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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 1460 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S7W-03456

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether Ferguson Marine has ordered a new panel line from Pemamek and, if so, when it will be (a) installed and (b) commissioned for steel fabrication at the shipyard.

Question reference: S7W-03433

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the contribution that Scotland’s civil nuclear sector could make to developing the next generation of skilled workers, including through apprenticeships and opportunities for young people.

The Scottish Government has not made a specific assessment of the sector’s future role in skills development.

We recognise that apprenticeships play a vital role in giving young people a pathway into a rewarding career and providing a way for employers to invest in their workforce and we are committed to expanding our modern and graduate apprenticeship offer.

Engineering and energy-related frameworks accounted for 7.5% of new apprenticeship starts and 15.7% of all Modern Apprenticeships in training during 2025–26.

The Scottish Government provided around £198 million to support around 25,500 new Modern Apprenticeships (MA), 5,000 new Foundation Apprenticeships and 1,500 new Graduate Apprenticeships in 2024-25. We have also committed to supporting more than 150,000 apprenticeship opportunities over the course of this Parliament and to introducing an Apprenticeship Accelerator Grant.

Question reference: S7W-03050

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what specific statutory powers it would rely upon to prevent the construction of a small modular reactor (SMR) or advanced modular reactor (AMR) with a generating capacity of less than 50MW, in light of such installations not requiring consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 from Scottish Ministers and being ordinarily determined by the local planning authority.

Question reference: S7W-03435

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 1 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential for new nuclear development at Torness to increase employment beyond the 851 civil nuclear jobs currently supported at the site.

Question reference: S7W-03434

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 1 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the role that the 851 civil nuclear workers at Torness play in supporting Scotland’s energy security.

Question reference: S7O-00363

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to embed the principle of subsidiarity into its proposed public sector reform.

Question reference: S7W-03341

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 29 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government and British Steel regarding a secure supply of slab to Dalzell, and whether it considers reliance on imported slab from Kazakhstan to be a sustainable basis for the operation of Scotland’s last plate mill.

Question reference: S7W-03302

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 29 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Dalzell Plate Mill in Motherwell, whether it has received, considered or discussed any proposal from a third party, including Sir David Murray or any other potential operator, to acquire or operate the site, on what dates any such discussions took place, and what its current position is on facilitating such a transfer.

The then Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy, Neil Gray met with Sir David Murray on 28 September 2023 to discuss the Dalzell and Clydebridge sites. Sir David Murray was referred to the GFG Alliance directly to allow him to pursue any business proposals regarding Dalzell with the business owners.

Any potential discussions on a transfer of ownership are matters for the company to consider.

Question reference: S7W-03343

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 29 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings ministers have had with (a) GFG Alliance, (b) community union representatives and (c) the UK Government regarding Dalzell and Clydebridge since 1 January 2026, including dates, attendees and outcomes of those meetings.

Question reference: S7W-03338

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 29 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the comparative level of funding available to listed places of worship in Scotland through the £1 million Historic Environment Scotland pilot scheme and the £92 million Places of Worship Renewal Fund established in England, and whether any Barnett consequentials arising from that UK scheme will be allocated as additional capital funding for listed places of worship in Scotland.

The pilot for Scotland’s Places of Worship Fund will run until March 2027 and will provide evidence on demand, impact and delivery arrangements to inform future support for the sector.

The Scottish Government has not identified any Barnett consequential funding specifically linked to the introduction of the Places of Worship Renewal Fund in England.

Under the Barnett formula, changes to the Scottish Government’s funding are calculated at the level of overall UK Government departmental spending, rather than individual programmes or schemes. UK Government ministers have confirmed that the funding for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund is included within the wider Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) settlement, and that Barnett consequentials are applied to the total departmental allocation rather than to specific funding lines.

Any additional funding associated with wider Department for Culture, Media and Sport spending changes were very small. The impact on the Scottish Government's capital block grant in 2026-27 was less than £10,000, and it is not possible to attribute that minor increase to any specific UK Government programme.