Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has a long established relationship with Petroineos, and our engagement has centred on progressing transition options for the asset and site, in particular following the onset of Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions which further intensified challenges associated with the refinery’s operational efficiency and commercial performance. These challenges were explained publicly by the refinery’s owner in the lead up to and following its closure. This engagement has resulted in a number of Scottish Government co-funded feasibility studies from 2021 onwards, culminating in the Project Willow study.

It is regrettable that, with the exception of the Project Willow study, the UK Government did not come to the table alongside the Scottish Government and the company to consider transition options for the asset in the years leading up to its closure.

The closure of the Grangemouth refinery is a matter of deep regret for the Scottish Government, despite Labour promising during the 2024 General Election campaign to save it from closure. I am also disappointed that, to date, not a penny of the National Wealth Fund’s £200 million Grangemouth allocation has been spent despite numerous pleas from this Government to do so.

Transport Scotland is not currently able to approve the opening of the M80 overbridge at Robroyston. This is because the developer has still to complete all outstanding construction works, carry out a Principal Bridge Inspection, and finalise a Stage 3 Road Safety Audit. Responsibility for completing these actions, and therefore enabling the footbridge to open, rests with the developer.

The insolvency of the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) is an ongoing legal process. The Scottish Government appreciates the challenges that this has created for the staff affected and for Glasgow’s cultural community more broadly.

The Scottish Government’s preference is to see 350 Sauchiehall Street re-open as an important asset to both Glasgow’s and Scotland’s culture and creative sector.

Creative Scotland, as owner of the building, continues to work on an open process for its future with the intention to sell the building as a cultural asset.

Catering service provision across the Parliament provides a robust offer around parliamentary business. Service timings for lunch in the Garden Level Restaurant are based on levels of demand, ensuring efficient use of resources in line with parliamentary requirements.  Alternative options are available after 2.30pm at the Coffee Bar where a hot sandwich option can be ordered and in the Public Café where hot food options including soup, baked potatoes and a range of sandwiches (including hot) are on offer until 5pm.  Hot food is also available from 4pm in Queensberry House Lounge.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken design work in relation to quad-tracking the railway between Hyndland East Junction and Finnieston East Junction (located at the site of the former Kelvinhaugh Junction).

The option to electrify the Maryhill Line has been previously been considered as part of wider reviews of Scotland’s railway infrastructure to identify routes that could benefit from electrification. Assessments that were previously undertaken in the 2010’s identified that the required works would require a number of overbridge reconstructions and track lowers throughout the route.

While electrification of the Maryhill Line does not form part of the current rail investment programme, it remains an option for future delivery alongside a number of other potentially valuable schemes.

A scheme to replace fire-damaged tiles at the M8 Charing Cross Underpass is currently in development, following a vehicle fire in April 2025 that caused damage to a section of the underpass’ tiled lining. Works are programmed to commence in October, with completion expected by December 2026.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27087 on 7 May 2024.

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.

The Highland Main Line improvements were delivered further to the Strategic Transport Projects Review 1 (STPR1) published by Transport Scotland in 2009.

The Scottish Government does not hold any recent information related to design work, that the Member is seeking.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00662 on 12 June 2026. 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.

We are delivering on our commitment to open GP walk-in services, with six open since the start of the year and more due to open before the end of the summer. I appreciate the hard work of the health boards to get these services up and running and I'm sure the Member will join me in welcoming the opening of these sites and thanking our hard-working NHS staff for delivering these.

I have committed to expanding the walk-in service programme and will set out how I intend to do that over the next 100 days. Health Boards previously generated proposals for walk-ins which considered the needs of their population, taking into account local issues and circumstances. Our experience will inform how we commission the next 14.