Paul Sweeney

19 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will undertake an analysis of the operation of the thrice-weekly rail link between the Port of Liverpool and the Mossend EuroTerminal in North Lanarkshire since it was established in 2018, regarding what effect it has had on displacing container shipping volumes from the Port …

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government does not routinely undertake this type of analysis and has no plans to do so. The Scottish Transport Statistics are published yearly with chapters on freight moved by mode and with data on tonnages and distance.

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reasons for all-sector new housing completions and starts not having recovered to their pre-2007-08 financial crisis trend of around 25,000 homes per annum.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government works closely with the housing sector to monitor delivery on the ground and to overcome issues where they may arise. Brexit and inflation have had a significantly depressing effect on the economy as a whole and on housebuilding as part…

17 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will request that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde commission a plan for the disposal and marketing of the category A-listed East House at Gartnavel Royal Hospital for residential conversion, if it is no longer required for any clinical purpose.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government are not intending to ask for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to submit a disposal and marketing plan for the category A-listed East House at Gartnavel Royal Hospital for residential conversion. The Scottish Government will however contin…

12 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to make the recognition of qualifications and re-accreditation processes more accessible and affordable for displaced Ukrainians living in Scotland.

Answer · Kaukab Stewart: People displaced from Ukraine who live in Scotland are covered by the Scottish Government’s New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy. Recognition of qualifications is a known barrier to employment for New Scots.As mentioned in the response to PQ S6W-42431…

12 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made with delivery partners on implementing action 3.4 of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy Delivery Plan 2024-2026 on promoting better understanding of qualification recognition pathways.

Answer · Kaukab Stewart: Scottish Government recognise the unique challenges New Scots face, including the recognition of overseas qualifications. This is a known barrier to employment.Through the New Scots strategy, a strategy involving wider partners including those involved in emp…

12 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on implementing the recommendations of the independent review of community learning and development on the effective delivery of ESOL classes for displaced people, particularly in relation to expanding community-based language learning.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: Following publication of the Learning: For All. For Life. report in July 2024, the Scottish Government and COSLA accepted recommendation 1.1 of the report to set up a joint CLD Strategic Leadership Group (SLG) in December 2024. The SLG has made good progress …

11 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the state purchasing land and property at Grangemouth Refinery, to facilitate and control new industrial development.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government will consider all viable propositions for securing the long term and sustainable future of Grangemouth industrial cluster including all opportunities that support securing new investment, highly skilled jobs and sustainable economic de…

11 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of potential liabilities for site remediation at Grangemouth Refinery.

Answer · Gillian Martin: As the owner of the site, Petroineos holds responsibility for any liabilities associated with remediation and would be expected to work with the relevant authorities to ensure compliance with all applicable environmental, planning and regulatory requirements.

11 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ask the Scottish Prison Service to commission the Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, or a similar body, to carry out a feasibility study for the adaptive reuse of the buildings at HMP Barlinnie, which were recently designated as Category A listed, when the site is …

Answer · Angela Constance: The listing by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) recognises the historical importance of HMP Barlinnie, not only to our prisons and criminal justice system, but to Scotland as a whole.Following this listing, HES and other relevant bodies will advise on its …

10 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) correspondence and (b) communication it has had with the UK Government regarding how the proposals in the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill might impact employment legislation and in turn impact on Scotland's economy.

Answer · Neil Gray: As I set out in my letter to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on 16 December, official engagement is ongoing between the Scottish and UK Governments to resolve outstanding legislative competence issues within the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill A…

10 Dec 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to the thousands of children who will be living in temporary and unsuitable accommodation over the Christmas period.

9 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42170 by Fiona Hyslop on 5 December 2025, what information it holds on whether any public bodies receive reports from Peel Ports and The King's Harbour Master regarding the monitoring of container traffic on the River Clyde.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government does not hold information on whether any public bodies receive reports from Peel Ports and The King's Harbour Master regarding the monitoring of container traffic on the River Clyde.

8 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, following the cyber attack on Comhairle nan Eilean Siar in 2023, what lessons learnt, if any, have been taken forward and implemented across the public sector.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government works closely with public sector organisations to ensure that relevant lessons are identified and shared after incidents and/or exercises, in the form of Cyber Resilience Early Warning (CREW) notices to the sector.The Public Sector Cyb…

6 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has engaged with the Home Office about the UK Government exercising its break clause in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract with Mears in Scotland from March 2026 and exploring an alternative model for delivery of asylum accommodation and support with local authoriti…

Answer · Kaukab Stewart: The provision of Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts is reserved to the UK Government and managed by the Home Office.The Scottish Government has no control over asylum accommodation and support and we would not expect the Home Office to discuss contrac…

