- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 16 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comments from Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, that the Scottish Government should “either support one or two flights to North America from Glasgow or stop doing route development funding altogether” and that "every single route in the aviation strategy has gone to Edinburgh Airport".
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the importance of Scotland’s international connectivity and we want to see it grow at all Scotland’s airports.
Our Aviation Statement commits to working with Scotland’s airports and airlines to help grow connectivity to the international markets that are important for inbound tourism, business connectivity and the economy as a whole. Scotland's International Strategy specifically mentions improving connectivity to North America.
We take a national approach to route development and our work with airlines is carried out strictly on an “airport-neutral” basis, leaving airlines to decide which Scottish airport to use.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains committed to dedicating 10% of frontline NHS spend to mental health and 1% to CAMHS.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2025
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 15 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde regarding access to urology services over the 2024-25 Christmas and New Year period, and what the outcome of these discussions was.
Answer
The Scottish Government and the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) meet regularly with all Health Boards, including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, to discuss the performance and delivery of all planned care specialities including urology.
We have developed our winter plan with input from the whole Health and Social Care system which brings together best practice and improvement work which we know works from lessons learned in previous winters, to ensure that the most appropriate care is received in the right place and at the right time.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government which combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in Glasgow that have experienced an overflow event in the last six months are not planned investment priorities.
Answer
Combined sewer overflows are an essential part of the sewer system, protecting properties from flooding at times of intense rainfall by allowing highly diluted wastewater to spill to the water environment. CSOs must be licensed by SEPA, and any unsatisfactory discharges will be identified so that Scottish Water can invest to reduce the environmental impact.
Scottish Water has already published a list of high priority CSOs to be upgraded at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/-/media/ScottishWater/Document-Hub/Key-Publications/Improving-Urban-Waters/150823HighPriorityUIDs.pdf. The prioritisation of future upgrades is under consideration as part of the preparations for the next investment period 2027-33. Ministers commissioned the Strategic Review of Charges process in April 2024 by writing to the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (https://wics.scot/system/files/2024-06/2027-33%20Commissioning%20Letter.pdf).
Scottish Water’s methodology towards prioritisation of investment is available at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Your-Home/Your-Waste-Water/Overflows/Prioritisation-of-Sewer-Overflows-in-Scotland.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) combined sewer overflows (CSOs), (b) settled storm sewage overflows (SSSOs) and (c) emergency overflows (EOs) in Glasgow are currently monitored for overflow events, and what percentage this is of the total number.
Answer
As published by Scottish Water on its website at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Your-Home/Your-Waste-Water/Overflows/Prioritisation-of-Sewer-Overflows-in-Scotland, there are some 4,080 CSOs on its network.
Scottish Water publishes data on all monitored overflows on its website, and recently launched an overflow map at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Your-Home/Your-Waste-Water/Overflows/Live-Overflow-Map. The overflow map lists the number of monitored overflows by local authority.
More detailed information is available from Scottish Water upon request.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus Robertson on 14 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what it can do to support the Norwegian-UK Strategic Partnership declared on 16 December 2024 as it relates to Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government has long recognised the importance of developing strong ties with Norway to fully realise our shared ambitions in devolved areas such as culture, education, energy and climate. The First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs, and Culture both met with the Norwegian Ambassador to the UK when he last visited Scotland for the Nordic Music Days festival. Additionally, the Minister for Climate Action recently visited Stavanger, where he led engagement with the Scottish and Norwegian port sectors. Scottish Government officials, both here in Scotland and overseas in our Nordic office, will continue to engage regularly with Norwegian partners.
While we are broadly supportive of the new Joint Declaration on the Norwegian-UK Strategic Partnership, it was disappointing that the Scottish Government was not given the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to the drafting of the declaration, nor have we been asked to help operationalise it despite the fact that many of the commitments pertain to devolved policy areas.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 14 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) CalMac and (b) CMAL are doing to honour the request of Selby Town Council for artefacts of the decommissioned ferry, MV Hebridean Isles, such as the ship's bell and builder's plate, to be salvaged and gifted to the town where the ship was originally built by Cochrane Shipbuilders in 1985 for public display.
