- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 16 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when the free bus travel pilot for people seeking asylum in Glasgow, which is funded by the Paths for All Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP) Open Fund, is expected to conclude.
Answer
A short-term pilot led by the Refugee Survival Trust and third sector partners in Glasgow commenced on Monday 30 January and will run until July.
The pilot provides free bus travel to people seeking asylum living in Glasgow for three months, along with information and digital support to access and use the pass.
The information gathered from this pilot will help inform options on how to deliver our Programme for Government commitment to consider how best to provide free bus travel to people seeking asylum in Scotland.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what the successful tender was for the ScotRail Class 170 sander project, and in what location this project will be carried out.
Answer
This is a ScotRail led procurement, undertaken in line with Public Procurement Guidelines and as such appropriate for ScotRail to confirm details in due course.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2023
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 22 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the level of child poverty in Scotland.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 22 June 2023
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Emma Roddick on 14 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to promote population growth in Glasgow, and whether it has a target rate of population growth for the city relative to other cities in the UK of a similar size, such as Manchester.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s 2021 Population Strategy contains a focus on ensuring our population is sustainably distributed; however, it does not set explicit population targets.
A range of work is ongoing across government to achieve this, for example the National Planning Framework 4, which reflects the need for planning to identify the amount of land required for future homes and to enable more balanced demographic change.
Additionally, Scottish Government is a full partner in the Glasgow City Region Deal, which seeks to deliver key regeneration and development projects across employability and transport, with aims to boost to the city region's economy.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of junior doctors in Scotland, on completion of their foundation programme, have (i) remained in UK-based specialty training and (ii) left to pursue other careers or overseas opportunities, in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
We are unable to provide the information requested as we do not have access to data on doctors entering training in parts of the UK other than Scotland, or who have left to pursue other careers or overseas opportunities.
From 2010 to 2019 the UK Foundation programme carried out a career destination survey of all F2 doctors. The UK F2 Career Destinations Reports used data collated from an annual UK-wide survey of outgoing F2 doctors. These reports helped to understand career aspirations and career destinations if known. This report was discontinued in 2020 due to Covid-19.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 7 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can detail the planned (a) scope, (b) cost and (c) duration of the repair and maintenance works currently being carried out on the historic central tower and spire of Glasgow Cathedral.
Answer
Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including the details requested about repair and maintenance works, are best answered directly by Historic Environment Scotland.
I have asked Historic Environment Scotland to respond directly to the member with a full reply to his question in writing.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 6 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17557 by
Maree Todd on 15 May 2023, when its programme of stakeholder engagement (a)
began and (b) ended, and what stakeholders it met with as part of that
engagement.
Answer
The Scottish Government launched a public consultation on 29 June 2022, seeking views on what a new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Scotland should look like. The consultation included a section on the Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce.
As part of our stakeholder engagement programme, we held five virtual engagement events over August and September 2022. These events were open to anyone with an interest in helping to shape the new Strategy and Workforce Action Plan. Participants included those with lived experience as well as representatives from organisations including the NHS, local government, mental health charities and equality advocacy groups.
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Advisory Group, which first met on 25 July 2022 and includes a wide range of key stakeholders, have been actively involved in the development of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan. This includes representatives from NHS boards, public bodies, local government, social work, third sector organisations, trade unions and professional bodies such as the Royal Colleges of Psychiatrists and Nursing.
Engagement with key stakeholders, including with the Advisory Group, is ongoing over the summer to support the finalising of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 6 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund it has received, since the additional funding of £15 million was allocated in April 2023 to date, and how many of any such applications have been successful.
Answer
Local application processes for the 2023-24 funding have not yet commenced.
National Fund Guidance and grant letters to Third Sector Interfaces (TSIs) will be issued by the end of June and will provide a date by which local application processes need to have commenced.
As set out in my reply to S6W-17501 on 12 May 2023, the timing of local fund processes, including award decisions, will vary across the country, with each TSI led partnership agreeing their own process and timetable.
Information on how to apply for this year’s funding will be shared, in due course, on the TSI Scotland website . All TSIs will be required to have distributed funding by 31 March 2024.
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: Thursday, 18 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 5 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17210 by Angela Constance on 4 May 2023, and in light of the fourth National Planning Framework, whether it will encourage the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) to consider marketing the air rights above the car park to the south of Glasgow Sheriff Court, which would potentially return a capital receipt to SCTS and promote local townscape regeneration objectives while retaining its essential use as a car park at a ground floor or basement level.
Answer
As stated in the answer to question S6W-17210, the management of the court estate is an operational matter for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS).
Further to that answer, the SCTS is a non-ministerial office established by the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008. The SCTS core purpose is supporting justice and can only consider proposals that enhance the delivery of justice. The SCTS Corporate Plan for 2023-26 and Business Plan for 2023-24 have recently been published. The SCTS is fully committed to the next zero agenda and the SCTS Board has commissioned a revised sustainability strategy and associated action plans that will be developed during 2023.
- 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 Richard Lochhead on 5 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent reports of a potential takeover of the FTSE 250-listed company, John Wood Group, by the United Sates' private equity fund, Apollo Global Management, what its position is on whether takeovers of Scottish companies that are of strategic importance to the economy should be subject to a public interest test, and whether it will outline the scope of any intervention action it can take to safeguard such companies.
Answer
The powers required to legislate in respect of company acquisition and ownership are reserved to the UK Parliament and, as such, the Scottish Government does not have the power to take action in this area. In addition the legislative change in the UK via the National Security and Investment Act enables an increased screening of acquisitions on grounds, for example, of national security. This reflects similar change in EU legislation.
These legislative mechanisms notwithstanding, company acquisition remains a commercial decision to be undertaken by two private entities. The Scottish Government and Enterprise Agencies therefore aim to work with businesses in Scotland, domestic and overseas owned, to ensure Scottish operations are not only secured here but opportunities for growth are pursued.
Scottish Enterprise research suggests acquisition can be an important route for companies with growth potential to achieve their ambitions; either Scottish companies who acquire other businesses or Scottish companies acquired by businesses from other parts of the UK and internationally. This is not unique to Scotland and is a feature of similar economies.
In addition both our Inward Investment and Global Capital Investment Plans place maximum emphasis in supporting good quality investment into Scotland aligning with our values as a nation and delivering our net zero economy supported by good green jobs. We will therefore continue to work closely with those Scottish and overseas-owned businesses and organisations with whom those values most closely align.
