Liam Kerr

11 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which education and training providers, including (a) colleges, (b) universities, (c) energy sector-specific training providers and (d) general independent training providers it consulted as part of the development of its Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which was publishe…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Officials regularly engage with institutions with expertise across further education, training, and skills. During the development of our draft ESJTP, we have had input from representatives from Robert Gordon University, Stirling University, University of the…

11 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which industry research organisations it consulted as part of the development of its Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which was published on 10 January 2023, and whether these consultees included (a) Wood Mackenzie (b) Rystad and (c) Westwood Global Energy.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government engaged with a range of industry stakeholders as part of the development of the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, including through the Scottish Energy Advisory Board and its Strategic Leadership Groups, as well as engage…

11 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when research is expected to begin on the net zero skills gap on islands across Scotland, which is referred to in its Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which was published on 10 January 2023; who is conducting the research, and what are the costs associated with the researc…

Answer · Lorna Slater: The net zero skills gap and sector analysis research is being undertaken in relation to the Carbon Neutral Islands Project. This work is in its early stages and the contract of £80,000 was awarded to Aquetera Ltd.

11 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it consulted (a) The UK Offshore Energies Association (b) Global Underwater Hub (c) Scottish Renewables (d) Liquid Gas UK (e) Energy UK (e) Solar Energy UK and (f) The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board as part of the development of its Draft Energy Strategy and Jus…

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government engaged with a range of industry stakeholders as part of the development of the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, including through the Scottish Energy Advisory Board and its Strategic Leadership Groups, as well as engage…

11 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the comment by the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport in the Parliament on 10 January 2023 that "Scotland already has 13.4GW of renewable electricity generation capacity" and that "It is our ambition to deliver at least 20GW of additional low-cost renewa…

Answer · Michael Matheson: It is the Scottish Government’s ambition to deliver at least 20 GW of additional renewable electricity generation by 2030, the majority of which will be provided by onshore and offshore wind. The around 50% figure relates to the inclusion of this additional 2…

11 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the comment by the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport in the Parliament on 10 January 2023 that "Scotland already has 13.4GW of renewable electricity generation capacity" and that "It is our ambition to deliver at least 20GW of additional low-cost renewa…

Answer · Michael Matheson: The comment quoted relates to the scale of Scotland’s electricity generation ambition, and uses the comparison to current energy demand to illustrate that scale. As set out in the draft ESJTP, in 2030, Scottish energy demand that is not met from domestic ren…

11 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to submit its Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan to the Climate Change Committee (CCC) to assess whether it is sufficiently "deep thinking" to meet the Scottish Government’s policies, and what its response is to reported comments by the CCC chief executive that its…

Answer · Michael Matheson: The draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan sets out our vision for the transformation of Scotland’s energy system and includes a route map of milestones and actions to deliver this vision – including actions that the UK Government must take in reserve…

11 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the 77,000 low carbon energy jobs it estimates will be created by 2050, what it projects the average salary of those 77,000 jobs will be, and whether it will provide a breakdown of what those jobs will be and the average salary of each of them. 

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Independent analysis carried out for Scottish Government showed that, with the right investment, the number of low carbon jobs in energy production is estimated to rise from 19,000 in 2019 to 77,000 by 2050. This would mean there are more jobs in energy produ…

10 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £80 million funding from the Emerging Energy Technologies Fund to help the Scottish Cluster project accelerate its development, which was announced on the 14 January 2022, has been paid out to date.

Answer · Michael Matheson: We have offered £80 million from our Emerging Energy Technologies Fund to support the deployment of the Scottish Cluster. Due to delays with the UK Government awarding the Scottish Cluster, the offer of financial support was not required and we have re-profil…

10 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the statement in its Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan that "many young people are already choosing renewable or low carbon roles" and that "only 12% of the oil and gas workforce is under 30", what its response is to the suggestion that its comments regarding do…

Answer · Michael Matheson: Data from the industry itself clearly shows that a significant proportion of the oil and gas workforce will retire in the coming years. As a responsible government, we have set out a pathway to ensure a fair and just transition for our energy workforce, and …

9 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what sanctions could be applied, and to whom, in the event that it breaches the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019 as a result of a failure to meet its annual legal emissions targets in 2021.  

Answer · Michael Matheson: The outcome of the 2021 emissions reduction target will not be known until statistics for that year are published by early June 2023. In the event that any emissions reduction target is missed, under section 36 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 the Sc…

9 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Climate Change Committee's report, Progress in reducing emissions in Scotland - 2022 Report to Parliament, when it will provide information on the steps that it will take to compensate for the carbon emission targets it failed to meet.  

