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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6O-04476

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S6W-34464, what its position is on whether MSPs should be able to participate in the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, in addition to the Armed Forces Visits Programme, should they wish to do so, in light of it being a structured 15-day course with one of the armed services, and it also offering the opportunity to enrol on a Royal College of Defence Studies postgraduate degree level course in strategic leadership and international strategic studies, and it therefore being different in nature.

Question reference: S6W-35294

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many building preservation notices have been served by planning authorities in each of the last 20 years.

The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 Section 3 states that it is local authorities who issue building preservation notices. The Scottish Government does not routinely gather information about how many building preservation notices each local authority issues.

The Scottish Government publishes statistics on planning applications determined by planning authorities on a 6 monthly basis on our website at: https://www.gov.scot/collections/planning-statistics/

Historic Environment Scotland considers applications for sites/properties to be designated, and publishes annual statistics on their website through their Planning Performance Framework Reports.

Question reference: S6W-35211

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated capital cost is to fully dual track the East Kilbride line as part of Clyde Metro.

The Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), published in 2022, was supported by a transport appraisal which included a concept network for Clyde Metro. Given STPR2 was a strategic assessment, the assessment of Clyde Metro, and all other options, was at a relatively high level, with a possible light rail connection between the city centre and East Kilbride, as shown in the recommendation appraisal summary table.

This option is separate from the existing heavy rail connection to East Kilbride and therefore no assessment was made of rail double tracking under the transport appraisal.

The ongoing stage of the development process for Clyde Metro, known as the Case for Investment, is being led by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), supported by Glasgow City Council, with Transport Scotland providing a project assurance role. This key stage, which will inform decisions around network selection, phasing and implementation is well underway and is currently anticipated to be complete by mid-2027.

Further details on the Case for Investment stage of Clyde Metro can be obtained by contacting SPT directly at clydemetro@spt.co.uk.

The Scottish Government is currently progressing the East Kilbride Enhancement Project. This will deliver electrification of the route, a relocated station at Hairmyres, a new accessible station at East Kilbride, accessibility works at other stations and a 1.4km extension of the existing Hairmyres double track section to enhance operational resilience and service flexibility. This project represents a further commitment from this Government in contributing to our wider net zero objectives and will enable the introduction of electric services on the route from December 2025.

Question reference: S6W-35205

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when the concessionary bus travel scheme for people seeking asylum will be introduced.

The Scottish Government recognises that free bus travel has the potential to be transformative for people seeking asylum, who are among the most vulnerable in society.

At present, people seeking asylum in Scotland who are aged under 22, aged 60 or over or have an eligible disability are entitled to concessionary travel under existing national schemes.

The 2025-26 Scottish Budget, which was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 25 February 2025, has funding allocated to provide free bus travel for people seeking asylum who are not already eligible in the coming financial year.

We are committed to exploring if we can extend free bus travel to all people seeking asylum on a longer term basis before the end of the current parliamentary session, subject to an agreed way forward on the policy in terms of practical delivery.

Accordingly, my officials will be reconvening the Working Group with Third Sector representatives and other interested parties in order to consider delivery options. Further information will be provided in due course.

Question reference: S6W-35351

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether Historic Environment Scotland will appoint an accredited pipe organ adviser to ensure that the heritage of the country's pipe organs is properly managed, given the reported growing number that are at risk of being damaged or lost.

Question reference: S6W-35210

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will engage with Clowes Developments, which has recently purchased the former Pladis McVitie’s biscuit factory in Tollcross, Glasgow, and whether it will take measures to ensure that the former factory site is retained for a high value industrial and manufacturing use.

Scottish Enterprise, our national economic development agency, works with businesses in Scotland to create high-value jobs, enable innovation, boost productivity and attract investment. Scottish Enterprise would be happy to engage with Clowes Developments to discuss the support available to them going forward.

However, any decision about future development on the site is a matter for Glasgow City Council in the first instance.

Question reference: S6W-35236

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it reportedly blocked the development of a Rolls-Royce small modular reactor at Grangemouth refinery in November 2022, in light of claims that this would have delivered much cheaper off-grid electricity to the country's most energy-intensive heavy industrial cluster and the refinery's owner Ineos stating that a “huge disadvantage” in energy costs had driven the decision to close refining operations there.

Question reference: S6W-35263

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans Scottish Enterprise has to reconvene the Aerospace, Defence, Marine and Space Industry Leadership Group.

The Aerospace, Defence, Marine & Security Industry Leadership Group (ADMS ILG) was a partnership of key public and private sector players and last met in 2018.

Two bodies have since succeeded that entity; the Aerospace and Defence Industry Leadership Group (ADILG) has its origins in the ministerial-chaired Aerospace Response Group (ARG) that was established during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following agreement by members at an ARG meeting on 15 March 2021, the ARG transitioned from a government-convened body into the new, industry-led body which absorbed the remaining work of the ARG. Secretariat is provided by ADS Scotland and it continues to meet regularly with public sector partners attending at the invitation of the group.

The Scottish Space Leadership Council, meanwhile, had its origins as an ADMS ILG working group, but opted to move away from the ADMS ILG and has evolved to become an independent organisation - Space Scotland - that serves the Scottish Space eco-system and meets on a quarterly basis.

Question reference: S6O-04440

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the housing secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding what work can be done to repurpose empty commercial and other proprieties for affordable housing in Glasgow.

Question reference: S6W-34464

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Christine Grahame (on behalf of the SPCB) on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will make the necessary arrangements for MSPs to be able to participate in the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme.

A scheme was developed in 2017 in conjunction with the Armed Forces in Scotland to enable Members to visit defence bases in Scotland to help Members better understand the range of social and welfare issues relevant to armed forces personnel, and their families, within their community. These visits are open to all Members and are arranged through the different service secretariats based in Scotland.

It was agreed that this scheme would be a better fit for the Parliament than the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme that operates in the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and there are no plans to review the scheme at this time.

Since 2017, many Members have taken part in the Armed Forces Visits Programme, visiting defence bases across Scotland. In 2018 and 2024, the Scottish Parliament hosted a reciprocal inward visit for representatives from the armed services in Scotland, providing them with an opportunity to meet and shadow Members. There have been a number of outward visits this session and parliamentary officials are currently liaising with the Armed Forces to arrange the next series of outward visits before the end of 2025.

In addition, the Presiding Officer and Clerk/Chief Executive regularly arrange events at the Scottish Parliament for the armed forces to brief Members on current issues and parliamentary officials are currently looking to arrange another event in a few months.