4 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what further action it plans to take to tackle the problem of underage vaping, in light of the report from the Faculty of Dental Surgery suggesting that 7.4% of 11- to 17-year-olds vape regularly.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Our Tobacco and Vaping Framework launched in November 2023 recognises the need for action to prevent young people using vapes and becoming addicted to nicotine. Up-to-date information on vapes is available from NHS Inform, Young Scot and third sector partners…

4 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported announcement on 3 December 2025 by Micron, which is one of the largest suppliers of memory chips, that it would no longer be selling to the consumer market from February 2026, what work it is undertaking to protect consumers and small businesses dependent o…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We are proud of Scotland’s world class strengths in semiconductors technologies which form a part of our critical technologies supercluster. We are committed to supporting its growth through our national cluster building initiative to support economic g…

4 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that consumers and businesses are able to afford semiconductors and other important computer parts, in light of the significant increase in prices reportedly due to a combination of increased demand from AI data centres and more general global insecurit…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The global semiconductor market has long been vulnerable to market fluctuations. At a time of unprecedented global demand for AI processing, we believe there is much the UK Government can do to strengthen national sovereignty of our supply chains, particularl…

4 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-05245 by Kate Forbes on 4 December 2025, whether it will confirm the (a) expected timetable for the laying before Parliament of the proposed legislation to create legal identities for Scotland's city regions, (b) powers that these new legal entities…

Answer · Kate Forbes: We are committed to enabling regional co-operation, which is why last month the First Minister announced a plan to bring forward legislation in the next parliament to allow Regional Partnerships to become legal bodies. As is normal practice, we will provide d…

3 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional support it is giving to key workers in the health sector who will have to work over the Christmas period. 

Answer · Neil Gray: We want to express our sincere thanks to all health and social care sector staff for the incredible work they do every day, and we also recognise those who will continue to provide care throughout the festive season. We know winter brings extra challenges and…

3 Dec 2025 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, in light of reports that the NHS board is dealing with a much higher rate of flu patients compared with previous years.  

2 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what alternative venues were assessed as potential hosts for Scotland House at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government, in partnership with Commonwealth Games Scotland, considered multiple venues across Glasgow for Team Scotland House. The Corinthian was assessed as the best venue based on several factors, including proximity to travel routes, security…

30 Nov 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will bring the MSP staff cost provision into parity with that of staff costs for Scotland's MPs.

Answer · Jackson Carlaw (on behalf of the SPCB): The SPCB is responsible for funding the members’ expenses scheme and for determining which indices are used to uprate the overall provisions, including staff cost provision. This arrangement is set out in the Scheme as agreed by Parliament.  T…

26 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a short bill to amend transport legislation, to simplify the Scottish bus franchising powers to bring them in line with England’s Bus Services Act 2017, by the end of the current parliamentary session.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: I have no plans of modifying the franchising model in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019. Changing primary legislation would take time to deliver and any proposals to bring the Scottish powers in line with England would require us to revisit the entire approac…

26 Nov 2025 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Centre for Cities' recent report, which recommended having a directly elected Metro Mayor for the Greater Glasgow region.

26 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has monitored trends in container traffic on the River Clyde over the last year.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government has not monitored container traffic on the River Clyde over the last year.Peel Ports and The King’s Harbour Master are responsible for monitoring and managing marine traffic on the River Clyde.

25 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will engage with Stadler regarding the potential to develop a rolling stock and locomotive manufacturing base in Scotland for the UK market.

Answer · Kate Forbes: As our national and international development agency, Scottish Enterprise engages with a range of companies regarding support and potential inward investment opportunities. While Scottish Enterprise has had no engagement with Stadler to date, it stands ready …

25 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how each of the responders to the Public Contracts Scotland notice for expressions of interest in tendering for the construction of the two new freight flex vessels to serve the Aberdeen-Kirkwall/Lerwick route became aware of the notice.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Single Procurement Document was published on the Public Contracts Scotland platform which is designed to facilitate the procurement process for public sector procurement contracts in Scotland for both domestic and international suppliers. The Portal provi…

25 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the duration was of the advertisement on the Public Contracts Scotland website for expressions of interest in tendering for the construction of the two new freight flex vessels to serve the Aberdeen-Kirkwall/Lerwick route.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Single Procurement Document (SPD) was published on 04 June 2025 with returns received on 09 July 2025.

25 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40706 by Jim Fairlie on 3 October 2025, what weighting community benefits and social value in Scotland will have in the tender scoring for the construction of the two new freight flex vessels to serve the Aberdeen-Kirkwall/Lerwick route.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: The key benefits and intended outcome of investment in new vessels is continuation of ferry services, improved reliability and additional capacity for island communities and businesses over their operating life. As Procuring Authority, CMAL consider the appro…

21 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the plans by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to develop a "virtual hospital", including by what date this will be introduced.

Answer · Neil Gray: Improving access to Urgent and Emergency Care services is a key priority for the Scottish Government through our NHS Scotland Operational Improvement Plan, which details our ambitions to shift the balance of care from acute to the community.NHS Greater Glasgo…