- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 30 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether (a) retaining Glasgow Prestwick Airport in public ownership and control under Prestwick Aviation Holdings Limited is (i) in the public interest and (ii) the best way to realise the long-term economic and industrial development potential of the site and (b) the site is strategically important for the Scottish economy.
Answer
The Scottish Government intervened to secure the future of Glasgow Prestwick Airport when the business was under threat of closure. It was in the public interest to secure the continued operation of Glasgow Prestwick Airport as an asset of strategic importance to Scotland.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport has performed well in a highly competitive aviation market and is now a profitable business, however we remain committed to returning the airport to private ownership at the appropriate time. Any decision to sell Prestwick Airport must be informed by what is right for the long-term success of the business and it's contribution to the local and Scottish economy.
There is considerable potential for Glasgow Prestwick Airport to drive economic development as the anchor of an aerospace cluster in South Ayrshire. The Scottish Government will work with all relevant parties to make the most of this opportunity.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 25 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Glasgow City Council and (b) Glasgow Life regarding the long-term future of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
Answer
I welcome the recent refurbishment of Glasgow Royal Concert Hall earlier this year. The refurbishment upgraded the Main Auditorium seats and the stage lifts and allowed for important accessibility improvements.
There have been no discussions between the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Life regarding the future of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 25 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17169 by Neil Gray on 4 May 2023, whether it will engage directly with Liberty Steel on the potential development of an Electric Arc Furnace at (a) Dalzell and (b) Clydebridge steel works as the basis for a strategic, national, green steel-making capability.
Answer
The Scottish Government maintains an open dialogue with Liberty Steel and meets with them regularly.
The question of whether or not to install additional equipment at the Dalzell or Clydebridge facilities is an operational matter for Liberty Steel. From recent discussions I understand that there are currently no plans to install an Electric Arc Furnace at either Dalzell or Clydebridge.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2023
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its cross-government co-ordination on island connectivity, what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding any impact of the continued delay of vessels 801 and 802 on island communities.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2023
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 17 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when a final decision will be taken regarding funding allocation for student mental health counsellors for the next academic year.
Answer
We have made significant investment to introduce more than 80 extra counsellors across institutions and have committed funding to maintain support through to the end of this academic year.
No decision has yet been taken with regard to funding beyond the current academic year.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 16 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17014 by Neil Gray on 28 April 2023, whether the Clydebridge Steelworks site in Cambuslang remains an operational asset of Liberty Steel Group Holdings UK Ltd for the manufacture of quenched and tempered steel plate; how many people are currently employed at the site; whether there is a future investment plan for the site, and what steps are being taken to secure and maintain existing machinery and fixed assets at the site.
Answer
I understand, from recent communication with Liberty Steel UK, that the Clydebridge Steelworks site in Cambuslang is not currently operational. The future of the site is an operational matter for Liberty Steel and I further understand that a number of options for the future of the site are being considered.
There are currently no staff employed at the Clydebridge site. Staff from Liberty Steel’s other Scottish facility, Liberty Steel Dalzell in Motherwell, are able to attend the site to attend to any necessary operational matters if required.
Liberty Steel have been working closely with Police Scotland and Securitas to ensure appropriate measures are in place to minimise intrusion and further damage to the Clydebridge site. There are significant security measures in place which are linked up to Securitas offices and security staff at Liberty Steel Dalzell. The Clydebridge facility itself is fully secure and further work has been carried out in reinforcing existing secure entrance points. Mobile security inspections are also being undertaken.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 16 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the provisions in the Heritage Railways and Tramways (Voluntary Work) Bill, introduced in the UK Parliament, if passed, will have an effect in Scotland, and, if they will not, whether it will consider introducing equivalent legislation in Scotland.
Answer
I note that the Heritage Railways and Tramways (Voluntary Work) Bill is going through the UK Parliamentary process. Railway Safety legislation is reserved to the UK Parliament, and would be expected to apply in Scotland.
The Scottish Government considers it sensible to permit young people to volunteer on heritage railways and tramways with appropriate safety and protection arrangements.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues in schools and colleges.
Answer
The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government and we continue to prioritise support for mental health and wellbeing in schools.
We support our local authority partners with £16 million in funding to ensure that every secondary school has access to counselling services to support delivery of the commitment. We also published a Whole School Approach Framework and a professional learning resource to assist school staff in supporting children and young people’s mental health in schools.
To help raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing, we currently support NUS Think Positive which sign-posts help for students, where colleges and universities can share good practice and where, through Student Mental Health Agreements, students’ associations and institutions collaborate on institutional mental health practices.
We will also be producing a Student Mental Health Plan which, by linking to our Suicide Prevention Strategy and the forthcoming Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which will assist in bringing all aspects of mental health to the fore.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 15 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made towards delivering the Bute House Agreement commitment to embed the NHS Education Scotland mental health knowledge and skills framework to support the training of all staff working with children and young people.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to invest in a range of mental health and wellbeing training and education materials to support all staff working with children and young people.
This includes the NHS Education Scotland (NES) Children and Young People's Mental Health and Wellbeing Knowledge and Skills Framework , published in 2021 and available to the entire children and families workforce through the Turas learn platform. The knowledge and skills framework is accompanied by a Digital Learning Map, which has been available since December 2022. This enables staff to access high quality training resources and plan their learning journeys; whilst assisting leaders in the development of learning and development pathways for staff groups.
Through the Scottish Government/COSLA Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Delivery Board, NES worked with a range of stakeholder groups to identify ways to encourage wider use of the Knowledge and Skills Framework and Digital Learning Map. This work led to the development of new resources and improvements such as a training checklist, a ‘One Good Adult’ job description and an evaluation toolkit to make it easier for all professionals to make best use of the Framework and Learning Map.
In addition, in June 2021, Scottish Government launched a new professional learning resource available to all school staff as part of our Mental Health and Wellbeing: Whole School Approach Framework. This new resource, developed by the Mental Health in Schools Working Group, will help to ensure all school staff can recognise the range of mental health and wellbeing concerns that young people may experience and work effectively to support them.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 15 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress it has made towards delivering the Bute House Agreement commitment to develop a long-term mental health workforce plan.
Answer
A programme of stakeholder engagement has taken place to develop our strategic approach to workforce planning for mental health and wellbeing. Our strategic approach, which will align with the Health and Social Care: National Workforce Strategy published March 2022, will be included within the forthcoming Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
We continue to work closely with stakeholders to develop the Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan which will accompany the Strategy's delivery plan, with the intention of publishing in Autumn 2023.