Answer
CMAL, as vessel owner, have received a number of applications for items associated with the MV Hebridean Isles retiral from service. These are currently being reviewed by CMAL along with input from CalMac. This list of items for retrieval includes requests made by Selby Town Council. Direct discussions will commence at the start of 2025.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus Robertson on 14 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it holds time series data on the annual number of households and dwellings in Glasgow from the start of the 20th century to date.
Answer
I have asked Alison Byrne, Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:
Annual estimates of households and dwellings by local authority area are published by the National Records of Scotland. The statistics on households are available for each year back to 1991 for households and to 2001 for dwellings. The household and dwelling estimates for 2001 to 2023 are available in Tables 1 and 2 respectively in the Data file for Households and Dwellings in Scotland, 2023. Household estimates for 1991 to 2000 are available in Table 1 of Household Estimates for Scotland 2006. Statistics on the number of households and dwellings in different areas are available in the reports of the 1901 and subsequent decennial censuses
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 14 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its total Glasgow city centre office leasehold and freehold footprint has been in terms of (a) buildings occupied and (b) total square footage occupied in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
Details of Scottish Government's Glasgow city centre office accommodation, including the buildings occupied and the total area in square metres, over the last 10 years are as follows:
Year | Building | NIA (Sq m) |
2014-15 | 5 Atlantic Quay | 7,223.72 |
| | Highlander House | 2,911.63 |
| | Europa Building | 3,000.54 |
| | Fruit Market, Blochairn | 125.00 |
Total | | 13,260.89 |
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2015-16 | 5 Atlantic Quay | 7,223.72 |
| | Highlander House | 2,911.63 |
| | Europa Building | 3,000.54 |
| | Fruit Market, Blochairn | 125.00 |
Total | | 13,260.89 |
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2016-17 | 5 Atlantic Quay | 7,223.72 |
| | Highlander House | 2,911.63 |
| | Europa Building | 3,000.54 |
| | Fruit Market, Blochairn | 125.00 |
Total | | 13,260.89 |
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2017-18 | 5 Atlantic Quay | 7,223.72 |
| | Fruit Market, Blochairn | 125.00 |
Total | | 7,348.72 |
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2018-19 | 5 Atlantic Quay | 7,223.72 |
| | Fruit Market, Blochairn | 125.00 |
Total | | 7,348.72 |
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2019-20 | 4 Atlantic Quay | 5,580.00 |
| | 5 Atlantic Quay | 7,223.72 |
| | Fruit Market, Blochairn | 125.00 |
Total | | 12,928.72 |
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2020-21 | 4 Atlantic Quay | 5,580.00 |
| | 5 Atlantic Quay | 7,223.72 |
| | Fruit Market, Blochairn | 125.00 |
Total | | 12,928.72 |
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2021-22 | 4 Atlantic Quay | 5,580.00 |
| | 5 Atlantic Quay | 7,223.72 |
| | Fruit Market, Blochairn | 125.00 |
Total | | 12,928.72 |
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2022-23 | 4 Atlantic Quay | 5,580.00 |
| | 5 Atlantic Quay | 7,223.72 |
| | Fruit Market, Blochairn | 125.00 |
Total | | 12,928.72 |
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2023-24 | 4 Atlantic Quay | 5,580.00 |
| | 5 Atlantic Quay | 7,223.72 |
Total | | 12,803.72 |
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2024-2025 | 5 Atlantic Quay | 9,014.57 |
Total | | 9,014.57 |
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 14 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether expressions of interest will be invioted to develop the air rights above (a) Charing Cross and (ii) High Street railway station in Glasgow to assess the potential for funding improvement of the (a) station infrastructure and (b) wider cityscape.
Answer
This is a matter for Network Rail as the landowner. Transport Scotland would be engaged by Network Rail as a mandatory consultee under its license condition 17 obligations, when considering the disposal of railway land and/or rights in railway land.
