Parliamentary questions
Douglas Lumsden
1,891 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether an independent evaluation of the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme will be commissioned and, if so, when the evaluation report will be published.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray, which was the source of the £3.7 million funding awarded over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to the industry-led development of the Energy Skills Passport, has been independently ev…
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many employer accounts there are on the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme, broken down by (a) oil and gas, (b) offshore wind, (c) onshore renewables, (d) construction, (e) defence and (f) any other sector.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The initial version of the industry-led Energy Skills Passport is a tool to support oil and gas workers identify training pathways into key offshore wind roles. Accounts are created by individual workers.The Energy Skills Passport is an industry-led project, …
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme users have (a) found work and (b) commenced funded training where use of the platform was recorded as part of the process in renewable or low-carbon roles since the scheme was launched on 22 January 2025.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. 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-committee…
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the current cost per registered user is for the EnergySkills Passport pilot scheme, and how this compares with the initial targetcost per user.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. 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-committee…
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 22 January 2025, Energy Skills Passport, how much of the £3.7 million allocated to the pilot scheme has been spent, and what the forecast outturn is for 2025-26.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40619 on 7 October 2025. 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-committee…
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme supports cross-recognition of qualifications across sectors and, if so, which awarding bodies and standards are accepted.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. 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-committee…
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what targeted actions are being taken to increase uptake of the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme among workers in the North East Scotland region.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. 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-committee…
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what communication and promotional activity was carried out for the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme in the initial months following its launch on 22 January 2025, and what the communications plan is for 2025-26.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. 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-committee…
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on (a) communications and (b) marketing for the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme since it was launched on 22 January 2025, and what the planned spend is for 2025-26.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. 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-committee…
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the timetable is for publication of the outcome dataon the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme, also broken down by what data willbe included.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40633 on 7 October 2025. 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-committee…
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many website (a) visits and (a) unique users to the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme there have been in each month since it was launched on 22 January 2025.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. 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-committee…
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when Phase Two of the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme will be completed, and what additional sectors and functions this will include.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is looking forward to seeing the Energy Skills Passport develop further as soon as possible, providing more options and pathways for workers to transition between sectors.The Energy Skills Passport is an industry-led project, with Offs…
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 22 January 2025, Energy Skills Passport, how the £3.7 million allocated to the pilot scheme has been apportioned, broken down by (a) software development, (b) project management, (c) consultancy, (d) hosting, (e) marketing, (f) evaluation and (g…
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Energy Skills Passport received Scottish Government funding via the Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray over the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24. In total, £3,703,610 was drawn down. A breakdown of spend in the relevant financial y…
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what risks to delivery of the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme have been identified and how these are being mitigated, including risks related to (a) employer participation and (b) user uptake.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. 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-committee…
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the implications of projected oil and gas job losses by the early 2030s on the required scale and pace of delivery of the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is deeply concerned by any planned job losses in the oil and gas sector.We continue to monitor and consider a range of evidence in relation to Scotland’s energy system. As part of this approach, we review reports on employment fr…
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many career paths are currently mapped through the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme and when it expects full coverage to be achieved.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. 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-committee…
18 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what targets it has set for job transitions supportedthrough the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme for each of the next threeyears, and how it will report progress.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Passport is one tool in a wider landscape of support for Scotland’s oil and gas workers – which all support the shared outcome of a just transition for this valued and highly skilled workforce. For example, the Passport is complemented by the …
15 Sep 2025 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Nuclear Industry Association's reported view that Scotland will miss out on thousands of new jobs due to its stance on nuclear energy.
