Parliamentary questions

Paul Sweeney

1,340 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

22 Nov 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to mitigate any impact of the Illegal Migration Act on the provision of support for refugees, asylum seekers and displaced people living in Scotland.

19 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will assess (a) any long-term impact of the dissolution of the Scottish Milk Marketing Board in 2003 and (b) whether it may be beneficial to re-establish a similar entity.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government have no plans to carry out any assessment of the impact of the dissolution of the Scottish Milk Marketing Board and are not considering re-establishing a Milk Marketing Board. The dairy sector is supported by bodies such as Dairy UK, …

16 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to continue the rapid rehousing transition programme in the next financial year.

Answer · Paul McLennan: Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans (RRTPs) play an important role in Scotland’s strategy to end homelessness. We have provided local authorities with £52.5 million between 2018-24 to develop and implement their RRTPs. The Scottish Government remains fully comm…

13 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current research and development spending is as a percentage of Scottish gross domestic product.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: In 2021, Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) as a share of GDP was estimated at 2.98% in Scotland. This statistic is sourced from the latest GERD Scotland report, available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/gross-expenditure-on-research-…

9 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19399 by Jenni Minto on 11 July 2023, whether it will provide details of how the National Service Division’s National Specialist Services Committee is engaging with clinicians in Dundee and colleagues in NHS Scotland to determine how magnetic resona…

Answer · Jenni Minto: Officials are engaging with NHS National Services Division (NSD) regularly on the national commissioning of this treatment. An outline application for the commissioning of a national MRI guided Focussed Ultrasound Service was received from NHS Tayside in M…

8 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to increase manufacturing output as a share of GDP.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government wants a strong manufacturing sector, one which is innovative, thriving and international looking. We are supporting our manufacturing companies to increase their output, sustainability and efficiency through a range of funding programm…

6 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is, regarding any potential implications for the competitive position of the steel plants at Clydebridge in Cambuslang and Dalzell in Motherwell, to the reported proposal by British Steel to invest £1.25 billion, with the support of the UK Government, in two electric ar…

Answer · Neil Gray: I refer to recent answers regarding Liberty Steel in Scotland, in particular my answers to written questions S6W-17169 on 4 May 2023 , S6W-17708 on 16 May 2023 and S6W-21489 on 26 September 2023. Scottish Government maintain an open dialogue with Liberty…

5 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Afghanistan opium survey 2023, by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which reports that cultivation and production of opium has dropped by 95% in Afghanistan over the last year, and what assessment it has made of any implications of this for opiate …

Answer · Elena Whitham: The appearance of synthetic opioids in the drug supply has been a concern for Scottish Government for some time and something which will likely be exacerbated by the reduction in opium production as reported by the UNODC. We are working alongside colleagues a…

5 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how much has been paid by registered social landlords in fees to consultants appointed under the direction of the Scottish Housing Regulator in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The independent Scottish Housing Regulator publishes the costs of statutory managers in the final report of each statutory intervention. The reports are on their website.

4 Nov 2023 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will engage with the Armed Forces Parliamentary Trust regarding a possible extension of eligibility for participation in the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme to MSPs.

Answer · Christine Grahame (On behalf of the SPCB): In 2017, a scheme was developed in conjunction with the Armed Forces in Scotland to enable Members to visit defence bases in Scotland to help Members better understand the range of social and welfare issues relevant to armed forces personnel, and their famili…

31 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the overall risk of fire in relation to Scotland’s pre-1945 building stock.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. I recommend contacting your local authority who may be able to advise.

31 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19858 by Maree Todd on 24 July 2023, whether it can provide an exact date for when the Workforce Action Plan and Delivery Plan for its Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy will be published.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan and Workforce Action Plan were published on 7 November 2023; alongside an Easy Read version of the Delivery Plan and the Workforce Action Plan Summary of Phase 1 Activity. The documents are available at the follo…

29 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many miles of single track A roads there are in Scotland.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Transport Scotland is responsible for the management and maintenance of the strategic trunk road network including motorways, which is delivered through our operating company contracts. There are no single track trunk roads in Scotland. Local authorities hav…

27 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that routine maintenance dredging of the port of Glasgow upstream of the Shieldhall river channel to the Glasgow weir is being carried out to maintain depths in the common navigable channels, docks and riverside berths to allow for the safety of navigation for …

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Dredging and the sea deposit of dredged material are licensable marine activities under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 and a marine licence granted by Marine Directorate – Licensing Operations Team (MD-LOT) on behalf of the Scottish Ministers is required for …

27 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what initiatives it will undertake to promote the growth of workboat, small passenger vessel and recreational boat use on the upper Clyde at Glasgow.

Answer · Neil Gray: This year leadership of the Clyde Mission migrated from Scottish Government to Glasgow City Region through the transfer of £40m. Clyde Mission was launched in 2020 with a focus on the unique opportunities and competitive advantage of the river, incorporated i…

27 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will promote the development of a marina at the former Prince's Dock basin in Glasgow.

Answer · Neil Gray: There are currently no plans to promote the development of a marina at the former Prince’s Dock basin in Glasgow. Any decisions concerning the future development of the site would be for the landowner, in this instance Scottish Enterprise.

27 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it (a) has done and (b) is doing to reduce the cost per single track kilometre (STK) of railway electrification.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: In our Control Period 6 (2019 – 2024) through our High Level Output Statement (HLOS) we tasked Network Rail with development of an efficient electrification technical specification optimised for Scotland, in order to deliver an efficient and affordable rollin…

23 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to adopt any of the recommendations made in the Growing Up Grieving report, published by the National Childhood Bereavement Project.

Answer · Natalie Don: As reflected in the answer to question S6W-22365 on 8 November 2023, the Scottish Bereavement Summit’s final report was published on 28 June 2023. The Report suggests 10 recommendations that the Scottish Government is considering how best to implement. The pr…

23 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is doing to support children and young people dealing with bereavement and grief.

Answer · Natalie Don: The Scottish Government welcomes The UK Commission on Bereavement’s report and the focus it brings to improving the experience of people affected by grief and loss. Bereavement affects many aspects of our lives, and we recognise that getting the right care an…

23 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Growing Up Grieving report, published by the National Childhood Bereavement Project.

Answer · Natalie Don: The Scottish Government funded a national Childhood Bereavement Coordinator project, that concluded in September 2022 with the publication of the final report ‘Growing Up Grieving’. The Co-ordinator’s report included 7 recommendations which span a number of p…

22 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will request that its trunk road maintenance contractor engages with Glasgow City Council to repair the feature lighting located beneath the M8 motorway bridges at Junction 16 Craighall Road.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads in their area and duties under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic. As the lighting in qu…

20 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether every Deep End GP practice in Scotland has a community link worker.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not hold data on allocation of Community Link Worker posts and capacity at individual General Practice level. This data will be held by individual Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCP) alongside their local Primary Care Impro…

17 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its aim to encourage modal shift to more sustainable travel, what discussions it has had with (a) Network Rail and (b) the UK Department for Transport regarding investments to enable the West Coast Main Line to operate high-speed trains at up to 140 mph (225 km/h) and wi…

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Given the importance of cross border rail connectivity for passengers and freight we meet routinely with the UK Government, Network Rail and industry partners to discuss the current operation and future plans for the West Coast Main Line (WCML) including pass…

17 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo have been handled by Clydeport in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo handled by Clydeport. Available information regarding waterborne freight at Scottish ports can be found in chapter 9 of the Scottish Transport Statis…

5 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on what the revised projected journey time will be between Glasgow Central Station and London Euston Station, in light of the UK Government's decision to cancel High Speed 2 Phase Two, and what impact it anticipates this decision will have on modal shift from …

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: We do not hold information on the revised projected passenger journey times between Glasgow Central Station and London Euston Station following the UK Government’s recent decisions on High Speed Two. The UK Government has yet to advise us what its plans for …