Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-39238

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on what the current 10 largest private firms in Glasgow are, broken down by (a) employee headcount and (b) turnover.

Question reference: S6W-39656

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will facilitate and promote the adoption of the Clyde Tunnel as a regional transport asset by the Glasgow City Region local authorities, and co-funded via Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, or a new special purpose body, to restore the combined regional authority approach to trunk road infrastructure in the area that existed via Strathclyde Roads from 1975 to 1996.

Question reference: S6W-39653

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will request that the Scottish Prison Service commission the Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, or a similar organisation, to carry out an options appraisal and feasibility study for the adaptive reuse of the historic buildings at HMP Barlinnie when the site is no longer that of an operational prison after HMP Glasgow is operational.

Question reference: S6W-39657

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussion (a) it and (b)Transport Scotland has had with Glasgow City Council regarding the potential installation of a numberplate recognition camera toll system to charge for daily use of the Clyde Tunnel for vehicles registered outside of the local authority's boundary.

Question reference: S6W-39654

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide enhanced funding to Glasgow City Council, in addition to the baseline local authority budget allocation for local road maintenance, to offset the annual cost deficit for managing the Clyde Tunnel, in light of it consuming approximately 10% the local authority's roads budget.

Question reference: S6W-39280

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 30 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many buses were ordered under each round of the Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEBS), broken down by (a) manufacturer and (b) place of manufacture.

Below is a list of how many buses were ordered under each round of the Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme broken down by manufacturer. As previously advised in answers to questions S6W-38725 and S6W-38726 on 3 July 2025, the Scottish Government does not collect data on the locations in which vehicles are manufactured.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Round 1

Alexander Dennis Ltd

12 ADL Enviro 400 EV
23 ADL Enviro 200 EV

Yutong

22 Yutong E12

Round 2

Alexander Dennis Ltd

113 ADL Enviro 400 EV
59 ADL Enviro 200 EV

Yutong

33 Yutong E12
10 Yutong TCe12

Question reference: S6W-39284

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 30 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many buses were ordered under each round of the Scottish Green Bus Fund, broken down by (a) manufacturer and (b) place of manufacture.

Below is a list of how many buses were ordered under each round of the Scottish Green Bus Fund broken down by manufacturer. As previously advised in answers to questions S6W-38725 and S6W-38726 on 3 July 2025, the Scottish Government does not collect data on the locations in which vehicles are manufactured.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Round 1

Alexander Dennis Ltd

25 ADL Enviro 400

19 ADL Enviro 350H

4 ADL Enviro 200

Round 2

Alexander Dennis Ltd

9 ADL Enviro 400

Optare

3 Optare Solo

Volvo

10 Volvo 7900H

Round 3

Alexander Dennis Ltd

3 ADL Enviro 350H

Optare

1 Optare Solo

Volvo

20 Volvo 7900H

Round 4

Alexander Dennis Ltd

18 ADL Enviro 400 (with Volvo B5LH chassis)

Volvo

14 Volvo 7900H

Round 5

Alexander Dennis Ltd

29 ADL Enviro 400

58 ADL Enviro 200

Optare

6 Optare Solo

Volvo

20 Volvo 7900H

Wrightbus

30 Wrightbus Streetlite

Round 6

Alexander Dennis Ltd

26 ADL Enviro 400

Volvo

20 Volvo B5LH

Round 7

Alexander Dennis Ltd

25 ADL Enviro 400

Optare

1 Optare Electric

Volvo

6 Volvo B5LH

Round 8

Alexander Dennis Ltd

125 ADL Enviro 400

3 ADL Enviro 200

Question reference: S6W-39285

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 30 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the buses funded through the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund and Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme were the model, Alexander Dennis (a) Enviro400EV, (b) Enviro200EV, (c) Enviro100EV, (d) Enviro400 MMC and (e) Enviro200 MMC.

Question reference: S6W-39295

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to retaining the assets of Prestwick Aviation Holdings Ltd under its ownership to ensure long-term public control over the aerospace industrial development zone.

I wrote to the Economy and Fair Work Committee on 25 June 2024 to confirm that a market testing exercise for Glasgow Prestwick Airport was underway. Scottish Ministers’ longstanding position is that the airport should be returned to the private sector at the appropriate time and opportunity. This must be to an organisation with the commitment and capability to operate businesses directly relevant to GPA.

Any decision to sell GPA must represent value for money for taxpayers and be informed by what is right for the long-term success of the business and its contribution to the local and Scottish economy. I am unable to comment on the structure of any transaction that returns GPA to private ownership or any conditions that would apply post-sale completion.

The process is ongoing and I will update Parliament when a significant development has been made.

Question reference: S6W-39237

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-38725 and S6W-38726 by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025, in which he stated that “the Scottish Government does not collect data on the locations in which vehicles are manufactured”, how it monitors and assesses the level and impact of social value of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund in the absence of such data.

The social value of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund arises in several ways, including through the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the bus sector by accelerating the uptake of zero emission buses and coaches as part of wider activity to address the climate emergency.

In addition, Wider community and decarbonisation benefit was included among the criteria for ScotZEB 2, accounting for 10% of the total score. The guidance to applicants explained that this could include job creation, making assets (particularly infrastructure) available to a wider number of users and / or transport modes. The programme’s delivery of this criterion are assessed through evidence provided in annual reports to Scottish Ministers from the consortium. The full criteria for ScotZEB2 can be found online at https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/grants-and-loans/scottish-zero-emission-bus-challenge-fund-phase-2/

The programme has been highly successful against these aims: through ScotZEB and its predecessor programme SULEBS, more than 800 zero-emission buses and coaches have been introduced to Scotland’s roads, a network of charging facilities established for use by bus operators and other businesses, and new business models introduced to the sector to help make the use of zero emission technology financially sustainable. This contributes to greenhouse gas emissions reductions, as well as higher air quality and lower noise pollution, particularly in urban areas. Furthermore, ScotZEB 2 has seen, in only its first year, 60 new jobs in the Dundee area at zero-emission coach company Ember linked to their participation in the successful ScotZEB consortium.

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