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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-12463

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many active working groups there are that have a role in enterprise issues that fall within of the responsibilities of the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise.

A number of active groups have a role in enterprise issues that fall within of the responsibilities of the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise.

These include sectoral groups coordinating work to transform different segments of Scotland’s economy:

Financial Services Growth and Development Board
Industry Leadership Chairs Group
Life Sciences Scotland Industry Leadership Group
Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council
Strategic Leadership Group for Advanced Manufacturing
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Leadership Group
Aerospace and Defence Industry Leadership Group
Construction Leadership Forum

There are also groups which help support the delivery of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation:

New Market Opportunities Partnership Delivery Group
Productive Business and Regions Delivery Board
Business Support Partnership

To support regional economic development, the following groups exist:

Scottish City Region and Growth Deal Delivery Board
Regional Economic Policy Advisory Group

There are additionally groups where the Scottish Government draws on external experience to inform policy decisions:

• Scottish Government and Business Organisations Meeting

• Ministerial Trade Board

• Scottish Taskforce for Green and Sustainable Financial Services

• Innovation Strategy Steering Group

Question reference: S6O-01683

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what impact industrial action by public sector workers will have on the delivery of its Covid Recovery Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-12306

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and other relevant non-departmental public bodies design the specification of their shipbuilding contracts with the goal of sustaining and developing the shipbuilding and wider maritime industry supply chain in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-12319

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service regarding any investigations into the Park Inn tragedy of 26 June 2020, in Glasgow.

Question reference: S6W-12336

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider making a regulation in exercise of the power conferred by sections 17(2), (3) and (3ZA) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to test a 30 mph speed limit on the length of the M8 between Junction 22 and Junction 15, which is the area originally designated as the Glasgow Inner Ring Road, in order to assess its impact on traffic congestion and the reportedly dangerous levels of vehicle noise and emissions pollution in the inner urban area of Glasgow caused by both the current 50 mph limit and scale of the motorway infrastructure.

Question reference: S6W-12320

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has indicated when any investigations into the Park Inn tragedy of 26 June 2020, in Glasgow, will conclude.

The investigation by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) into the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident is ongoing and no final decisions have been taken regarding any court proceedings. There are a number of complex issues raised by those circumstances which require to be carefully considered and it is not possible to provide a definite timescale for those enquiries being concluded.

Question reference: S6W-12299

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-00961 by Angus Robertson on 15 November 2022, whether it will provide further details of what its response is to the final report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry into Asylum Provision in Scotland.

As set out in answer to S6T-00961, the Scottish Government will consider the recommendations made in the Asylum Inquiry Scotland’s inquiry report when preparing our response to it. That response will be published in due course. I have already written to the Home Secretary to seek a meeting about the issues raised in the Asylum Inquiry Scotland report and the wider asylum system.

All answers to Topical Questions are available on the Official Report, the search facility for which can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-15-11-2022?meeting=13988&iob=126730

Question reference: S6W-12300

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider additional interventions that could be introduced within devolved competence to support people seeking asylum, in line with recommendation 13 of the final report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry into Asylum Provision in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-12270

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the top three best performing capital investment projects were in the last financial year, on the specific measure of return on investment.

We report every six months to Parliament on the delivery of major capital projects and programmes and publish an annual report on the progress of our five-year Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP) which outlines the progress made in relation to the IIP’s three key themes. The annual progress report also outlines key delivery achievements as well as information relating to major capital projects and their associated climate change targets, strategic outcomes and the contribution they have made to economic development. Our six-monthly programme update also includes the contribution key major infrastructure programmes are making to economic development. Projects are evaluated in line with The Green Book guidance which looks across five defined cases relating to Strategic, Economic, Commercial, Financial and Management rather than by way of a singular return on investment measure.

The six-monthly major capital project and programme updates and the annual IIP progress report can be found at the Scottish Government website by way of the following link Infrastructure Investment Plan (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-12464

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 30 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding enterprise issues that fall within of the responsibilities of the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, how it assesses (a) outcomes, (b) performance and (c) value for money in relation to capital investment.

Robust processes are in place for assessing the outcomes, performance and value for money of capital investment, tailored to the nature of the investment.

For example, projects within the Scottish City and Region Growth Deal Programmes are developed in accordance with HM Treasury’s Green Book guidance which requires appraisal of the social economic and carbon outputs, outcomes and impacts from public sector investment; whole life cycle costing is examined and value for money reviewed. In addition, Benefit Realisation Plans for the Deal Programmes, aggregate project business case performance information, supplemented by qualitative information, to evidence the cumulative impact of public sector investment in the relevant region.

Our enterprise agencies also follow a rigorous appraisal process aligned to the Scottish Public Finance Manual and HM Treasury’s Green Book guidance to assess investment proposals. Evaluation of value for money is also undertaken. In the period from April 2017 to March 22, Scottish Enterprise delivered £85m of capital investment grant support to businesses which is expected to leverage a further £410m of private sector investment. The agency’s evaluation demonstrates that its capital investment grants also support other benefits, including company creation, innovation, increased company sales and exports, and attracting companies to locate to or stay in Scotland.