Answer · Michael Matheson: Under section 36 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, the Scottish Government has a legal duty to produce a catch-up report with additional policies and proposals to compensate in future years for the excess emissions from any missed annual emissions ta…

9 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has requested any meetings with the UK Government to discuss improving collaboration to meet those climate change targets it has failed to meet, as recommended by the recent Climate Change Committee report, Progress in reducing emissions in Scotland - 2022 Report to Parliament.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Under the legal framework set by the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 and agreed by the Scottish Parliament, a target outcome is determined at the time it is reported, which means that it is not possible to subsequently meet a previously missed emissions ta…

9 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what sanctions are applied, and to whom, as a result of it failing, for three consecutive years between 2017 and 2019, to meet its annual legal emissions targets, as set out in the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The extremely stretching statutory emissions targets framework, set in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 (“the 2009 Act”) by the Scottish Parliament, places specific duties on Scottish Ministers in the case that emissions reduction targets are missed. In…

9 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether public sector bodies can be subjected to improvement plans if they are not making sufficient progress on (a) reducing carbon emission and (b) meeting net zero targets.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Public bodies climate change duties are set out at Section 44 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. Responsibility for compliance with these duties, including reducing carbon emissions and meeting relevant net zero targets, lies with the public bodies th…

9 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when the report on Scottish greenhouse gas emissions for 2021 will be published.

Answer · Michael Matheson: While we can be confident that the Scottish Greenhouse Gas Statistics publication for 2021 will be published by early June 2023, we can not provide a precise date at this time. The reason being that the publication date is agreed by officials in the four Nati…

9 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether any assessments have been carried out, within the last financial year, of the contribution of all public sector bodies to achieving (a) carbon emission and (b) net zero targets.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Listed public bodies subject to climate change duties under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 are required to submit annual reports, including information on corporate carbon emissions and organisational emissions targets. The most recent analysis report…

8 Jan 2023 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister for what reason two ferries, which will serve Islay, are being built in Turkey.

22 Dec 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether another budget line was reduced in order to allocate a further £60.9 million to deliver Hulls 801 and 802 in its draft Budget, and, if so, which budget line was reduced.

Answer · John Swinney: The Government looks at its entire capital programme on an on-going basis. This includes looking at phasing of, and the delivery arrangements for projects, including Ferguson Marine, in order to allocate resources accordingly to meet our commitments.

20 Dec 2022 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its response to the Climate Change Committee's reports, Progress in reducing emissions in Scotland - 2022 Report to Parliament and Scottish Emissions Targets - first five-yearly review.

20 Dec 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how expert parties and interested stakeholders can inform the work of its Bioenergy Expert Panel.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Bioenergy Expert Panel is still to be assembled. However, in the meantime, interested stakeholders and expert parties can engage with policy officials. Stakeholders can get in touch via email: [email protected]

20 Dec 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the membership of the (a) Bioenergy Policy Working Group and (b) Bioenergy Expert Panel is, and when it will publish the minutes of the meetings of these two groups.

Answer · Michael Matheson: a) The Bioenergy Policy Working Group comprises Scottish Government officials from a number of policy areas. Agriculture Transformation for Environment and Climate ChangeBioenergyBiodiversityCarbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)Critical Energy Infrast…

19 Dec 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what mode(s) of transport the Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights used to attend the Open Government Partnership Europe Regional Meeting in Rome on 11-12 October 2022; what the job titles were of the Scottish Government officials or employees that attend…

Answer · Patrick Harvie: I represented the Scottish Government at the Open Government Partnership Europe Regional Meeting, held in Rome in October 2022. The Minister travelled to and from Rome by train. Scottish Government officials also in attendance were the Head of Open Governmen…

16 Dec 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what projects will be supported by the Climate Justice Fund in financial year 2023-24.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The CJF in 2023-24 expects to fund the Climate Just Communities programme, which will operate in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia; the WEDO programme, which supports women delegates to be visible and heard during significant global negotiations; and a human rights d…

16 Dec 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to spend the full £2 million in loss and damage funding, which it announced during, and shortly after, COP26.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The £2m was committed to be spent over this parliament (to March 31 2026). Of the £2 million previously committed at COP26, £1.7 million has been delivered through grants. £1 million was grant funded to the Climate Justice Resilience Fund (CJRF). Created in 2…

16 Dec 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the (a) selection criteria, (b) process and (c) delivery mechanism for how the £5 million in loss and damage funding, which it announced at COP27, will be allocated.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Officials are planning to undertake stakeholder engagement events early in 2023 in order to inform the delivery mechanism and selection criteria for this funding. Recommendations will then be put to Ministers in advance of any formal agreement being made with…

16 Dec 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding will be allocated to the Climate Justice Fund in financial year 2023-24.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Final budget allocations have not yet been made for FY 23-24.

16 Dec 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12638 by Patrick Harvie on 15 December 2022, when it will publish the data, in light of it already being used for policy formulation and implementation.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: We plan to publish this data early this year.

16 Dec 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12580 by Tom Arthur on 5 December 2022, whether its draft 2023-24 budget extends the 90% non-domestic rates relief for district heating networks powered by renewables until 2035.

Answer · Tom Arthur: A 50% relief for district heating networks was introduced in April 2017 and is available until 31 March 2032. A 90% relief is available for new district heating networks entered onto the valuation roll after 1 April 2021 and powered wholly or mainly by renew…

7 Dec 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many miles of road have been constructed as a result of (a) commercial forestry and (b) windfarm developments in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: On Scotland’s national forests and land, Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) constructs roads for use on a multi-purpose basis e.g. timber transport, tree planting, environmental improvement works, recreational access. FLS does not hold data that ascribes a part…