries management measures for existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) where such measures are not already in place, as well as key coastal biodiversity locations outside of these sites. As outlined in the Parliamentary Statement of 29 June 2023, due to the complexity of the of the inshore area and the number of sites, the fisheries management measures will not be delivered before March 2024. The Scottish Government will consult on the proposals for offshore areas after summer recess and on proposals for inshore areas in 2024.

Meeting	Date
Offshore Oil and Gas Sector	15-09-2023
Offshore Renewables Sector	18-08-2023
Trade Unions	08-08-2023