Parliamentary questions
Mercedes Villalba
523 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
6 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the accuracy of the reported claim by the developers of the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm site that it has (a) contracted almost 300 UK companies, (b) contracted over 120 Scottish companies and (c) created more than 50 long-term skilled jobs.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The UK Government is responsible for monitoring Inch Cape’s Supply Chain Plan as part of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme.The Scottish Government is investing up to £500 million over five years to anchor our offshore wind supply chain, su…
6 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm development, how many jobs in Scotland will be created by the delivery of at least 50% UK content over the life cycle of the development.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Projects such as Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm have the potential to boost local and national supply chain growth and support high-quality, sustainable jobs.The UK Government is responsible for monitoring Supply Chain Plans as part of the CfD scheme.The expans…
22 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of ScotWind leasing revenue is designated for (a) manufacturing, (b) assembly and (c) ports infrastructure in the offshore wind supply chain.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-37126 on 7 May 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-com…
22 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to leveraging (a) private and (b) publicinvestment to support the offshore wind supply chain.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Our strategic investment of up to £500 million over five years is expected to leverage additional private investment of up to £1.5 billion in the infrastructure and manufacturing facilities critical to growing the offshore wind sector.We are almos…
22 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of ScotWind leasing revenue is designated for investment in the energy skills passport, skills training, and other education and training.
Answer · Shona Robison: As published as part of the 2025-26 Budget, the NZE portfolio received Scotwind CDEL of £179.9 million in addition to £603.7 million CDEL allocation this financial year, which is targeted towards our investment in net zero priorities.
22 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to (a) partial and (b) total public ownership of offshore wind energy generation to support the offshore wind supply chain.
Answer · Gillian Martin: A national public energy company that is involved in large-scale energy generation would only be possible in an independent Scotland where we had full powers over the energy market and full access to borrowing. The Green Industrial Strategy sets out how the p…
22 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of ScotWind leasing revenue is designated for capital budgets.
Answer · Shona Robison: The annual approach to deploying ScotWind leasing revenue is set out in the Budget. In this year’s Budget document the profile is shown in table A.O2.The £96 million of ScotWind leasing revenue utilised in 2022-23 was used to support the overall f…
22 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total amount generated from ScotWind leasing revenue is.
Answer · Shona Robison: After the inaugural ScotWind Leading Round £756 million of ScotWind option fees were received.In addition, a further £54.2 million of INTOG (Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas) revenues have now also been generated.
7 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with (a) the UK Government, (b) trade unions and (c) the offshore energy sector to ensure coherent just transition planning for the North Sea, in light of the UK Government's recent consultation document, Building the North Sea’s energy future.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Offshore oil and gas licensing, consenting and the associated fiscal regime are all matters that are currently reserved to the UK Government.The Scottish Government is taking the appropriate time to carefully consider the UK Government’s consultation on…
3 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the timeline is for establishing the review of Scottish Enterprise’s human rights checks; what the scope of the review will be, and how the terms of reference will be agreed.
Answer · Kate Forbes: Following the debate in Parliament on 26 February on Scottish Enterprise Funding to Arms Companies, a Parliamentary motion was passed calling on Scottish Enterprise to “review its human rights due diligence checks to ensure that they take account of whe…
3 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring it and its enterprise agencies undertake to evaluate whether grants that are awarded are impactful in achieving diversification away from arms manufacturing.
Answer · Kate Forbes: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18383 on 14 September 2018. 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-…
3 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it and its enterprise agencies determine whether companies that have been linked to breaches of international humanitarian law can be excluded from receiving grants.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government’s Guidance on due diligence: human rights sets out recommendations on how we, our executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies should undertake appropriate due diligence on companies, including their human rights record,…
3 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its policy not to provide support for the manufacture of munitions through its enterprise agencies, how it defines "munitions".
Answer · Kate Forbes: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18505 on 28 September 2018. 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-…
3 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the human rights checks that are carried out by Scottish Enterprise when determining whether to issue a grant, including the guidance that is issued to the agency's staff when completing these.
Answer · Kate Forbes: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise, I have asked Adrian Gillespie, the Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise, to respond to you directly.
