Parliamentary questions
Paul Sweeney
1,340 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
3 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the forthcoming commercial tender to procure a new fleet of Intercity trains will provide for bi-modal power options, and what steps are being taken to further expand and accelerate the Scottish Government’s rail electrification programme to enable any new fleet to play a k…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29572 on 17 September 2024. 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-commit…
3 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government to what extent it has engaged with key stakeholders, such as rail workers and passengers, in relation to the development of the forthcoming commercial tender to procure a new fleet of Intercity trains to ensure that (a) the specification for this new fleet is reflective of the needs and …
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29572 on 17 September 2024. 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-commit…
3 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government to what extent the forthcoming commercial tender to procure a new fleet of Intercity trains will increase capacity across Scotland’s intercity rail network, and what considerations have been made in calculating long-term passenger estimates to ensure that the new fleet provides amp…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29572 on 17 September 2024. 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-commit…
3 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure that the forthcoming commercial tender to procure a new fleet of Intercity trains will include a clause to allow the option to order additional trains in the future, which would allow ScotRail to increase its fleet size as passenger demand requires or to support po…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: A full ScotRail fleet strategy is being developed and refined, taking into account the fiscal constraints as well as other relevant government policies.
3 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure that (a) the forthcoming commercial tender to procure a new fleet of Intercity trains will build upon any benefits already delivered by the existing High Speed Train fleet and (b) this new fleet will provide (i) an uplift in capacity and (ii) adequate facilities to…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29572 on 17 September 2024. 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-commit…
3 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to ensuring that there will be a place for a second safety-critical member of staff, which trade unions and passengers reportedly recognise as a playing a key role in providing a safe, secure and accessible railway, on all services operated by the new Intercity fle…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government continues to specify a requirement that all ScotRail services should have a second staff member on board to assist passengers.
3 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the forthcoming commercial tender to procure a new fleet of Intercity trains will include a requirement for level boarding, so that ScotRail can play a leading role in ensuring that Scotland has a safe and universally accessible rail network.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: ScotRail is to undertake the procurement. The timescales for replacement and the exact type of train to replace the HST Fleet are dependent on the outcomes of the procurement.
3 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter of 3 September 2024 from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to the Finance and Public Administration Committee, how many roles the Mental Health Officer funding allocated in the original 2024-25 budget was expected to fund and what assessment it…
Answer · Maree Todd: Over the past four years, the Scottish Government provided a total of £12.13 million of additional funding to address Mental Health Officer (MHO) shortfall across Scotland. Under the Training Grant Scheme alone, we provided £1.93 million for local…
3 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter of 3 September 2024 from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to the Finance and Public Administration Committee, what student mental health measures will not proceed in 2024-25.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Since 2019/20, the Scottish Government has invested, in the pursuance of its Programme for Government commitments, over £19 million across five years to support student mental health and wellbeing in colleges and universities and to help institutions to…
3 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter of 3 September 2024 from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to the Finance and Public Administration Committee, whether it will provide more information on the reprofiling of the commencement of the Changing Places Toilet fund.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government’s statement to Parliament on 3 September outlined the challenging financial situation faced by the Scottish Government following the UK Chancellor's July statement. She confirmed that spending contr…
3 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter of 3 September 2024 from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to the Finance and Public Administration Committee, what elements of the Distress Brief Interventions programme will not continue in 2024-25.
Answer · Maree Todd: Following the UK Chancellor's July statement, the Scottish Government continues to face the most challenging financial situation since devolution.We have sought to protect mental health funding, despite difficult decisions about reductions which affect all of…
21 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will issue official confirmation to third sector organisations in the asylum and refugee sector to (a) confirm that it has cancelled the national pilot of free bus travel for people seeking asylum and (b) set out how that decision was reached.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government is having to make very difficult decisions to deliver balanced and sustainable spending plans for the 2024-25 financial year. It is therefore unaffordable to progress piloting free bus travel for all people seeking asylum in Scotland.I…
21 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the Minister for Equalities' speech from the launch of the third New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy and New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy Delivery Plan 2024–2026 on 19 August 2024.
Answer · Kaukab Stewart: The speaking note used to address attendees at the launch of the third New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy and New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy Delivery Plan 2024 to 2026 on 19 August 2024 can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/new…
20 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for (a) third sector organisations and (b) local authorities to provide support with transport costs for people seeking asylum, in light of the reported cancellation of its pilot scheme for free bus travel for asylum seekers.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Governments approach to supporting the integration of refugees, people seeking asylum and other forced migrants within Scotland’s communities is set out in the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy published in March 2024.The Scottish Gove…
20 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the free bus travel for asylum seekers pilot referenced in the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy Delivery Plan will no longer proceed due to emergency spending controls, whether it expects that any other actions in the strategy will be cancelled in the curr…
Answer · Kaukab Stewart: Scottish Government are continuing to work with our partners COSLA and Scottish Refugee Council on the implementation of the actions set out in the Delivery Plan. There are no plans to cancel other actions.
