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-15342

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much it (a) allocated in 2022-23 and (b) will allocate in 2023-24 to NHS 24, to support the delivery of the Breathing Space service.

The Scottish Government has invested over £2.354 million to support the delivery of the Breathing Space service for this financial year.

Breathing Space funding is part of wider funding, totalling just under £10 million, which is allocated to NHS 24 to support wider actions to improve mental health and wellbeing. NHS 24 provides a whole systems approach involving a range of services, to ensure people experiencing mental health crisis and distress, can access support close to home, getting the right care at the right time.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital service Breathing Space provides. Funding for 2023-24 has not yet been allocated and will be subject to ongoing discussion with NHS 24.

Question reference: S6O-01983

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the continued repair works to the M8 motorway in Glasgow, including on their financial implications.

Question reference: S6W-15226

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to attract investment from the Lockheed Martin Corporation, in light of reports that Lockheed Martin is seeking to develop a satellite manufacturing facility in the UK.

The Scottish Government has identified space as a priority in our Inward Investment Plan and the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

We are committed to delivering the joint Scottish Space Strategy, developed in partnership with industry and academia, which sets out our ambition to grow the space sector in Scotland by capturing £4 billion of the global space market and 20,000 jobs by 2030.

We actively engage with the industry, both directly with individual companies and through our economic development agencies and collectively through Space Scotland as the industry body.

The SDI Inward Investment team is engaging with Lockheed Martin to learn more about the company’s plans to develop a satellite manufacturing facility in the UK and illustrate the advantages of locating a manufacturing site into Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-14821

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to ensure that the Scottish National Investment Bank's £50 million funding of North Star Shipping's new offshore wind service operations vessel (SOV) shipbuilding programme is best utilised to develop a Scottish industrial supply chain by constructing the fleet of vessels in Scotland.

Although guided by the missions set for it by Scottish Ministers, the Scottish National Investment Bank is operationally independent and makes investment decisions based on its own investment process and strategy.

On the specific matter of North Star, it is for North Star as a private commercial company to make its own decisions in respect to where it sources it vessels. The Scottish Government recognises the opportunity that requirements for offshore wind service vessels presents for Scottish industry going forward and will seek to work together to support this.

Question reference: S6W-15050

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff, including employees and volunteers, worked for the National Wellbeing Hub in (a) March 2020, (b) March 2021 and (c) March 2022.

Question reference: S6W-14574

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many local authorities have received funding in the last six months to provide free (a) bus passes and (b) rail cards to people seeking asylum.

The Scottish Government has not provided funding to local authorities in the last six months to provide free bus passes or rail cards to people seeking asylum and does not hold information on whether local authorities have received funding from elsewhere.

However, Refugee Survival Trust and partners have been provided with funding from the Paths for All Smarter Choices Smarter Places Open Fund. This has enabled them to begin a pilot scheme to provide free bus travel to people seeking asylum living in Glasgow through the provision of three month bus passes, along with information and digital support to access and use the pass.

The Pilot will run until summer 2023 and 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 across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-14551

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS 111 staff are trained to identify pressures of financial strain in callers and signpost to money advice services if appropriate.

Many of the calls received at the Mental Health Hub, via the NHS 24 111 line, are driven by a range of complex and interrelated social factors, including financial worries.

Callers to the Hub are connected to a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP), a specially trained advisor who can offer advice and support on coping with a range of mental health symptoms.

PWPs are able to signpost callers to sources of support and advice for financial worries, such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, when appropriate to do so.

Question reference: S6W-14816

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 24 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many types of maritime studies apprenticeships have been successfully completed in Scotland since 2018.

The number of individuals successfully completing the Maritime Occupations Modern Apprenticeship framework across each year since 2018/19 is detailed in the following table. All MA statistics are published on the SDS website at Modern Apprenticeships | Skills Development Scotland . Year-end statistics for‎ 2022-23 are expected to be published in May 2023.

Maritime Occupations	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22
MA Achievements	20	16	13	18

Question reference: S6W-15004

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 23 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to identify alternative sources of capital funding for Glasgow's seven unsuccessful bids for the second round of the UK Government's Levelling Up Fund.

As noted in my statement on February 7, the Levelling Up Funds should be devolved to the Scottish Government to disburse in partnership with our regions, including Glasgow City Region. Scottish Ministers are calling for a meeting with UK Government Ministers to discuss the future of this fund, requesting that the remaining £90 million be devolved for Scottish Government, for us to work with regions like Glasgow to ensure investment is targeted towards priority projects in areas where it will provide the greatest impact.

Question reference: S6W-14783

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 23 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the joint report by the National Autistic Society and Scottish Autism, Closing the Accountability Gap.

The Scottish Government welcomes the results of this survey from Scotland’s two main autism charities. This Bill extends further than autism and includes people with a learning disability and potentially a wider range of neurodivergent conditions. However, from our scoping work with a range of stakeholders we understand that even within the autism community there are a range of views on how this might be taken forward and no wider consensus regarding the benefit of a Commissioner.

We have undertaken significant engagement to date, scoping the Bill with a range of stakeholders. The report analysing the findings of these engagement events will be published soon.

We are establishing a lived experience panel to work closely with us to co-design and deliver a consultation paper later this year, which will set out options for the Bill, including the potential role and duties of a Commissioner.