2 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that people across Scotland are able to exercise their legal rights to (a) assembly, (b) demonstrate and (c) peacefully protest, without fear of undue harassment or victimisation by law enforcement.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government is fully committed to supporting people’s rights to public assembly and protest. The operational policing of protests and demonstrations is rightly a matter for Police Scotland and their priority will always be maintaining public…
2 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Israeli parliament’s reported decision to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating inside Israel coming into effect on 30 January 2025, what plans it has to provide funding for UNRWA in 2025-26.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government provided £750,000 to the UNRWA Flash Appeal for Gaza in November 2023. This funding was used to provide lifesaving food, medical aid and shelter to displaced people across the Gaza strip. Although we do not regularly fund UNRWA a…
24 Mar 2025 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to prevent instances of water scarcity in 2025.
18 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to landowners for the (a) creation and (b) management of riparian buffer strips for beaver reintroduction.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: In July 2023, Scottish Forestry launched the Woodlands for Riparian Benefits Forestry Grant Scheme, targeting specific areas to enhance Scotland’s riparian woodlands. The scheme offers increased grant rates for areas along watercourses. Around 175,000 h…
18 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action NatureScot is taking to (a) carry out strategic environmental assessments (SEA) of new catchments for beaver release and (b) streamline the SEA process.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: NatureScot has published Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA for Tayside, Knapdale, the Forth catchment, Loch Lomond catchment, the River Spey and the Beauly catchments, as well as publishing a screening report for the Rivers Ness and Lochy catchments.Gi…
18 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether its approach to issuing lethal control licences for beaver mitigation is consistent with the approach that it uses for licensing lethal control for other European protected species.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Yes. The approach NatureScot take, as the licensing authority for the issuing of lethal control licences for beaver management, is consistent with the approach that it uses for licensing lethal control for other European Protected Species, in that the licensi…
18 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the NatureScot report, Scotland's Beaver Strategy 2022-2045, how it will maintain the supply of sites for beaver translocation.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government continues to identify release sites on publicly owned and managed land. NatureScot are also inviting land managers with an interest in hosting beavers to come forward so that they can discuss the licence application process with them a…
18 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether in applications for (a) lethal control and (b) trap and removal licences for beavers, evidence is required to prove that alternative mitigation options have been tried but deemed unsuccessful.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: All applications for trapping or lethal control of beavers require that satisfactory alternatives are considered.The beaver licence application form asks what alternative mitigations have been attempted. NatureScot specialists can advise whether there are oth…
18 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many sites have been identified in a pipeline of new receptor sites for beaver management translocations, and how many beavers each receptor site is likely to accommodate.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Work has been ongoing within public agencies to identify sites where beaver release may take place, within and on the edge of current range and in new catchments. A licence issued to the Cairngorms National Park Authority allows for a further five beaver fami…
17 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what communications it has had with the (a) UK Government and (b) Maritime and Coastguard Agency regarding any environmental impact on Scotland of the recent collision in the North Sea between an oil tanker and a cargo ship.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government's Marine Directorate operates a 24hr on-call cadre of Spill Response Duty Officers (MD-DOs). The role coordinates the environmental and public health response to any pollution event, or potential pollution event, in Scottish marine wat…
17 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what communications it has had with the (a) UK Government and (b) Maritime and Coastguard Agency to improve the welfare of seafarers and offshore workers on vessels that use Scottish ports.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government has regular communication with the UK Government and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) on a variety of issues affecting the maritime industry in Scotland including related to seafarer welfare.Whilst shipping safety, seafarer wel…
17 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use of so-called "fire-and-rehire" practices in the public sector in Scotland, in light of the proposed Employment Rights Bill by the UK Government.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government has been consistently clear that it opposes fire and rehire practices.The vast majority of employers consult and reach agreement with their employees when they have to consider making changes to contracts and will only consider using f…
11 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32232 by Gillian Martin on 19 December 2024, what consideration it has given to (a) fisheries management and (b) the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 with regard to the National Marine Plan 2.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Marine Planning in Scotland’s waters is governed by two Acts – the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 and the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. Together these set out the requirement for the development of marine plans.A Planning Position Statement f…
4 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the declaration of a national housing emergency, what (a) measures beyond rent adjudication and (b) emergency measures it has considered to protect private rented sector tenants.
Answer · Paul McLennan: Following our declaration of a national housing emergency in May last year, we set out a response plan to focus in the short term on housing supply. This includes delivering more high quality, permanent homes - growing the economy and supporting affordable ho…
4 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the continuing cost of living crisis, what (a) measures beyond rent adjudication and (b) emergency measures it has considered to protect private rented sector tenants.
Answer · Paul McLennan: Scotland already has the strongest protections for tenants in the UK. The rent adjudication process is in place to protect tenants from above market rent increases and it is one of a number if protections tenants have in place. An appeal can be made to the Fi…
4 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the Housing (Scotland) Bill, what contact it has had with (a) individual landlords and (b) representative landlord bodies.
Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government has engaged with individual landlords and representative bodies and more information can be found in the Housing Policy Memorandum and Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) Since introduction of the Bill, the Scottish Govern…