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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-29573

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2024

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 fleet of trains that will be procured to replace ScotRail’s existing High Speed Train fleet.

Question reference: S6O-03721

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is doing to enhance protection of the nation's built heritage and listed buildings.

Question reference: S6W-29173

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 6 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the civil service headcount in Scotland reportedly increased by 51% between 2019 and 2024.

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 respond to the conflict in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis and the establishment of ScotWind within our wider Net Zero commitments, as well as the introduction of a National Care Service.

Devolved powers relating to certain aspects of social security to the Scottish Government in 2018 and Forestry in 2019 have also seen growth in the three related agencies to take on this additional work – Social Security Scotland has grown by 3,425 FTE since 2019, and Scottish Forestry and Forestry & Land Scotland have grown by 1,310 FTE since 2019.

In support of the wider Public Sector Reform agenda and budget constraints, Scottish Government is proactively addressing the need to reduce in size to remain fiscally sustainable, and we have seen further reductions in overall workforce in the 12 months since March 2023.

Recruitment controls have been in place since April 2022 and have been successful in controlling growth within the Scottish Government and ensuring any recruitment activity is aligned to Ministerial priorities.

Question reference: S6W-29165

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 5 September 2024

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.

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 services as per the general population. As acknowledged in answer to the Member’s Question S6W-28696 on 9 August 2024, the Chief Dental Officer and Air Vice Marshal McLoughlin issued a joint letter to all dental teams on 22 February 2024, highlighting service provision to serving armed forces personnel and veterans.

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/written-questions-and-answers.

Question reference: S6W-29166

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 5 September 2024

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.

Question reference: S6W-29258

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 5 September 2024

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.

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.

It was considered appropriate in the first instance to inform members of the Working Group established to help develop the pilot. Accordingly, the group, consisting of representatives from third sector organisations supporting people seeking asylum and those with lived experience of the asylum system, was informed at a scheduled meeting on 16 August. Formal confirmation was provided by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government Shona Robison during a Ministerial Statement on the Pre-budget Fiscal Update in Parliament on 3 September 2024.

This decision sits within the wider context of extremely challenging financial constraints across the whole of the public sector in Scotland. I can confirm however, that people seeking asylum in Scotland who are currently eligible for free bus travel through the National Concessionary Travel Schemes, including those under 22, those aged 60 and over and those with qualifying disabilities, will continue to be able to make use of their entitlement.

Question reference: S6W-29232

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 5 September 2024

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.

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 Government does not provide direct funding to third sector organisations or local authorities specifically for the purpose of providing travel support for people seeking asylum.

However, people seeking asylum who are aged 60 or over or under 22 years old, or meet the disability eligibility criteria are eligible for concessionary travel in the same way as all other Scottish residents. I would encourage all those eligible to apply.

Question reference: S6W-29231

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 5 September 2024

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.

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 Scotland.

I am grateful to the stakeholders involved in the working group set up to develop the free bus travel for asylum seekers pilot. My officials informed them directly of the difficult decision to cancel the proposed pilot scheme to provide free bus travel for asylum seekers on 16 August 2024.

Question reference: S6W-28942

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 30 August 2024

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 take to strengthen policy on the designation of buildings as listed, in instances where they are deemed worthy of listing, but threatened by demolition proposals.

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 Historic Environment Scotland as our lead public body for the historic environment. Historic Environment Scotland will shortly be reviewing the principles and priorities of the designations policy, including the approach to listed buildings. There will be an opportunity for the public to submit their views on these matters to ensure our built heritage can continue to be protected for current and future generations.

National Planning Framework (NPF4) aims to protect and enhance historic environment assets and places and enables positive change as a catalyst for the regeneration of places. It provides that historic buildings are brought back into use, and recognises the social, environmental and economic value of the historic environment to our economy and cultural identity.

Question reference: S6W-29083

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 August 2024

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.

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 Aviation Statement published in July. The statement also makes clear that the decision on where an airline flies to in Scotland rests entirely with the airline and we do not seek to influence that process. Of the four routes currently being supported, three started at Edinburgh while one operated both to Glasgow and Edinburgh before switching all capacity to Edinburgh. This was a decision by the airline and we are not sighted on what Glasgow Airport did to retain the route, or what Edinburgh Airport did to encourage consolidation.

The Scottish Government take a national approach to route development and our route development work with airlines is carried out strictly on an “airport-neutral” basis, leaving airlines to decide which Scottish airport to use. The role of the Scottish Government is a complementary one with each airport competing on their own merits for new routes and capacity.