20 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much money was allocated to the delivery of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy in its 2024-25 Budget; whether this allocation has changed due to its emergency spending controls, and, if so, what the revised total allocation is for the current financial year.
Answer · Kaukab Stewart: The Scottish Government has ensured that we have enhanced the support we are providing to new Scots in 2024-25, despite a very challenging financial context. We have provided over £3.8m of grant funding towards the delivery of the New Scots Refugee Inte…
20 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consultation took place with stakeholders before its reported decision to cancel the national free bus travel for asylum seekers pilot was made.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government is having to make very difficult decisions to deliver balanced and sustainable spending plans for the 2024-25 financial year, therefore it is unaffordable to progress our plans to pilot free bus travel for all people seeking asylum in …
20 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much each action in the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy Delivery Plan with a deadline of 2024-25 will cost.
Answer · Kaukab Stewart: The Scottish Government is committed to providing over £3.8m of grant funding towards the delivery of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy in 2024-25. This includes funding for Scottish Refugee Council to provide a comprehensive, nationwide Refuge…
20 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the cost of travel on intercity journeys within Scotland of comparable length can reportedly be up to 50% more expensive than those in the south west of England, and what is being done to further reduce fares for ScotRail passengers to ensure that green transport options …
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government has kept fares comparatively lower, on average, than across the rest of GB network, and this has been the case for over a decade.ScotRail offers a range of products and discounts to its passengers to make rail travel more affordable in…
16 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the civil service headcount in Scotland reportedly increased by 51% between 2019 and 2024.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government workforce size has had to grow over several years to deliver on newly devolved powers, the implications of EU Exit, responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and now supporting our recovery from that. More recently the Government has had to …
15 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of access to dental care for (a) Armed Forces personnel and (b) veterans in Scotland.
Answer · Jenni Minto: A) Armed forces personnel receive dental care through the Defence Dental Service – a tri-service dental services to the UK Armed Forces - and is therefore not within the locus of the Scottish Government.B) Armed forces veterans access NHS dental service…
15 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it holds information on how many (a) dentists and (b) dental nurses are currently employed to provide dental healthcare to Armed Forces personnel in Scotland, and, if so, whether it will provide the total given as a (i) headcount and (ii) full-time equivalent figure.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29165 on 5 September 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be f…
10 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it is reportedly (a) aiding five new transatlantic airline routes at Edinburgh Airport and (b) not aiding any new routes at Glasgow Airport.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government has always recognised the importance of Scotland’s international connectivity and we are committed to working with all Scotland’s airports to help grow international connectivity, a commitment recently reaffirmed in our Avi…
7 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will include composite fillings as a treatment option for registered NHS dental patients when treating molar teeth, particularly in cases such as for women who are breastfeeding and are unable to have amalgam fillings.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government recognises certain groups of patients for whom the use of dental amalgam has been specifically contra-indicated in the European Union’s 2018 Minimata Convention on Mercury. As a result, resin composite fillings are a…
5 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will introduce compulsory sale orders for vacant and derelict land and buildings, in light of the reported continuing loss and damage to the nation's built heritage.
Answer · Paul McLennan: We have committed to consider the justification for and practical operation of Compulsory Sales Orders and to reform the existing compulsory purchase process. We need to properly and fully consider the justification and benefits of introducing Compulsory Sale…
5 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the potential impact on its energy policy in Scotland, what its response is to the reported critical national energy infrastructure security risks inherent in Ming Yang Wind Power Group Limited's plan to build a wind turbine manufacturing facility in Scotland.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The UK Government is responsible for national security and energy-related critical national infrastructure.Like the UK Government, we consider that China’s global impact means it is important to maintain pragmatic economic relationships with the potenti…
3 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the opinion of the Court of Session regarding the case of Weiss Development Company Limited v The Scottish Ministers in the appeal under section 58 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997, and what subsequent measures it will …
Answer · Angus Robertson: Following the decision by the Court of Session the appeal has been returned to DPEA to be re-determined by another reporter. As the appeal is still live it would not be appropriate to comment on the merits of the case at this stage.Designation is devolved to …
3 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reintroduce the simplified Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland as a visual identity of the Scottish Government.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government has no plans to change its visual identity from the current saltire.
2 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it reportedly does not have a departmental structure with direct ministerial oversight and leadership.
Answer · Shona Robison: The civil service that supports Scottish Ministers is structured into eight Director-General areas, each containing a number of directorates and related public bodes which are responsible for proposing legislation and putting Scottish Government policy into p…
30 Jul 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will request that ScotRail representatives are included in the ongoing development work for Clyde Metro, led by SPT, so that any ScotRail assets to be transferred to the Clyde Metro operation can be more effectively identified and programmed.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I am advised that while it is too early to say how Clyde Metro will impact on the rail network, the Clyde Metro project team, led by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, has been engaging with ScotRail and Network Rail as part of the early work on the on-go…