EIR/202600510576 · FOI/EIR · partially withheld
Clarity on figures provided within answer to Parliamentary Question S6W-38806: EIR release
Information requested
1. Clarification of PQ S6W-38806: Please confirm whether the "allocated" figures provided in the answer to S6W-38806 refer to budgeted/planned expenditure or actual/realised expenditure.
2. Comparative Financial Data: For each financial year since the Fund’s inception in 2022 (including the current 2025/26 cycle to date), please provide a table showing:
The total amount budgeted/allocated at the start of the financial year. The total amount actually spent/disbursed by the end of that financial year.
3. Underspend Treatment: If there was a discrepancy (underspend) between the budgeted and spent amounts for any year, please provide any internal briefing notes or correspondence explaining how that remaining capital was treated (e.g., if it was carried forward or returned to the central budget).
Reference Data (for context): The answer to S6W-38806 stated the following allocations:
2022-23: £10 million 2023-24: £50 million 2024-25: £12.172 million 2025-26: £15.9 million
If you plan to withhold any information, please state which specific exemption applies and confirm if the public interest test has been considered. I would prefer to receive this information in an electronic format (Excel or PDF).
Response
As stated in PQ S6W‑38806, the figures described as “allocated” represent the funding approved for projects through the Just Transition Fund for the North East & Moray. These amounts reflect the planned allocations made at the point of award and do not represent the actual expenditure incurred by the funded/supported projects. Year Allocated/Planned/Budgeted Actual Spend 2022 - 2023 £10 million 10,423,478 2023 - 2024 £50 million 46,439,565 2024 - 2025 £12.172 million 16,127,651 2025 - 2026 £15.9 million N/A – the financial year has not yet concluded. 2026 - 2027 £17 million N/A As with the majority of programmes in Scottish Government, the JTF operates to a single-year budgeting system so any underspend sitting at year-end against the revised budget will be returned to support the corporate balance as there simply is no “carryover” mechanism. Any capital underspend is returned to a central budget as part of the Spring Budget Revision process. Any underspend identified after the SBR process has been completed is used to offset budget pressures elsewhere. The Just Transition Fund has only had an underspend in FY 23/24, £5.7M was returned at SBR with a further £2.5M identified after the SBR process had concluded. Category Recipient / Organisation Project Description Funding Duration Total Initial Funding Given/Award Total Actual Funds Spent 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 Reason for underspend Underspend Moray Council Just Transition Masterplan - Moray Council Five interlinked projects tosupport Moray’s journey away from fossil fuels, including projects to support offshore renewables, creation of a local hydrogen economy, natural capital approach to offsetting, and redeveloping derelict land and premises. 2022 - 2024 £881k £638,983.30 £250,544.62 £388,438.68 Organisation/council unable to utilise the full allocated funding within the specified timeframe. Underspend Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, and Moray Councils NESS Carbon Capture Feasibility Study Study to determine if there is a viable project to retrofit carbon capture systems to the NESS energy facility. 2022 - 2023 £100k £96,750 £96,750 Project was able to be successfully completed at a cost below the initially anticipated funding request. Underspend Social Investment Scotland Social Enterprise Just Transition Fund Delivery of a blended finance approach(part loan/part grant) focused on supporting charities and social enterprises to transition to net zero. 2022 - 2024 £1.5 million £1,016,085 £488,085 £528,000 Due to reduced demand / less projects supported in 2023-24 Underspend University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI Moray) Moray Net Zero Bottlenecks Collaborative study focused on the current and future skills requirements and labour supply chain bottlenecks in Moray as it transitions to Net Zero. 2022 - 2024 £210,000 £181,789.79 £41,596.47 £140,193.32 Project being able to be delivered for less than originally awarded. Underspend Energy Skills Passport OPITO Development and deployment of a digital offshore energy skills passport to support the transition of skills and jobs across the rapidly changing industry. 2022 - 2024 £4,996,100 £3,703,609.57 £1,871,967.88 £1,831,641.69 Project was originally allocated £4.9 million. Underspend resulted from delays and slippages in delivery, driven in part by challenges OPITO encountered in gaining the support of broader industry stakeholders. Underspend Opportunity North East North East Adventure Tourism Project to transform the region into a world class destination for adventure tourism by facilitating the development of high quality, sustainable facilities and low carbon infrastructure. 2022 - 2024 £2.097 million £1,690,674.13 £397,000 £1,293,674.13 Delays in completing the Organisations; Gravitate North East project due to challenges in developing the project sustainably, compounded by construction delays caused by weather and natural environmental factors. Underspend & Extended Findhorn, Nairn, and Lossie Rivers Trust Findhorn Watershed Riverwoods Pilot Habitat restoration of the Findhorn watershed, beginning with an unbroken network of riparian woodland along its riverbanks, supporting the restoration of Wild Atlantic Salmon populations. 2022 - 2025 £970,000 £890,908.45 £139,972.45 £434,098 £316,838 Originally funded from 2022-24 but extended to finish March 2025. Underspend due to planned woodland planting scheme which was unable to be agreed and delivered within time available. Extended Energy Transition Skills Hub (formerly Advanced Manufacturing Skills Hub) Energy Transition Zone Ltd The Skills Hub will be a focal point of the Energy Transition Zone Skills Campus and will aim to deliver the skills and training needed to support net zero transition. 2022 - 2024 £4.5 million N/A £1,180,000 £470,000 £2,850,000 Originally funded from 2022-24 but extended to finish March 2025. Extended HydroGlen The James Hutton Institute Green hydrogen farming pilot to acquire new knowledge to switch from increasingly high levels of fuel poverty to self-reliant, net-zero carbon energy producers in rural communities. 2022 - 2026 £6,968,203.94 N/A £262,270 £1,248,412.94 £1,987,031 £3,470,490 Originally funded from 2022-25 but extended to finish March 2026. Extension was due to wind turbine supply chain delays.
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Detected exemption language
Reference Data (for context): The answer to S6W-38806 stated the following allocations: 2022-23: £10 million 2023-24: £50 million 2024-25: £12.172 million 2025-26: £15.9 million If you plan to withhold any information, please state which specific exemption applies and confirm if the public interest test has been considered.
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