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: S6W-38496

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when measurements of the noise of the central urban motorway in Glasgow were last taken, and what noise reduction measures are being introduced on the motorway through Glasgow as part of planned works at key locations such as Charing Cross and the Woodside Viaducts.

Noise monitoring at Woodside Viaduct is conducted for a range of purposes, including meeting legislative obligations, responding to requests from Glasgow City Council, or upon receipt of a complaint.

Monitoring began on 19 July 2021, as part of site compound location assessment, and noise is continually monitored at set locations throughout the site, with results produced monthly to summarise overall levels.

Further to the reply to the answer to question S6W-31031 on 15 November 2024 noise mitigation measures do not form part of the current scope of works being undertaken at Charing Cross.

Transport Scotland is committed to ensuring noise management is included in all their activities and responsibilities, including the work being undertaken on the M8 at Charing Cross. Transport Scotland has also been working closely with Glasgow City Council on providing noise management advice to the Future of the M8 Motion, and related schemes.

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.

Question reference: S6W-38881

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether Social Security Scotland (SSS) will follow the example of Scotland's local authorities and NHS boards by creating a network of armed forces and veterans champions within SSS to (a) help raise awareness of issues faced by the armed forces community, veterans and their families and (b) protect veterans' rights when accessing services.

Question reference: S6W-38882

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress Social Security Scotland has made in making sure that frontline staff are trained in the particular needs of the veteran community, to ensure that veterans are not subjected to any unnecessary misunderstanding or distress when accessing financial support.

Question reference: S6W-38489

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to any Scottish firms bidding for contracts in the UK-wide civil nuclear sector.

Question reference: S6W-37648

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 18 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will assess any impact that the closure of Axis Studios and the reported loss of 160 jobs has had on the animation studio sector in Glasgow, and what information it holds on how many people who lost their jobs as a result of the closure have gained new employment with local digital and technology companies, in light of recent reports that Halon Entertainment plans to open a new animation studio in Glasgow and create up to 250 jobs in the next three years.

The Scottish Government is very interested in the development of the screen industry as a whole including the animation sector. The animation sector is monitored through the Economic Value in Screen Report published by Screen Scotland, the report is published retrospectively and the closure of Axis Studios will be reflected in future reports.

A range of support was offered to staff at Axis Studios including, PACE Introduction to Redundancy Support Webinar, sourcing vacancies suitable for former Axis Studios and a Webinar on Skilled Worker Visas. We hold no information on if the people effected in the closure gained new employment with local digital and technology companies.

Halon’s investment in Scotland marks a major boost for the digital tech, film, TV, and games industries, reinforcing Scotland’s position as a global hub for creative technology.

Question reference: S6W-38264

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 18 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the current full reserve list of projects for the 2025-26 Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF).

Question reference: S6W-38441

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether extra resources have been provided to Healthcare Improvement Scotland, in light of reports of an increased number of dentists choosing to register their practices as independent clinics.

The regulation of independent health care, including dentists registered as independent clinics, is funded through fees paid to Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) by its regulated independent health care services. These fees fund HIS’ regulation activities. All independent health care services must register with HIS, and pay registration annual continuation fees to legally operate in Scotland.

In addition to the fees, the Scottish Government has provided £260,000 per year to HIS for regulation of independent healthcare services since 2022-23.

Question reference: S6W-38440

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many dental practices registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland as independent clinics in 2024-25, and, of those, how many had previously been providers of general dental services with their local NHS boards.

Question reference: S6W-38756

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 15 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38261 by Angela Constance on 17 June 2025, what the change in budget in real terms is for 2025-26 once inflation has been taken into account.

Question reference: S6W-37652

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is undertaking any ongoing survey of local residents to capture their views regarding any changes in the community in relation to (a) drug-related litter, (b) instances of drug dealing and (c) street smoking or injecting, within the vicinity of the Thistle safer drug consumption facility.

The Thistle will undergo a comprehensive, independent evaluation, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and led by a collaboration of academic institutions, including the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian University, and other expert research partners.

The evaluation includes a specific focus on the impact of the Thistle on the wider community, this will be assessed using repeated community surveys to examine trends in community cohesion, wellbeing, and perceptions of safety/crime compared to control areas. Repeated focus groups with the local community will also explore how perceptions evolve as the intervention becomes embedded.

Ongoing engagement with local residents, businesses, and stakeholder forms an integral part of the pilot’s delivery. Capturing lived experience and local perceptions is essential to assessing the effectiveness of the facility and ensuring future policy and service development are informed by those most affected by this.