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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-32448

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
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.

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.

Question reference: S6W-32464

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
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.

Question reference: S6W-32823

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2025
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.

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

Question reference: S6W-32816

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2025
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.

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

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

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

2017-18	5 Atlantic Quay	7,223.72
	Fruit Market, Blochairn	125.00
Total		7,348.72

2018-19	5 Atlantic Quay	7,223.72
	Fruit Market, Blochairn	125.00
Total		7,348.72

2019-20	4 Atlantic Quay	5,580.00
	5 Atlantic Quay	7,223.72
	Fruit Market, Blochairn	125.00
Total		12,928.72

2020-21	4 Atlantic Quay	5,580.00
	5 Atlantic Quay	7,223.72
	Fruit Market, Blochairn	125.00
Total		12,928.72

2021-22	4 Atlantic Quay	5,580.00
	5 Atlantic Quay	7,223.72
	Fruit Market, Blochairn	125.00
Total		12,928.72

2022-23	4 Atlantic Quay	5,580.00
	5 Atlantic Quay	7,223.72
	Fruit Market, Blochairn	125.00
Total		12,928.72

2023-24	4 Atlantic Quay	5,580.00
	5 Atlantic Quay	7,223.72
Total		12,803.72

2024-2025	5 Atlantic Quay	9,014.57
Total		9,014.57

Question reference: S6W-32775

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 December 2024
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.

Question reference: S6W-32914

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the availability of (a) the drug, naloxegol, and (b) alternatives to this drug in the event of a shortage.

Question reference: S6W-32915

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with (a) NHS National Services Scotland and (b) Community Pharmacy Scotland regarding the availability of the drug, naloxegol.

Question reference: S6W-31961

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated capital cost is of permanently replacing the M8 Woodside Viaducts with a surface level dual carriageway; whether this could be partly funded by high-density commercial development of any surplus land released adjacent to a new road, and how this option compares with the cost of continually repairing the existing viaducts.

No work has been undertaken to consider permanently replacing the M8 Woodside Viaducts with a surface level dual carriageway. Therefore, it is not possible to determine what the design and estimated capital cost of such an option would be, the practicalities of funding it or making a comparison with the costs for maintaining the existing viaducts.

Transport Scotland are currently undertaking a tender competition to appoint technical advisors to determine the most appropriate permanent solution for the M8 Woodside Viaducts including the next steps for procuring the works. Once undertaken, the works will provide greater resilience for these structures.

Question reference: S6W-32400

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 7 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when Scottish Enterprise will publish its initial masterplan for the development of its five-acre site adjacent to the Broomielaw in Glasgow.

Question reference: S6W-32447

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 7 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed what technical solutions could be adopted by bus operators to reduce the risk of collisions with low bridges.

It is deeply concerning that there have been two recent incidents involving buses colliding with low bridges, and I wish to express my best wishes for a speedy recovery to those injured. Both incidents are currently under investigation.

While vehicle safety is a reserved matter that is dealt with by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). There is no legal requirement for bus operators to install technical solutions into their vehicles to reduce the risk of collisions, it is a matter for individual bus operators to determine whether they want to install such systems. However, in recent years some bus companies have been trialling low bridge detection systems to improve the safety of their fleet.

Bus operators and drivers have a duty to take all practical steps to ensure that vehicles avoid colliding with infrastructure through proper route planning, training in risk assessment, and providing correct information to drivers on the vehicles they use, this includes access to height conversion charts and measurement gauges.

Collision of low bridges by commercial vehicles is a serious matter for the Traffic Commissioner and they will consider the liability of both the operator and the driver, which could result in the Commissioner taking action against them both.