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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: S6W-42141

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40706 by Jim Fairlie on 3 October 2025, what weighting community benefits and social value in Scotland will have in the tender scoring for the construction of the two new freight flex vessels to serve the Aberdeen-Kirkwall/Lerwick route.

The key benefits and intended outcome of investment in new vessels is continuation of ferry services, improved reliability and additional capacity for island communities and businesses over their operating life. As Procuring Authority, CMAL consider the approach to vessel and other procurement in line with legislation and guidance. This requires appropriate consideration of community benefits depending on the product or service being procured, ensuring transparency and non-discrimination.

CMAL have confirmed that the overall scoring for the NIFS Freight flex vessels is weighted 70% on quality and 30% on cost. As part of the quality element, 3% of the score relates to community benefits, while wider social value considerations, such as fair work and environmental matters, were tested at SPD stage. As Procuring Authority, CMAL consider this to be appropriate and proportionate for this contract at ITT stage which has attracted interest only from international markets.

Question reference: S6W-42169

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will engage with Stadler regarding the potential to develop a rolling stock and locomotive manufacturing base in Scotland for the UK market.

Question reference: S6W-42170

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has monitored trends in container traffic on the River Clyde over the last year.

Question reference: S6W-42108

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the plans by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to develop a "virtual hospital", including by what date this will be introduced.

Improving access to Urgent and Emergency Care services is a key priority for the Scottish Government through our NHS Scotland Operational Improvement Plan, which details our ambitions to shift the balance of care from acute to the community.

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde are contributing to this shift through expansion of their virtual hospital. In a recent update to the Scottish Government, the board advised that a number of pathways are scheduled to come on stream, with a target of 1000 virtual beds in place by Autumn 2026.

Question reference: S6W-42143

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how each of the responders to the Public Contracts Scotland notice for expressions of interest in tendering for the construction of the two new freight flex vessels to serve the Aberdeen-Kirkwall/Lerwick route became aware of the notice.

The Single Procurement Document was published on the Public Contracts Scotland platform which is designed to facilitate the procurement process for public sector procurement contracts in Scotland for both domestic and international suppliers. The Portal provides access to contract opportunities, guidance for suppliers and information on the procurement process.

A Transport Scotland press release was issued on 04 June 2025 to note the start of the procurement process. NIFS Freight Flex Project updates and information on the procurement process and timelines are also available on the CMAL website.

Question reference: S6W-42142

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the duration was of the advertisement on the Public Contracts Scotland website for expressions of interest in tendering for the construction of the two new freight flex vessels to serve the Aberdeen-Kirkwall/Lerwick route.

Question reference: S6W-42247

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jackson Carlaw (on behalf of the SPCB) on 4 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will bring the MSP staff cost provision into parity with that of staff costs for Scotland's MPs.

The SPCB is responsible for funding the members’ expenses scheme and for determining which indices are used to uprate the overall provisions, including staff cost provision. This arrangement is set out in the Scheme as agreed by Parliament. The Scheme rules allow the SPCB to uprate the provision annually using that appropriate index. They do not provide the SPCB the scope to change the staff cost provision in any other manner.

The Staff Cost Provision is provided to Members to facilitate their employment of staff to support them in carrying out their parliamentary duties.

It is then for Members, as individual employers (noting that the SPCB is not the employer of Members’ staff), to determine their staffing structure and staff salaries within the requirements of the Scheme, including any cost of living pay award, as long as it is affordable within the capped annual provision.

The SPCB did increase the Staff Cost Provision in 2021 by the equivalent cost of one full-time member of staff with effect from the start of Session 6 - Allowances - Expenses Scheme Resolution. This followed an evidence-based review of the provision.

Payments regarding Scottish MPs’ staff are covered by the ‘Scheme of MPs’ Staffing and Business Costs’, responsibility for which rests with the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), which has responsibility for setting arrangement across a wide range of MPs’ financial matters.

It should also be noted that there are key differences between the two schemes including what is and is not covered regarding provisions for staff, meaning that a like for like comparison is not possible. For example, the Scottish Parliament scheme meets NI and pension payments separately while these are paid by MPs from within the IPSA staff cost provision.

Question reference: S6W-42107

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many care homes in each local authority area are currently subject to moratorium and large scale investigation, and how many care beds are affected by this.

The information requested is not held centrally and is a matter for local authorities.

Statistics published by the Scottish Government on Adult Support and Protection activity undertaken by local authorities in 2024-25 showed that 49 large scale investigations (LSIs) were reported to have been undertaken by local authorities in 2024-25. Of those, 22 were reported as taking place in care homes. The number of care beds affected was not reported. The statistical publication this is drawn from is available on the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/adult-support-and-protection-asp-national-minimum-dataset-2024-25/.

Question reference: S6O-05281

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, in light of reports that the NHS board is dealing with a much higher rate of flu patients compared with previous years.

Question reference: S6W-41935

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will mandate public ownership of all new rolling stock for Scotland's railways, to transition away from the current reliance on private rolling stock companies.