S6W-39879

Asked by: Eagle, Tim (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Highlands and Islands)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how many so-called shovel-ready energy applications have secured grid connection offers since 2021 in the (a) Highlands and Islands region and (b) rest of Scotland.

Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39878 on 3 September 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-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

S6W-40030

Asked by: Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Scottish Liberal Democrats - Edinburgh Western)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) care homes and (b) care home places there (i) were in 2015 and (ii) currently are, broken down by local authority area.

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

This information is available in the Care home census for adults in Scotland - Statistics for 2014 to 2024 - Care home census for adults in Scotland - Publications - Public Health Scotland (PHS).

2025 information is not yet available, but PHS intend to have this published on the 30th September.

S6W-39994

Asked by: Kerr, Stephen (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Central Scotland)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many workers made redundant by the closure of the Petroineos refinery in Grangemouth have received skills support from Forth Valley College.

Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy

The Scottish Government is working with Forth Valley College, UK Government, Skills Development Scotland and Petroineos as part of the Refinery Skills Intervention, which is currently ongoing.

To date the skills intervention targeted at Petroineos workers has had a high uptake. As of 20 August, 306 workers have enrolled in the reskilling programme and over 200 workers have either completed training or are actively undergoing retraining. The remaining individuals who are registered for training will commence according to redundancy schedule and personal preference.

S6W-39997

Asked by: Villalba, Mercedes (Scottish Labour - North East Scotland)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-39428 by Gillian Martin on 28 July 2025, what obligations Crown Estate Scotland has under the Fair Work Framework in administering seabed leasing for (a) offshore wind development and (b) other marine renewable energy developments.

Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39996 on 3 September 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-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

S6W-40106

Asked by: Kerr, Stephen (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Central Scotland)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of workers made redundant by the closure of the Petroineos refinery who have secured new employment within the Grangemouth industrial cluster.

Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39732 on 26 August 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-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

S6W-40124

Asked by: Carlaw, Jackson (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Eastwood)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding paragraph 8 in part 2 of The Primary Medical Services - (Premises Development Grants, Improvement Grants and Premises Costs) Directions 2004, whether it plans to strengthen the requirement to “consider” an application to one where there would be a presumption for NHS boards to support a proposal for new or improved premises if a suitable proposal and adequate funding package can be formulated.

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

Paragraph 8 in part 2 of the Primary Medical Services (Premises Development Grants, Improvement Grants and Premises Costs) Directions 2004 sets out that:

Health Boards must have in place a plan for the development of premises to support the provision of Primary Medical Services. This plan must be approved in consultation with the local Area Medical Committee. This plan should be updated annually and be consistent with the Health Board’s wider Property Strategy.

The Scottish Government does not believe that including a presumption in the directions that NHS boards should support proposals for new or improved premises if a suitable proposal and adequate funding package can be formulated would be a material improvement on the general requirement for NHS boards’ wider property strategies to cover the needs of primary medical services.

S6W-39810

Asked by: Eagle, Tim (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Highlands and Islands)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13680 by Michael Matheson on 18 January 2023, what information it holds on how much water production has been lost as a result of leakages in the Scottish Water supply area covering Argyll Islands, Argyll Mainland, Caithness, Fort William, Orkney, Ness, Shetland, Skye, and West Coast and Western Isles, in each month since January 2021.

Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked them to respond. Scottish Water have provided estimates for the average total daily leakage levels in each month since January 2021 from water mains in the area requested (covering Argyll Islands, Argyll Mainland, Caithness, Fort William, Orkney, Ness, Shetland, Skye, West Coast, and Western Islands) in the following table. Figures are given in megalitres per day.

S6W-39781

Asked by: Baillie, Jackie (Scottish Labour - Dumbarton)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote financial literacy to young people in schools. 

Answered by Gilruth, Jenny - Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of Financial Education in equipping learners with key life skills. Financial literacy is embedded in the curriculum in Scotland through numeracy and maths, business studies and personal and social education classes. Financial Education is a key feature of Curriculum for Excellence “Experiences and Outcomes” for Numeracy and Mathematics, assisting learners in understanding the benefits and risks of bank cards, effectively managing money, making appropriate use of technology and appreciating the importance of budgeting.

Education Scotland provides professional learning resources enabling educators to reflect on their own understanding and knowledge and to support future learning and teaching about money. Guidance is available for primary and secondary schools highlighting the links between financial education and Curriculum for Excellence. In addition, a wide range of teaching resources are provided by the private and Third Sector. These include Barclays LifeSkills, financial education guidance from the Money & Pension Service and the work of the charity, Money Ready.

Education Scotland are currently reviewing the curriculum in line with the Curriculum Improvement Cycle programme. As part of this review, work is taking place to review the place of financial education within the curriculum. Education Scotland are engaging with a wide range of practitioners and stakeholders, including children and young people, to review current Financial Education teaching and practice and plan how it can most effectively be integrated into the curriculum, ensuring an equitable approach.

S6W-39823

Asked by: McArthur, Liam (Scottish Liberal Democrats - Orkney Islands)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has conducted on the issue of the cancellation of police officers’ rest days, which has reportedly had a detrimental impact on officers’ mental health.

Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs

The deployment and management of Police Officers are matters for the Chief Constable. However, I am aware that the cancellation of rest days can be due to a number of reasons, including attendance at court and the policing of events.

The Scottish Government is supporting its justice partners in achieving the outcomes described in the Vision for Justice in Scotland by taking forward a programme to drive key areas of reform, including criminal justice efficiency.

One element of this is the Summary Case Management currently being rolled out across Scotland. This initiative aims to improve the management of summary criminal cases in Scotland and reduce the number of unnecessary hearings. A pilot evaluation report published in September shows a significant reduction in the volume of witness citations being issued, this relates to police officers, victims and witnesses. The impact on police witnesses has been positive with a reduction of citations for domestic cases by up to 34% in all pilot courts. This equates to around 5000 citations not being served on operational officers in pilot areas.

Police Scotland are also progressing work to reduce the impact policing of events on officers such as the Force Mobilisation Model.

S6W-39877

Asked by: Eagle, Tim (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Highlands and Islands)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many energy consent applications have been lodged with the Energy Consents Unit in each year since 2021 in the (a) Highlands and Islands Region and (b) the rest of Scotland.

Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy

Details of applications made to the Energy Consents Unit under Sections 36 and 37 of the Electricity Act (1989) in the last five years are as follows: