Parliamentary questions

Paul Sweeney

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

2 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will use the opportunity of the UCI World Cycling Championships in Glasgow to announce capital funding for the Scottish Event Campus expansion.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: As set out in the answer to question S6W-17996 on 30 May 2023, due to budgetary pressures we are unable to provide a capital funding package to support the SEC’s proposed expansion package. To date there have also been no further approaches nor discussion wit…

29 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Glasgow City Marketing Bureau Ltd should be reestablished as a separate entity from Glasgow Life.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government continues to recognise the valuable contribution that organisations like Glasgow Life provide to communities across Scotland. Whilst Glasgow Life is a registered charity, the Scottish Government acknowledges that it operates as an arms…

25 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the actual capital expenditure has been on the Glasgow Subway modernisation programme in each financial year from 2009-10 to date.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is providing up to £246 million to SPT, towards the estimated total project cost of £287.5 million for the Subway modernisation programme, which includes: a smartcard ticketing system; new rolling stock and signalling; refurbished stat…

24 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional (a) early morning and (b) late night services ScotRail plans to operate on the Argyle Line to support the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Public transport operators undertook detailed planning for the UCI Cycling World Championships. With regards to the rail network, ScotRail ensured it was capable of meeting the demands of both competitors and spectators alike during the period of the Champio…

20 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can instruct Network Rail Scotland to prioritise Springburn railway station for step-free access improvement works, as part of the Access for All scheme.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Access for All scheme is a UK Government scheme and as such is managed by the UK Department for Transport (DfT). The Scottish Government has made a case for Springburn railway station to be nominated for Access for All scheme funding for Control Period …

18 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with (a) AGS Airports Limited and (b) International Airlines Group, regarding the proposed expansion of British Airways Maintenance Glasgow (BAMG) through the construction of a new hangar facility to undertake maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of the entir…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: British Airways Maintenance Group (BAMG) at Glasgow Airport is account managed by Scottish Enterprise (SE) and both are currently engaged in discussions regarding the potential for a new hangar.

18 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what specific action it is taking to grow international route development at Glasgow Airport.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is committed to working with Scotland’s airports, including Glasgow Airport, to help them grow international connectivity, while not returning to previous levels of emissions. Our aim is for Scotland to be as well connected as peer nat…

18 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider making an offer to the Commonwealth Games Federation for Glasgow to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, in light of the withdrawal of the Australian state of Victoria as hosts.

Answer · Angus Robertson: The 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games received international recognition as an outstanding fortnight of sporting and cultural events. The Scottish Government will of course explore if Scotland can support a multi-city, multi-partner hosting opportunity however…

16 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will instruct Scottish Water to address any defects with the (a) structural condition, (b) external paintwork and (c) architectural lighting installations at the (i) Cranhill, (ii) Craigend and (iii) Garthamlock water towers.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The operation and maintenance of these water towers is a matter for Scottish Water and, as such, I have asked them to contact you directly. One of the water towers, Cranhill, is no longer in use for water supply purposes and Scottish Water has advised that th…

15 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there should be an agreed standard for the wearing by Police Scotland of dress uniforms for passing out parades at the Scottish Police College and for high-profile public events, and whether it can instruct the Chief Constable of Police Scotland to adopt s…

Answer · Angela Constance: Uniform and appearance standards for Police Scotland are a matter for the Chief Constable. It is vitally important that the Chief Constable has the flexibility, subject to risk assessment, as to the appropriate uniform for specific events. Police Scotland ha…

11 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19295 by Maree Todd on 5 July 2023, whether the entire allocation for the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund was spent in the financial year 2022-23, and, if not, how much was left over.

Answer · Maree Todd: A grant of £15 million for the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults was distributed to Third Sector Interfaces across Scotland in August 2022, to support local, grassroots community organisation. £14,975,678.28 had been distributed by the e…

11 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will waive the normal three-year residency requirement for home status, for people from Hong Kong who have been granted leave on the British National (Overseas) visa, to access publicly-funded student support, including free tuition, loans, bursaries and grants by the Student …

Answer · Graeme Dey: From academic year 2023-24, the Scottish Government have updated the residency criteria for home fees status and student financial support in Further Education and Higher Education. This update means we can now consider applications for tuition fees, bursarie…

11 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what specific provisions it is making for people from Hong Kong who have been granted leave on the British National (Overseas) visa to settle and integrate in Scotland.

Answer · Emma Roddick: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the integration of former Hong Kong residents into our communities. We have published a dedicated British National (Overseas) welcome pack, in both English and Cantonese, on our website. We continue to provi…

7 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider how data collated and held by NHS boards on mental health conditions can be improved and held consistently across all boards, in order to improve understanding of the prevalence of specific conditions.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government is currently working closely with Public Health Scotland (PHS) to improve the data landscape across the NHS Health Boards in Scotland. Comprehensive data is vital to enable Boards to plan services and create appropriate care pathways. …

7 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on the Healthy Working Lives online platform in each financial year since its creation.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government recognises improving population health as a key priority and invests in a range of initiatives to support people with health conditions to sustain or return to work, including Healthy Working Lives (HWL). HWL is a programme delivered b…

7 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further information on the "programme of work on digital inclusion being undertaken with a particular focus on mental health and housing to better understand potential barriers to digital access", as set out in its Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Answer · Maree Todd: The £2m programme commitment was initially set out in the digital health and care delivery plan and aims to benefit more than 2,000 people by providing devices and building digital skills and confidence to access growing online services such as digital ther…

7 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many employers have used the Healthy Working Lives digital platform since its launch in 2022.

7 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the Workforce Action Plan and Delivery Plan for its Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Workforce Action Plan and Delivery Plan which support the Scottish Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy will be published in Autumn 2023.

6 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19056 by Fiona Hyslop on 29 June 2023, for what reason, in Strathclyde Partnership for Transport's (SPT) application for an accessibility standards exemption for the new Glasgow Subway trains, under the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Applications for E…

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Introduction of the new trains into passenger service is a matter for Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) given SPT is responsible for both the Glasgow Subway modernisation programme and the operation of the Glasgow subway and is not the responsibilit…

4 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to prevent counselling courses provided by Fife College being withdrawn due to proposed cuts to its teaching budget, in light of the college being the only centre providing these courses in east Scotland.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Colleges are responsible for their own operational decisions, including course provision, and must adapt and respond to the current economic constraints flexibly. The Scottish Government, despite the unprecedented fiscal challenge, has maintained college and…

4 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of its Mental Health Strategy, whether it will provide an update on when it plans to publish a student mental health plan.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The recently published Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy places strong focus on prevention, early intervention and recognises the importance of a diversity of service provision. Later this year we will publish the accompanying Delivery Plan and the Workfo…

4 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the names of the members of the Pain Management Task Force and the relevant subsidiary Short Life Working Groups are not published, and whether it will consider (a) reviewing this decision and (b) making the membership list publicly available.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is working to make information around the development and delivery of chronic pain more publicly available and we are currently reviewing the information on the Scottish Government website. We will be updating the chronic pain webpage …

4 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much money was allocated to the Pain Management Task Force and the associated Short Life Working Groups in the 2023-23 financial year, and how much has been allocated for 2023-24 financial year.

Answer · Jenni Minto: No funding has been specifically allocated to the Pain Management Task Force and associated Short Life Working Groups for either the 2022-23 financial year or the 2023-24 financial year. The Pain Management Task Force is comprised of Scottish Government empl…

4 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much money was allocated, in total, to establish the Pain Management Panel, including a breakdown of how much was spent on (a) marketing research, (b) social media recruitment methods and (c) final reports, also broken down by financial year.

Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17658 on 18 May 2023. 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/…

29 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its long-term plans are for investment in the deployment of shore power and maritime decarbonisation, and what assurances it can provide to the maritime sector in Scotland in light of reports that the UK Government will not guarantee funding for such programmes beyond 2025.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government is committed to the decarbonisation of the transport sector in a sustainable way to deliver a just transition. Our Climate Change Plan includes a commitment that by 2032, 30 per cent of Scottish Government owned ferries will be low emi…

27 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the factors that it considers are driving population decline in the west of Scotland, relative to the east of Scotland.

Answer · Emma Roddick: The Scottish Government’s 2021 Population Strategy sets out the factors driving population decline in some parts of the west of Scotland, recognising the different demographic challenges that individual communities face. It shows that areas are each uniquely …

21 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered any differences in patient (a) waiting times and (b) accessibility for magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatment between NHS Scotland and NHS England.

Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19380 on 11 July 2023. 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-committee…

21 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is on track to issue Primary Care Improvement Fund allocation letters to Health and Social Care Partnerships by the end of June 2023.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is working to issue the Primary Care Improvement Fund allocation letter to all Health and Social Care Partnerships as soon as practicable and by end of August 2023 at the latest.

19 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the timescale is for the (a) decanting and (b) operational closure of HMP Barlinnie.

Answer · Angela Constance: We are committed to replacing HMP Barlinnie with HMP Glasgow which is being designed to deliver safe and secure accommodation, with maximum possible benefit and opportunity to those who live and work there, as well as surrounding communities. Time-scales for…

19 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many total applications the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund received in the 2022-23 financial year, and how many of those applications were awarded funding.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults is distributed to local community initiatives in all 32 regions of Scotland by Third Sector Interface (TSI) organisations, working in collaboration with other local partners including Health and Soci…