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The Scottish Government notes the UK Government’s report and the evidence given to the Committee. National security is a reserved matter, and Scottish officials have fed into what is a UK reserved issue. There are no plans to commission separate work at this time, but we will continue to monitor relevant evidence and engage with UK counterparts as appropriate.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

This information is not available by parliamentary region; however Scottish Water has provided the closest equivalent which includes the local authority areas of: Shetland, Orkney, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Highland, and the whole of Moray and Argyll and Bute.

Scottish Water currently has 306 event duration monitors (EDMs) installed in this region. This includes 198 installed with information already available on its website, 100 installed but not yet onboarded or quality assured (QA), and 8 installed and onboarded/QA due to be added to the website shortly.

Scottish Water’s approach in 2026 is to focus on getting as many of the already installed EDMs live on its online map rather than installing more new EDMs.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

This information is not available by parliamentary region; however Scottish Water has provided the closest equivalent which includes the local authority areas of: Shetland, Orkney, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Highland, and the whole of Moray and Argyll and Bute. Scottish Water has 826 combined sewer overflows in this region.

The Nature Investment Partnership continues to engage with a range of investors, land managers and local communities to identify the most suitable approach for each potential investment site. No private finance has yet been directed through the Partnership into on-the-ground projects. More information about the Partnership is available on its webpage: Nature Investment Partnership | NatureScot.

The Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray awards grants on a competitive basis. Geothermal projects are able to apply as long as the funding criteria are met.

The Community and Renewable Energy Scheme provides support for communities across Scotland to develop their own renewable energy projects through its Community Energy Generation Growth Fund. This support covers a range of technologies and applications for deep geothermal projects are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

The draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan referred to the planned publication of a Renewables Export Plan to grow exports of goods and services related to energy produced from renewable sources, such as geothermal. We subsequently published ‘A Trading Nation – A Framework to Grow Scotland’s Renewables Exports’ in March 2023 and the ‘Renewables Exports: Action Plan’ in February 2025.

We will continue to work with stakeholders to improve understanding of Scotland’s deep geothermal resource and how it can help the journey to net zero.

Scotland’s geology provides the potential for deep geothermal to contribute to decarbonisation.

We are continuing to work with partners to support stakeholders as they assess this resource. Examples of this work include:

- Our enterprise agencies have awarded funding to a number of projects relating to geothermal energy, including to Aberdeen Council, Geothermal Energy Limited, and Cairngorm Mountain Scotland Limited.

- We provided funding in 2025 to NHS Grampian to allow it to assess the feasibility of using deep geothermal energy to heat the Foresterhill Health Campus in Aberdeen. The study concluded that while the use of geothermal is feasible, further exploration is required to determine whether it would be economically viable. NHS Grampian is reviewing its options following the conclusion of the feasibility study.

- We are engaging with the Mining Remediation Authority to identify opportunities to heat NHS facilities using geothermal heat stored in minewater.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that transitional funding for WES will be provided in financial year 2026-2027 which will give WES the opportunity to explore longer term funding solutions. It is of course important that WES continues to engage directly with their workforce as they consider the impact of future financial planning. My intention is that the work by the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), and WES on the transitional funding in 2026-27 will support constructive engagement with staff on WES’s future direction in line with Fair Work principles.

Electric vehicles are carried by the current operator in line with standard booking requirements. Serco Northlink Ferries applies additional safety measures by identifying and segregating EVs on board, in accordance with evolving maritime regulations, and provides EV charging facilities at all terminals.

As part of the next iteration of the NIFS4 contract we will continue to ensure that the service allows those who wish to travel with an electric vehicle to do so in accordance with operational requirements and applicable safety regulations.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43883 on 17 March 2026. 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.

Wave Energy Scotland (WES) is a subsidiary of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). As a non-departmental public body, HIE operates independently of the Scottish Government and is responsible for setting out arrangements between itself and its subsidiaries, including WES.

Transitional funding for WES will be provided in financial year 2026-2027, giving WES the opportunity to explore longer term funding solutions.