- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to prioritise resourcing local authorities to exercise their powers to create municipal bus companies under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, in light of the cost of living crisis and climate emergency.
Answer
Section 34 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 is now in force, providing wider powers for local transport authorities to run their own buses. Additionally, secondary legislation to enable bus franchising and partnership options will be introduced before the end of 2023. These powers will complement and continue to build on the service improvements supported through the Bus Partnership Fund.
We recognise that not every local authority will want to run their own bus services, but the new powers enable them to determine what is best for their local areas. We will continue to work with local authorities as they explore the full range of options set out in the 2019 Act, including local authority-run bus services. Work is currently ongoing with local authorities and COSLA to determine how best to allocate funding in light of the emergency budget review.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review, and consider increasing, the sum of £74 million that has been allocated to the Community Bus Fund, in light of reports that the total cost of bus franchising in Manchester alone is estimated to be £200 million.
Answer
The Scottish Government introduced the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 to provide an enhanced suite of options for local transport authorities to improve bus services according to their local needs. Local Authorities now have the power to run their own bus services, and secondary legislation to enable bus franchising and partnership options will be introduced before the end of 2023.
It is important that the options within the Transport Act 2019 are fully explored to ensure they are appropriate for the area, and are sustainable for local authorities long term. As such, the Community Bus Fund aims to support local authorities to explore their powers under the Transport Act 2019, and enable options to be trialled on a smaller scale.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been allocated to local authorities from the £74 million Community Bus Fund since 2021, and how much remains in the fund to be distributed by the end of the current parliamentary session.
Answer
The recent Resource Spending Review allocated £46 million to the Community Bus fund for the remainder of this parliament, with a further £30 million allocated in the Capital Spending Review. These financial envelopes are intended to guide financial planning and reform across the public sector, in anticipation of future Scottish budget setting processes. Work is ongoing with local authorities and COSLA to determine how best to allocate this funding.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 September 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will undertake a consultation on the introduction or piloting of bans or other restrictions on Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) over 7.5t in weight from overtaking on Scottish trunk roads.
Answer
The Scottish Government currently has no plans to undertake a consultation on the introduction or piloting of bans or other restrictions on Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) over 7.5t in weight from overtaking on Scottish trunk roads.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus Robertson on 27 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm a capital finance package for the proposed Scottish Event Campus (SEC) expansion, which secured Planning Permission in Principle (PPiP) from Glasgow City Council in June 2021, and what its position is on whether its timeous construction is critical to maintaining the international competitiveness of the Scottish Event Campus (SEC).
Answer
We recognise the importance of the Scottish Events Campus as one of the world’s top conference and events venues, as recently exemplified in the successful hosting of COP26. It is clear that the SEC makes a vital contribution not just to Glasgow’s economy, but to Scotland’s economy as a whole.
As Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, I engaged with Peter Duthie, the CEO of the SEC, with regards to the SEC expansion plans and broader matters affecting the events sector. These discussions have necessarily been paused due to emerging budgetary pressures and reassessment of budget priorities as set out in the Resource Spending Review. We are therefore unable to commit to the provision of funding support via a capital finance package for the expansion of the conferencing centre at the current time.
However, we are keen to continue to engage with the SEC and the wider business conference and events sector on how the review of the National Event Strategy Scotland: The Perfect Stage, can enable us to build on its success, and to deliver on the priorities of our National Strategy for Economic Transformation.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what work it is undertaking to secure further supplies of Imvanex and Jynneos in order to be able to offer a Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vaccine against monkeypox to those living in the Glasgow region who are considered to be at risk of exposure, currently understood to include gay and bisexual men, other men who have sex with men, and the medical staff who treat them.
Answer
Scottish Government are working with the UK Health Security Agency to secure further allocations for Scotland from additional vaccine supplies arriving in the UK, to protect high risk groups against monkeypox. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will be able to request vaccines from these to meet their service delivery requirements.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 22 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what expectations it has of local authorities regarding the timescales associated with connecting children seeking adoption with families who have applied for adoption.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10585 on 22 September 2022. 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
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 22 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how long the process for a family to adopt a child in Scotland should normally take.
Answer
There are no prescribed timescales within regulations in Scotland for the adoption process to be completed.
Where adoption is the right route for a child or young person, the Scottish Government want this to happen as swiftly as possible. However, we recognise that the process is complex and involves multi agency working to ensure the welfare and safeguarding of the child. No two cases will be the same and the circumstances of each child need to inform the approach taken, within the context of the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) approach.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 22 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how long each step of the adoption process should take for children and families seeking adoption through adoption services.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10585 on 22 September 2022. 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
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent ballot for industrial action by members of the Educational Institute of Scotland trade union.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2022