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The Scottish Government has had significant engagement with the Glasgow City Region partners, including Glasgow City Council (GCC) on the concept of a Glasgow Metro.

Transport Scotland are appraising case for investment in a Metro for Glasgow, through the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2). GCC are engaged in STPR2 through the Regional Transport Working Group for the Glasgow City Region. Transport Scotland are also committed to working with Glasgow City Council's Metro Feasibility Project and have regular routine meetings between officials. Furthermore, Scottish Government officials are part of the Metro Strategic Advisory Group. With regard to the Glasgow City Region Growth Deal Cabinet, Transport Scotland participate in the Growth Deal’s Transport & Connectivity Portfolio Group. Senior officials of Transport Scotland, Glasgow City Council and SPT meet approximately quarterly, co-chairing the Glasgow Strategic Transport Group.

In addition, Michael Matheson, in his capacity as Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, met with the leader of Glasgow City Council in March 2021, to discuss the Glasgow Metro following the publication of STPR2 Phase 1 in February, which restated the case for a Metro system for Glasgow.

Transport Scotland has recently attended a meeting with Glasgow City Council on 26 May to discuss the maintenance and financing of the repairs for the Clyde Tunnel. At this meeting, the structural integrity and planned strengthening works to the A739 Shieldhall overpass were discussed. My officials are willing to continue to engage with the Council on this matter in order to aid them in trying to find a solution, however maintenance of the local road network is the responsibility of local authorities.

The vast majority of funding to local authorities from the Scottish Government is provided via a block grant and we do not stipulate how local authorities should utilise their individual allocations. It is therefore the responsibility of each local authority to manage their own budget and to allocate the financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

Glasgow City Council will receive a total funding package of almost £1.5 billion in 2021-22 to support local services, which includes an extra £29.8 million to support vital day to day services, equivalent to an increase of 2.2 per cent compared to 2020-21.

To date, the council has been allocated an additional £221.7 million to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, through the local government settlement - over and above their regular grant payments.

The following table provides the information held on the number of closures due to roadworks and incidents on the M8 between junctions 13 and 26 between July 2017 and July 2021. We have been advised by our operating Company that figures for 2016/17 are currently unavailable. However, these are being sourced and will be forwarded to you once received.

Transport Scotland has had no engagement with Glasgow City Council on the proposed final phase of the East End regeneration route.

ScotRail led maintenance, overhaul and repair works are carried out in Scotland at their own maintenance depots in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness.

Where specialist repairs are required ScotRail utilise local facilities such as Brodie Engineering in Kilmarnock and Assenta Rail in Hamilton, however ScotRail engage with the wider market to ensure a value for money procurement exercise is conducted.

Train owners may engage with the wider UK market and decide on where their heavy maintenance contracts are awarded but ScotRail does not decide this. The following train owner led workstreams have been sent out of Scotland over the last 2 years. As these works have not been led by ScotRail, the commercial value of these works is unable to be confirmed:-

• Class 156 Refurbishment. 15 units at Landore, Wales.
• Class 170 C6 Overhaul. 17 units at Crewe.
  

The Standing Committee on Pandemics will be established by 25 August 2021.

The Standing Committee on Pandemics will be an advisory group to the Scottish Government, with a remit to advise on the future risks from pandemics and the steps we should take to address those risks. The Committee’s membership will bring together a range of scientists and clinicians with relevant expertise.

The New Scots refugee integration strategy is built on partnership and collaboration, led by the Scottish Government, COSLA and the Scottish Refugee Council.

The second New Scots refugee integration strategy was published in January 2018 and runs until December 2022. Partners have begun discussions on arrangements to develop the third strategy, with the aim of publishing this in 2023.

Asylum is a matter reserved to the UK Parliament. This includes the provision of asylum accommodation, which is delivered by the Home Office through contracts with private sector companies, known as Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC). In Scotland this is being delivered by Mears Group, who operate the mother and baby unit in Glasgow.

Scottish Government officials have no direct role in the delivery and management of the Home Office’s Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contract. We have made it clear that the Scottish Government's preference would be for asylum accommodation to be delivered by the public sector or the third sector.

In February 2021, the then Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, wrote to the Chief Operating Officer of Mears Housing Management about issues that had been raised with her about the mother and baby unit. She asked that no new women be transferred to the unit until there had been further engagement with local partners on its operation and concerns were addressed. In June 2021, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government wrote to Mears Group about issues raised with the suitability of the accommodation provided and asked for information about how they are addressing them. On both occasions we received a response from Mears Group setting out measures they have taken.

Officials from Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and Mears Group sit on the Asylum Regional Partnership Board and the Delivery and Procurement Group, which support collaborative working on asylum accommodation and support in Glasgow.

Glasgow School of Art is an autonomous Higher Education Institution, and as such has responsibility for its own strategic and operational decision making, including those related to the restoration of the Mackintosh Building.

The Scottish Funding Council continue to engage regularly with the Glasgow School of Art at Senior Management and Board level on a range of issues including institutional governance and staff and student wellbeing.

A key milestone, however, is the outcome of the fire investigation. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service anticipate that they will be in a position to publish the fire investigation report by the end of November 2021.