- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answer expected on 2 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what work it is undertaking to ensure that any intellectual property created in Scotland is exploited in Scotland.
Answer
Answer expected on 2 September 2025
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 August 2025
To ask the Scottish Government by what date all 3,614 combined sewer overflows (CSOs) operated by Scottish Water will be fitted with monitors.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36643 on 2 May 2025. 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.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 5 August 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many drones are currently in operation with the NHS in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
Details on how many drones are in operation in NHS Scotland would require to be requested from NHS Boards.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 30 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many buses were ordered under each round of the Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEBS), broken down by (a) manufacturer and (b) place of manufacture.
Answer
Below is a list of how many buses were ordered under each round of the Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme broken down by manufacturer. As previously advised in answers to questions S6W-38725 and S6W-38726 on 3 July 2025, the Scottish Government does not collect data on the locations in which vehicles are manufactured.
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.
Round 1
Alexander Dennis Ltd
- 12 ADL Enviro 400 EV
- 23 ADL Enviro 200 EV
Yutong
Round 2
Alexander Dennis Ltd
- 113 ADL Enviro 400 EV
- 59 ADL Enviro 200 EV
Yutong
- 33 Yutong E12
- 10 Yutong TCe12
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 30 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many buses were ordered under each round of the Scottish Green Bus Fund, broken down by (a) manufacturer and (b) place of manufacture.
Answer
Below is a list of how many buses were ordered under each round of the Scottish Green Bus Fund broken down by manufacturer. As previously advised in answers to questions S6W-38725 and S6W-38726 on 3 July 2025, the Scottish Government does not collect data on the locations in which vehicles are manufactured.
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
Round 1
Alexander Dennis Ltd
25 ADL Enviro 400
19 ADL Enviro 350H
4 ADL Enviro 200
Round 2
Alexander Dennis Ltd
9 ADL Enviro 400
Optare
3 Optare Solo
Volvo
10 Volvo 7900H
Round 3
Alexander Dennis Ltd
3 ADL Enviro 350H
Optare
1 Optare Solo
Volvo
20 Volvo 7900H
Round 4
Alexander Dennis Ltd
18 ADL Enviro 400 (with Volvo B5LH chassis)
Volvo
14 Volvo 7900H
Round 5
Alexander Dennis Ltd
29 ADL Enviro 400
58 ADL Enviro 200
Optare
6 Optare Solo
Volvo
20 Volvo 7900H
Wrightbus
30 Wrightbus Streetlite
Round 6
Alexander Dennis Ltd
26 ADL Enviro 400
Volvo
20 Volvo B5LH
Round 7
Alexander Dennis Ltd
25 ADL Enviro 400
Optare
1 Optare Electric
Volvo
6 Volvo B5LH
Round 8
Alexander Dennis Ltd
125 ADL Enviro 400
3 ADL Enviro 200
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 30 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the buses funded through the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund and Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme were the model, Alexander Dennis (a) Enviro400EV, (b) Enviro200EV, (c) Enviro100EV, (d) Enviro400 MMC and (e) Enviro200 MMC.
Answer
(a) Enviro400EV – (SULEBs) 125, (ScotZEB) 59.
(b) Enviro200EV – (SULEBs) 82, (ScotZEB) 74.
(c) Enviro100EV – (SULEBs) 0, (ScotZEB) 21.
(d) Enviro400MMC – 0.
(e) Enviro200MMC – 0.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 29 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to retaining the assets of Prestwick Aviation Holdings Ltd under its ownership to ensure long-term public control over the aerospace industrial development zone.
Answer
I wrote to the Economy and Fair Work Committee on 25 June 2024 to confirm that a market testing exercise for Glasgow Prestwick Airport was underway. Scottish Ministers’ longstanding position is that the airport should be returned to the private sector at the appropriate time and opportunity. This must be to an organisation with the commitment and capability to operate businesses directly relevant to GPA.
Any decision to sell GPA must represent value for money for taxpayers and be informed by what is right for the long-term success of the business and its contribution to the local and Scottish economy. I am unable to comment on the structure of any transaction that returns GPA to private ownership or any conditions that would apply post-sale completion.
The process is ongoing and I will update Parliament when a significant development has been made.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-38725 and S6W-38726 by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025, in which he stated that “the Scottish Government does not collect data on the locations in which vehicles are manufactured”, how it monitors and assesses the level and impact of social value of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund in the absence of such data.
Answer
The social value of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund arises in several ways, including through the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the bus sector by accelerating the uptake of zero emission buses and coaches as part of wider activity to address the climate emergency.
In addition, Wider community and decarbonisation benefit was included among the criteria for ScotZEB 2, accounting for 10% of the total score. The guidance to applicants explained that this could include job creation, making assets (particularly infrastructure) available to a wider number of users and / or transport modes. The programme’s delivery of this criterion are assessed through evidence provided in annual reports to Scottish Ministers from the consortium. The full criteria for ScotZEB2 can be found online at https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/grants-and-loans/scottish-zero-emission-bus-challenge-fund-phase-2/
The programme has been highly successful against these aims: through ScotZEB and its predecessor programme SULEBS, more than 800 zero-emission buses and coaches have been introduced to Scotland’s roads, a network of charging facilities established for use by bus operators and other businesses, and new business models introduced to the sector to help make the use of zero emission technology financially sustainable. This contributes to greenhouse gas emissions reductions, as well as higher air quality and lower noise pollution, particularly in urban areas. Furthermore, ScotZEB 2 has seen, in only its first year, 60 new jobs in the Dundee area at zero-emission coach company Ember linked to their participation in the successful ScotZEB consortium.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-38725 and S6W-38726 by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025, and regarding the value of subsidies, what the (a) average value per vehicle and (b) total value for each bus manufacturer has been, for each phase of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund.
Answer
Through ScotZEB 1, the average subsidy per vehicle, excluding infrastructure was £176,000. Through ScotZEB 2, the average subsidy per vehicle, excluding infrastructure is £108,000. ScotZEB 2 is still a live project in its delivery phase, and consortium membership and vehicle numbers may be subject to change. Both phases of ScotZEB have been designed to bring about a market transformation in Scotland’s bus sector, to see the rapid adoption of zero-emission technologies.
Through ScotZEB 1, all subsidy was offered to bus operators, not to bus manufacturers. Similarly, through ScotZEB 2, the grant award was made to Zenobe Energy, to manage on behalf of their consortium of operators, and no subsidy went directly to manufacturers.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Part 5, section 126, subsection (1) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 should be amended in order to insert an exemption to House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) licensing requirements for properties managed by co-operatives, in order to provide housing co-operatives in Scotland parity with their counterparts in England, which are already exempt from HMO licensing.
Answer
I recognise the importance of housing co-operatives and the need to support and encourage them. While we already have powers to make amendments to this section, given the importance of HMO licensing in protecting tenants in Scotland, any decision to make such a change should not be taken lightly, and certainly not before full consideration of any unintended consequences and mitigations had been undertaken. On that basis, the Scottish Government has no immediate plans to change the legislation relating to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing requirements.
England and Wales operate a different HMO licensing regime from Scotland.
