- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 14 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what impact industrial action by public sector workers will have on the delivery of its Covid Recovery Strategy.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 14 December 2022
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider making a regulation in exercise of the power conferred by sections 17(2), (3) and (3ZA) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to test a 30 mph speed limit on the length of the M8 between Junction 22 and Junction 15, which is the area originally designated as the Glasgow Inner Ring Road, in order to assess its impact on traffic congestion and the reportedly dangerous levels of vehicle noise and emissions pollution in the inner urban area of Glasgow caused by both the current 50 mph limit and scale of the motorway infrastructure.
Answer
The Scottish Government currently has no plans to reduce the speed limit on the M8 through Glasgow for the purposes of assessing the relationship between speed limit and congestion, noise and air pollution.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Dorothy Bain on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has indicated when any investigations into the Park Inn tragedy of 26 June 2020, in Glasgow, will conclude.
Answer
The investigation by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) into the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident is ongoing and no final decisions have been taken regarding any court proceedings. There are a number of complex issues raised by those circumstances which require to be carefully considered and it is not possible to provide a definite timescale for those enquiries being concluded.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and other relevant non-departmental public bodies design the specification of their shipbuilding contracts with the goal of sustaining and developing the shipbuilding and wider maritime industry supply chain in Scotland.
Answer
CMAL is fully supportive of Scottish Shipbuilding industry and supply chain, both through support to delivery of the vessels at Fergusons and its role in the Scottish Maritime Cluster. Procurements for vessels include consideration of local content but are open to tender on a wider basis than Scottish suppliers.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Dorothy Bain on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service regarding any investigations into the Park Inn tragedy of 26 June 2020, in Glasgow.
Answer
The Lord Advocate is constitutionally responsible for the investigation of sudden, unexpected and suspicious deaths in Scotland. These functions are exercised independently of government. It would therefore be inappropriate for Scottish Government to have any discussions with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) regarding the nature of its ongoing investigations.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what the top three best performing capital investment projects were in the last financial year, on the specific measure of return on investment.
Answer
We report every six months to Parliament on the delivery of major capital projects and programmes and publish an annual report on the progress of our five-year Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP) which outlines the progress made in relation to the IIP’s three key themes. The annual progress report also outlines key delivery achievements as well as information relating to major capital projects and their associated climate change targets, strategic outcomes and the contribution they have made to economic development. Our six-monthly programme update also includes the contribution key major infrastructure programmes are making to economic development. Projects are evaluated in line with The Green Book guidance which looks across five defined cases relating to Strategic, Economic, Commercial, Financial and Management rather than by way of a singular return on investment measure.
The six-monthly major capital project and programme updates and the annual IIP progress report can be found at the Scottish Government website by way of the following link Infrastructure Investment Plan (www.gov.scot)
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 1 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-00961 by Angus Robertson on 15 November 2022, whether it will provide further details of what its response is to the final report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry into Asylum Provision in Scotland.
Answer
As set out in answer to S6T-00961, the Scottish Government will consider the recommendations made in the Asylum Inquiry Scotland’s inquiry report when preparing our response to it. That response will be published in due course. I have already written to the Home Secretary to seek a meeting about the issues raised in the Asylum Inquiry Scotland report and the wider asylum system.
All answers to Topical Questions are available on the Official Report, the search facility for which can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-15-11-2022?meeting=13988&iob=126730
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 1 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider additional interventions that could be introduced within devolved competence to support people seeking asylum, in line with recommendation 13 of the final report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry into Asylum Provision in Scotland.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12299 on 1 December 2022. 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: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 30 November 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding enterprise issues that fall within of the responsibilities of the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, how it assesses (a) outcomes, (b) performance and (c) value for money in relation to capital investment.
Answer
Robust processes are in place for assessing the outcomes, performance and value for money of capital investment, tailored to the nature of the investment.
For example, projects within the Scottish City and Region Growth Deal Programmes are developed in accordance with HM Treasury’s Green Book guidance which requires appraisal of the social economic and carbon outputs, outcomes and impacts from public sector investment; whole life cycle costing is examined and value for money reviewed. In addition, Benefit Realisation Plans for the Deal Programmes, aggregate project business case performance information, supplemented by qualitative information, to evidence the cumulative impact of public sector investment in the relevant region.
Our enterprise agencies also follow a rigorous appraisal process aligned to the Scottish Public Finance Manual and HM Treasury’s Green Book guidance to assess investment proposals. Evaluation of value for money is also undertaken. In the period from April 2017 to March 22, Scottish Enterprise delivered £85m of capital investment grant support to businesses which is expected to leverage a further £410m of private sector investment. The agency’s evaluation demonstrates that its capital investment grants also support other benefits, including company creation, innovation, increased company sales and exports, and attracting companies to locate to or stay in Scotland.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 30 November 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has a way of monitoring and recording how many schools utilise education resources on the Holocaust.
Answer
A wide range of resources are available for schools to promote learning and teaching about, and remembrance of, the Holocaust. These resources focus on the Holocaust but also promote awareness of Jewish people, culture and their contribution to society and address the issue of antisemitism in the world today. Professional learning to support teachers to embed Holocaust education across secondary schools in Scotland is also available, including a subsidised standalone Masters module on Citizenship and Holocaust Education.
While some of these resources are funded by the Scottish Government, it does not monitor or record how many schools utilise education resources on the Holocaust overall. The Curriculum for Excellence enables teachers to tailor the content of lessons to best suit learners in their particular circumstances. Within the broad general education there is the opportunity to teach the Holocaust, not only within social studies, but across the wider curriculum. There is also an opportunity to teach the Holocaust within the History qualifications in the senior phase.