10 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the original commitment of the Aberdeen to Central Belt Enhancement Project to spend £200 million by 2026 to reduce journey times between Aberdeen and the central belt by 20 minutes, whether it will confirm (a) how much has been spent by the project so far, and on what…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: To 19/7/2025, £24.5m has been spent on schemes to reduce journey times between Aberdeen on the central Belt.This includes £6.8m on the project to improve rail line speeds in the Barnhill area between Perth and Dundee. This was a nine-month program…
4 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many ScotRail services have been (a) cancelled, (b) part-cancelled and (c) delayed by at least (i) one minute, (ii) 15 minutes, (iii) 30 minutes and (iv) 60 minutes in (A) each of the last three financial years and (B) 2025-26 to date, and how many of these were attributed to (1) air…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Some ScotRail performance metrics requested by the Member and including the period up to March 2025 are published on Office for Rail and Road website: TOC key statistics | ORR Data Portal. The Member may wish to contact ScotRail, as the train operating compan…
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has received on which upstream fields supply feedstock directly to the Mossmorran natural gas liquids plant, and how many tonnes each field supplied in financial years (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24, (c) 2024-25 and (d) 2025 to date.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government does not hold data on the specific upstream fields that supply feedstock to the Mossmorran Natural Gas Liquid Plant, operated by Shell.
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when its ministers last met with (a) Shell UK Limited, (b) ExxonMobil, (c) the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and (d) the Health and Safety Executive to discuss the Mossmorran complex, and what issues were discussed on each occasion.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The former Minister for Climate Action last met with representatives of the Shell Natural Gas Liquids plant, and Exxonmobil Fife Ethylene Plant on 28 October 2024. The Minister discussed with the businesses, their views on Just Transition planning, their long…
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates the average cost difference for rural off-gas-grid households is between alternative low-carbon heating solutions and (a) heating oil and (b) liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and what action it can take to address any affordability gap.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Home Energy Scotland website has estimates on the potential annual savings from installing a standard air source heat pump where there is an existing oil or LPG boiler: https://www.homeenergyscotland.org/heat-pumpsWe provide uplifts through our Heat in Bu…
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when its ministers last met with (a) the UK and Ireland Fuel Distributors Association, (b) Liquid Gas UK, (c) major suppliers of heating oil, (d) major suppliers of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and (e) consumer-advice bodies, to discuss the rural off-gas-grid heating market, and what is…
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Scottish Ministers and Scottish Government officials frequently engage with a range of stakeholders involved in the rural off-gas heating market, both in direct meetings and as part of wider consultation events.I hosted a series of roundtables on 6 August 202…
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on levels of fuel poverty in rural communities of the recent price trends of (a) heating oil and (b) liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and what measures it has identified to mitigate any such impact.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government's most recent fuel poverty scenario modelling is for the July to September 2025 period under an Ofgem price cap of £1,720 for the typical dual fuel household. This analysis estimated a national fuel poverty rate of 32% (820,000 h…
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the potential role of (a) bio-derived heating oil and (b) renewable or bio-liquefied petroleum gas (BioLPG) as transitional fuels for rural off-gas-grid properties, and what its position is on promoting the uptake of such fuels.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: While not appropriate for most homes, bioenergy, including renewable liquid biofuels, is a low carbon, renewable energy source which may prove the best solution to decarbonising heating in some rural communities. We intend to ensure that sustainable bioenergy…
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what contingency arrangements it has in place to support households that are reliant on (a) heating oil and (b) liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the event of supply disruptions during winter 2025-26.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The responsibility for energy security is reserved to the UK Government, as is any contingency planning. However, the Scottish Government works closely with the UK Government on a range of issues to ensure Scotland’s needs are met.
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to the UK Government regarding (a) the regulation of prices and (b) supply chains for (i) heating oil and (ii) liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) serving rural communities in Scotland since 1 January 2020, and what response it has received.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Heating oil and liquified petroleum gas supply chains and energy price regulation are reserved matters. The Scottish Government continues to engage constructively with the UK Government on a regular basis, including on the need to ensure that all energy consu…
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on the national gas transmission system of any unplanned shutdown at the Mossmorran natural gas liquids plant, and what contingencies it has identified to mitigate any such disruption.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The responsibility for energy security is reserved to the UK Government and as is any contingency planning. However, the Scottish Government works closely with the UK Government on a range of issues to ensure Scotland’s needs are met.
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to the UK Government regarding the security of supply and future operation of the Mossmorran natural gas liquids plant since 1 January 2020, and what the outcomes were of any such representations.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government regularly engages with the UK Government on a range of issues regarding Scotland’s fuel security and sites of national significance for Scotland such as Mossmorran. We are committed to ensuring that we support businesses as they …