Asked by: Ewing, Fergus (Independent - Inverness and Nairn)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any implications for its energy policy, what its response is to reports that Great Britain's electricity grid nearly experienced a blackout on 8 January 2025, during a period of low wind power generation and high demand due to a cold snap, which resulted in emergency balancing costs of up to £23 million, mostly paid to gas generators, and, in light of Great Britain's gas storage capacity reportedly being equivalent to less than two days' supply, what its position is on whether this increases the risk of (a) higher balancing costs and (b) brownouts and blackouts occurring.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-44226 on 25 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.
Asked by: Villalba, Mercedes (Scottish Labour - North East Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what communication it has had with Crown Estate Scotland regarding the relinquishing of the CampionWind lease by Shell UK in November 2025.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy
Crown Estate Scotland(CES)is responsible for the leasing of the seabed and provides the Scottish Government with regular updates on the progress of offshore wind projects.
The handing back of CampionWind’s lease option to CES was a commercial decision made by Shell UK. The Scottish Government was informed of this development by CES.
Individual developers and companies routinely reassess their commercial priorities. This is a normal feature of the offshore wind market and the wider industry.
Asked by: Ewing, Fergus (Independent - Inverness and Nairn)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any implications for its energy policy, what its position is on what proportion of electricity supplied to Scotland should come from renewable sources, and, with such a proportion of renewable energy supply, whether back-up generation from gas-fired power stations would be required to prevent the risk of blackouts.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-44226 on 25 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.
Asked by: Lennon, Monica (Scottish Labour - Central Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of fly-tipping in (a) South Lanarkshire and (b) Glasgow.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy
The Scottish Government has not made specific assessments of fly-tipping levels in South Lanarkshire or Glasgow. Responsibility for dealing with fly-tipping depends on the location and nature of the incident. Under the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse, local authorities are responsible for the clearance of fly-tipping from relevant public land, while private landowners are responsible for waste on their own land. SEPA may also have a role in regulating and enforcing against illegal waste activity, depending on the circumstance.
At the national level, the Scottish Government published a Fly-tipping Baseline Report in 2024 (National litter and flytipping strategy: baseline report - gov.scot), which provides an overview of the scale and nature of fly-tipping across Scotland, including some local authority data.
Asked by: Lennon, Monica (Scottish Labour - Central Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its statement, Strengthening additional support for learning, published on 12 March 2026, how the recommendation for "workforce alignment" will be implemented in Lanarkshire, in light of reported concerns regarding chronic underfunding and overstretched staffing.
Answered by Gilruth, Jenny - Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
The expert Review carried out by Professional Education Advisor Janie McManus’ said that clearer expectations, stronger pathways to support across education, health and social care, and early interventions should underpin the next steps in delivering Additional Support Needs (ASN) provision in schools.
I welcomed publication of the review and accepted the six recommendations made.
Whilst work on delivering against these recommendations will require sustained partnership across government, local authorities and national bodies, it will be for the incoming government to consider how to take forward the specific approach.
Asked by: Lennon, Monica (Scottish Labour - Central Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its review of the effectiveness of section 40 of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014; what data it holds on the number of successful prosecutions under this section for "significant environmental harm" since its inception, and how it plans to address reported concerns from stakeholders that section 40 lacks the "apex" deterrent effect required to prevent mass environmental destruction.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy
The Scottish Government has not committed to a formal review of the offence at section 40 of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014. The information that we hold shows that there have been no successful prosecutions under the section 40 offence of causing significant environmental harm. There are many possible explanations for this lack of prosecutions, including regulatory agencies and prosecutors using other, more specific offences in response to environmental crimes.
Asked by: Lennon, Monica (Scottish Labour - Central Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, following the Parliament's agreement of a Financial Resolution for the Ecocide (Scotland) Bill on 19 February 2026, what specific work is being undertaken during the current pause in stage 2 proceedings to ensure that the (a) Scottish Environment Protection Agency and (b) Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is adequately resourced and trained to investigate and prosecute complex corporate environmental crimes.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy
Since the Parliament’s agreement to the Financial Resolution for the Ecocide (Scotland) Bill, there has been contact at official level between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency about the level of resources that would be needed should the Bill be enacted. There has been no contact on this issue with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service during this period.
Asked by: Ewing, Fergus (Independent - Inverness and Nairn)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any implications for its energy policy, what its response is to reports that, on 8 January 2025, the National Grid's margin of surplus power over actual demand dropped to 580 megawatts, or just over 1% of peak demand, which was below safety requirements; what level of safety requirements it considers is sufficient to protect the public and businesses in Scotland against brownouts and blackouts; what its position is on the necessity of further investment in (a) increased gas storage and (b) new generating capacity from gas-fired power stations to provide back-up capacity to protect against brownouts and blackouts, and what discussions it has had with the (i) National Energy System Operator and (ii) UK Government regarding the role of non-renewable back-up generation in providing stability to the energy grid.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-44226 on 25 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.
Asked by: Ewing, Fergus (Independent - Inverness and Nairn)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any implications for its energy policy, whether it has considered the adequacy of gas storage facilities in Scotland and the rest of Great Britain, and, if so, what action it has taken on this matter since 2021.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy
Planning associated with the security of fuel and energy supplies is a reserved matter. It is for the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero to assess the adequacy of gas storage for Scotland and the rest of Great Britain. We remain in close contact with the UK Government on these matters.
Asked by: Clark, Katy (Scottish Labour - West Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43887 by Gillian Martin on 5 March 2026, what financial support it is currently providing to SSE plc and its subsidiaries, including (a) SSEN Transmission and (b) SSEN Distribution.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy
The Scottish Government does not routinely provide financial support to SSE plc or its subsidiaries. Electricity networks are a regulated industry, with Ofgem, the GB energy regulator, responsible for regulation.