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-42397

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 16 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-05245 by Kate Forbes on 4 December 2025, whether it will confirm the (a) expected timetable for the laying before Parliament of the proposed legislation to create legal identities for Scotland's city regions, (b) powers that these new legal entities will have and (c) systems that are being considered to ensure that decisions are made by those with democratic mandates and not unelected city region officials.

We are committed to enabling regional co-operation, which is why last month the First Minister announced a plan to bring forward legislation in the next parliament to allow Regional Partnerships to become legal bodies. As is normal practice, we will provide details of the timetable for the next legislative programme in the next Parliament.

We are proposing a flexible approach, in which different Partnerships can ask for different powers at a level that works best for them. This will create a dynamic model of implementation which recognises Scotland’s regional differences. We intend to develop our approach in partnership and will engage with COSLA, regional groupings, and other interested stakeholders on the range and scope of powers.

We want to create a system that works for Scotland and accountability is an important part of that. However, this does not mean that we should directly copy the May oral model from England.

Question reference: S6W-42405

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what further action it plans to take to tackle the problem of underage vaping, in light of the report from the Faculty of Dental Surgery suggesting that 7.4% of 11- to 17-year-olds vape regularly.

Our Tobacco and Vaping Framework launched in November 2023 recognises the need for action to prevent young people using vapes and becoming addicted to nicotine. Up-to-date information on vapes is available from NHS Inform, Young Scot and third sector partners. It also forms one strand of the Curriculum for Excellence Health and Wellbeing Guidance in our schools.

The Framework also recognised price as a tool to reduce appeal of tobacco products and inappropriate use of vaping products by children and young people. Single use vapes (SUV) have been linked to a rapid increase in the number of young people vaping, particularly due to their low price. The SUV ban came into force from 1 June 2025 in line with the rest of the UK.

Taking forward actions from our Framework, we have worked closely with the UK and Devolved Governments on the development of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The UK-wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill will introduce new restrictions on the advertising, sponsorship, free distribution and nominal pricing of vaping products across the 4 nations.

New powers in the Bill will include regulation of displays of vaping products, product features, packaging, ingredients and flavourings in relation to vaping products across the UK.

Alongside this activity, we continue to work closely with the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) to support enforcement of existing legislation, including checks on sales of tobacco and vapes to under 18s, and advice to business.

Question reference: S6W-42583

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on implementing the recommendations of the independent review of community learning and development on the effective delivery of ESOL classes for displaced people, particularly in relation to expanding community-based language learning.

Question reference: S6W-42296

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what additional support it is giving to key workers in the health sector who will have to work over the Christmas period.

We want to express our sincere thanks to all health and social care sector staff for the incredible work they do every day, and we also recognise those who will continue to provide care throughout the festive season. We know winter brings extra challenges and pressures, and the commitment to delivering high-quality care during this time is truly appreciated and makes a real difference to patients and communities.

Our Surge and Winter Preparedness in Health and Social Care Services National Planning Priorities and Principles, published last month, emphasises the importance of supporting the mental health and wellbeing of the health and social care workforce, improving capacity and retention, and supporting unpaid carers. This includes meeting the requirements of the Health & Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 and ensuring appropriate staffing levels across services to enable safe, high-quality care and better outcomes for service users.

The wellbeing of our health, social work and care workforce remains a central priority during the winter period.

Question reference: S6W-42398

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that consumers and businesses are able to afford semiconductors and other important computer parts, in light of the significant increase in prices reportedly due to a combination of increased demand from AI data centres and more general global insecurity.

The global semiconductor market has long been vulnerable to market fluctuations. At a time of unprecedented global demand for AI processing, we believe there is much the UK Government can do to strengthen national sovereignty of our supply chains, particularly on energy costs and capital investment in semiconductor fabs.

The Scottish Government recognises the strategic importance of the semiconductor sector and its diverse supply chain in Scotland. We are working collaboratively with industry and academia through our Cluster Development Programme to support the sector as an intrinsic part of our Critical Technologies Supercluster.

The supercluster acts as a magnet for future investment, a platform to boost Scotland’s profile on the world stage and supports our critical technologies industries to become more resilient to global pressures such as demand for AI technology.

Question reference: S6O-05316

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to the thousands of children who will be living in temporary and unsuitable accommodation over the Christmas period.

Question reference: S6W-42183

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 10 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a short bill to amend transport legislation, to simplify the Scottish bus franchising powers to bring them in line with England’s Bus Services Act 2017, by the end of the current parliamentary session.

I have no plans of modifying the franchising model in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019. Changing primary legislation would take time to deliver and any proposals to bring the Scottish powers in line with England would require us to revisit the entire approach to franchising.

Development of any new primary legislation in this area is likely to be a lengthy process and could not be undertaken before the end of this parliamentary session. Any changes to the legislation now could significantly impact Strathclyde Partnership for Transport’s (SPT) plans for developing its franchising proposals, as well as create uncertainty for all local authorities who may be exploring this option. Such a move would also push Scotland further behind England in delivering bus franchising.

Question reference: S6W-42141

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40706 by Jim Fairlie on 3 October 2025, what weighting community benefits and social value in Scotland will have in the tender scoring for the construction of the two new freight flex vessels to serve the Aberdeen-Kirkwall/Lerwick route.

The key benefits and intended outcome of investment in new vessels is continuation of ferry services, improved reliability and additional capacity for island communities and businesses over their operating life. As Procuring Authority, CMAL consider the approach to vessel and other procurement in line with legislation and guidance. This requires appropriate consideration of community benefits depending on the product or service being procured, ensuring transparency and non-discrimination.

CMAL have confirmed that the overall scoring for the NIFS Freight flex vessels is weighted 70% on quality and 30% on cost. As part of the quality element, 3% of the score relates to community benefits, while wider social value considerations, such as fair work and environmental matters, were tested at SPD stage. As Procuring Authority, CMAL consider this to be appropriate and proportionate for this contract at ITT stage which has attracted interest only from international markets.

Question reference: S6W-42169

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will engage with Stadler regarding the potential to develop a rolling stock and locomotive manufacturing base in Scotland for the UK market.

Question reference: S6W-42287

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what alternative venues were assessed as potential hosts for Scotland House at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.