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Scottish Government officials meet frequently with their counterparts in the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to discuss all areas of marine energy policy.

The Scottish Government, along with the UK Government and Great British Energy (GBE), are members of the industry-led UK Marine Energy Taskforce, which is due to present its recommendations for support and further development of the marine energy sector this Summer.

On 28 August I wrote to Michael Shanks MP the Minister for Energy confirming my agreement to GBE’s Statement of Strategic Priorities, welcoming GBE’s focus on supporting the commercialisation of nascent clean technologies and highlighting the importance of GBE support for innovation programmes. On 25 February, I wrote to the Chief Executive of GBE to request a meeting to specifically discuss how the organisation can support the development of wave and tidal stream energy in Scotland.

The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme is a reserved to and operated by the UK Government. The Scottish Government does not hold data on the net cost of CfD payments made to generators in Scotland.

The number of Scottish domiciled students studying at universities across the UK is published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Data can be split by entrant marker, level of study and mode of study.

https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/sb273/figure-9

Data is not held on the total number of Scottish domiciled students studying on courses overseas.

Up to £10 million capital funding is available for projects that create jobs, build skills, and boost economic opportunities in the North East and Moray. The Scottish Government will have clear expectations of how many (a) full-time equivalent jobs, (b) total jobs, (c) training positions and (d) apprenticeships this round of the Fund will create when successful applicants are selected.

Transport Scotland is committed to undertaking a complete procurement via the Restricted Procedure. Due attention is being given to the cost to the public purse as the specification is being developed, the impact of which will be limited by an effective tender process. There are expected to be time and resource savings through the use of the Restricted Procedure.

The Scottish Government does not intend to prepare a public sector bid for the Northern Isles Ferry Services 4 contract. Candidates invited to submit a tender will be selected using the Single Procurement Document process in accordance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.

The Northern Isles Ferry Services 4 will be competitively procured via the restricted procedure in accordance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. Transport Scotland has no plans to publish the names of interested parties before the issue of the invitation to tender.

Transport Scotland will set a time limit which is proportionate and appropriate for this competition. This will be applied consistently to all invited bidders and will exceed the minimum time limit of 30 days set out by Regulation 29(6).

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that investment through the Just Transition Fund delivers value for public money and supports environmental and economic outcomes across the North East and Moray. To that end, an independent evaluation of the first two years of JTF delivery (2022–2024) was commissioned, with the final report published in July 2025.

The evaluation found that the Fund has supported a wide range of projects contributing positively to environmental sustainability and community wellbeing across several domains:

(a) Air quality, (b) Water quality, and (c) Soil quality

Projects funded through the JTF have advanced nature-based solutions, environmental restoration, and community-led ecological management. For example, the Findhorn Watershed Initiative undertook large-scale riparian woodland restoration, carbon sequestration activity, and community environmental education. These efforts contribute to long-term improvements in ecosystem health, including enhanced water quality and more resilient soils, and support Scotland’s broader adaptation objectives.

(d) Public transport

The evaluation highlighted improved access to essential services, including public transport. In addition, transport-focused feasibility studies, such as the Buchan Sustainable Transport Study, were among the showcase examples featured in the evaluation. These projects aim to address rural connectivity challenges, inform low-carbon transport solutions, and improve mobility for communities across the region.

(e) Active travel

While active travel is not the primary focus of the JTF portfolio, several projects supported community engagement, place-based improvements, and environmental enhancement that complement active travel objectives. Wider participatory budgeting activities funded through the JTF also supported local improvements to community spaces and infrastructure, enabling healthier, low-carbon choices.

Overall, the independent evaluation concluded that the Just Transition Fund is supporting environmental sustainability, community empowerment, and improved access to essential services, while laying the groundwork for longer-term environmental and economic benefits across the North East and Moray.

The Scottish Government does not have any plans to establish a genetic testing programme for feral pigs or wild boar.

Previous testing undertaken by NatureScot and Science and Advice for Scotland’s Agriculture (SASA), which assessed the DNA of shot pigs in Scotland, highlighted that feral pigs originated from a wide mix of wild boar, domesticated pigs and hybrids.