Chamber and committees

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.

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Question reference: S7W-02360

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 7 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of educational psychologists employed by local authorities are on temporary or fixed-term contracts.

The Scottish Government collects yearly data on the number of Educational Psychologists in Scotland via the Pupil Census but does not collect data on their employment status. Local Authorities are responsible for the employment of educational psychologists and any data about their employment status is held locally. However, we continue to work closely with the National Scottish Steering Group for Educational Psychologists (NSSGEP) on workforce planning to ensure a sustainable supply of educational psychologists to meet future demand.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role Educational Psychologists play in supporting learners, raising attainment, promoting inclusion and equality, and helping those who are most vulnerable. That is why we continue to invest in the training of educational psychologists, in partnership with COSLA.

Question reference: S7W-02536

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 4 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will engage with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) regarding the feasibility of designating community fire stations as permanent safe access points to connect vulnerable individuals directly with addiction services and other health and social care partnership services.

The Scottish Government remains committed to a public health approach to reducing drug-related harms and deaths. Our approach is set out in Preventing Harm, Promoting Recovery: Scotland's Alcohol & Drugs Strategic Plan 2026-2035, which brings together prevention, harm reduction, treatment, rehabilitation and recovery support. The use of any Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) premises including fire stations is an operational matter for the SFRS.

Question reference: S7W-02537

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 4 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, following the roll-out of naloxone carriage by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) personnel, whether it has plans to further expand the role of SFRS stations and frontline staff in facilitating emergency interventions and recovery referrals for those experiencing drug addiction.

A broadened role for firefighters remains an ambition for the Scottish Government, an element of which could be emergency medical response. Significant process has been made in embedding Naloxone into the operational capability of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Flexi Duty Officer (FDO) cadre and SFRS has trained 137 FDOs who now carry Naloxone and stop-the-bleed kits. Naloxone remains a key component of Scotland's harm reduction response, and we continue to support efforts to increase access to naloxone across healthcare, community, emergency service and third sector settings. Alongside this, we continue to invest in Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), residential rehabilitation and recovery support services to help ensure people can access the support they need at the right time.

Question reference: S7W-02362

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 4 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of future demand for educational psychologists.

We continue to work with the National Scottish Steering Group for Educational Psychologists (NSSGEP) on workforce planning to achieve a sustainable supply of educational psychologists to meet future demand.

Through robust workforce planning with partners we will ensure, as far as possible, that numbers trained under the Scottish Government and COSLA partnership funding approach match demand across Scotland, so that there is neither shortage nor unemployment of those trained.

Question reference: S7W-02361

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 4 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken workforce planning for educational psychology services.

Question reference: S7W-02499

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what dedicated financial and technical support it is currently providing to regional transport partnerships, including the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), to assist in the development of bus service franchising business cases under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

On 17 March, the Scottish Government published the guidance for Local Services Franchises on the Transport Scotland website, which is intended to provide technical support to all local authorities, including Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) in developing their franchising proposals. On 12 June 2026, the SPT Strategy and Programmes Committee approved an award of contract for services to undertake a Franchising Assessment.

We recognise that SPT is the only local transport authority in Scotland who has officially announced its intentions to pursue bus franchising, following the publication of its Regional Bus Strategy in September 2025. To support local transport authorities financially we are committed to investing £4 million in 2026-27 to support Local Transport Authorities to build business cases for local bus improvement through franchising.

The Scottish Government also provides revenue grant funding to support RTPs’ core operating costs and statutory functions, alongside contributions from constituent councils. In 2026/27, we awarded £3.468 million in revenue funding across all 7 RTPs, which included £617,025 to SPT. Decisions on the allocations of Scottish Government funding in future years is subject to the annual Budget Bill process.

Question reference: S7W-02453

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 2 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will engage with the Glasgow Science Centre, which is owned by the GSC Charitable Trust, a wholly owned subsidiary of Scottish Enterprise, regarding the repair or replacement of the titanium roof covering at the IMAX Theatre, which has remained damaged since the roof's waterproof membrane burnt in high temperatures in 2018, leaving black residue across the surface.

Decisions regarding future repair works are operational matters for the Glasgow Science Centre. As identified in the question, the Science Centre is a subsidiary of Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government receives updates on its operations, as appropriate, from Scottish Enterprise.

The Scottish Government provides funding direct to the Science Centre to support science engagement activity and the transport costs of school pupils.

Question reference: S7W-02494

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 15 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to local authorities to ensure that any disbursement of public funds for retail improvement schemes is conditional upon adherence to high-quality, traditional materials, traditional skills and design codes.

Question reference: S7W-02491

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 15 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to establishing a dedicated national grant scheme to support the reinstatement of traditional shopfronts, to ensure equitable access to funding outside of existing, localised Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) boundaries.

Question reference: S7W-02492

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 15 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider ringfencing a proportion of the Place Based Investment Programme, or similar town centre regeneration funds, specifically for heritage-led commercial facade improvements.