- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has ever been formally approached by Glasgow City Council to adopt the Clyde Tunnel as national infrastructure, and, if so, when any such approaches were made, and what its position is on this.
Answer
Transport Scotland was approached by Glasgow City Council in 2008, 2011, 2016 and 2023 in relation to the funding for the Clyde Tunnel and to gauge the possibility of adopting it as a trunk road. The Scottish Government’s position is that the Clyde Tunnel is appropriately classified and will not be adopted by Transport Scotland as a trunk road.
Local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads in their area and duties under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic.
As the Clyde Tunnel is a local road under the responsibility of Glasgow City Council, neither the Scottish Ministers nor the Scottish Government would become directly involved in their day-to-day duties.
The vast majority of funding to local authorities from the Scottish Government is provided via a block grant and we do not stipulate how local authorities should utilise their individual allocations. It is therefore the responsibility of each local authority to manage their own budget and to allocate the financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 20 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the (a) University of Edinburgh and (b) Scottish Funding Council about additional support.
Answer
Universities are autonomous institutions with responsibility for their own strategic and operational decision making. The Scottish Government regularly engages with the Scottish Funding Council on a range of matters, including on the funding of institutions, and has engaged with the University of Edinburgh directly in recent weeks. There has been no ask of the Scottish Government or Scottish Funding Council regarding additional financial support from the University.
The Scottish Government fully appreciates the financial sustainability challenges being faced by many universities due to a range of factors, including inflation, the impact of UK Government immigration policies on international student recruitment, and the increase to employers’ National Insurance Contributions.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 20 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on which Scottish local authorities are (a) currently and (b) not currently participating in the UK Government’s asylum dispersal programme.
Answer
UK Government announced full asylum dispersal policy in April 2022. Under the policy Home Office contractors can presume that asylum dispersal properties can be procured in any local authority area across the UK.
The Scottish Government is aware that over half of Scotland’s local authorities now have asylum dispersal accommodation in their area.
The Home Office regularly publishes statistical data relating to immigration and asylum including data relating to people seeking asylum in receipt of Home Office support by local authority. Latest data publication is available online: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on (a) Glasgow, (b) the NHS and (c) emergency services of the reported proposed industrial action by staff at the Clyde Tunnel.
Answer
Transport Scotland are aware of the proposed industrial action by staff at the Clyde Tunnel, however no assessment has been made as the Clyde Tunnel is a local road under the responsibility of Glasgow City Council.
It would be a matter for the Council to assess the proposed impact and engage with stakeholders who may be affected.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports of record food bank use, particularly among families, despite measures that have been taken to tackle poverty.
Answer
Food insecurity is driven by insufficient and insecure household income. No one should have to compromise on food or other essentials.
Mid-year statistics published by Trussell on 20 November 2024 highlighted a 6% decrease in the food parcels distributed in Scotland compared to the same period the previous year (1 April 2023 to 30 September 2023) and a 5% drop in the number of parcels distributed for children.
Our “Cash-First: Towards Ending the Need for Food Banks in Scotland” Plan sets out the nine actions we are taking to achieve our ambition to improve the response to financial hardship and to reduce the need for emergency food parcels. The actions include the Cash-First Programme, which provides ready access to emergency income when someone has no money for food delivered alongside welfare rights and income maximisation advice and support to prevent future hardship. This Cash-First approach enables people to choose the essentials they need whilst maintaining dignity. An independent evaluation of the Cash-First Programme is ongoing with the final evaluation report expected by April 2026.
However we know more needs to be done and recognise the pressure on household budgets which is why in 2025-26 we will continue to allocate over £3 billion a year to policies which tackle poverty and the cost of living.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government when it will review and update its social security uptake strategy.
Answer
The Scottish Government has a legal duty to review and update its Benefit Take-Up Strategy by October 2026. This is in line with regulation 9(c) of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018, which states that a new strategy must be produced within 5 years of the last strategy being laid in Parliament.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 20 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the enhanced council tax on second homes, whether it plans to review any impact of the introduction of this uplift by local authorities on the group of properties that fall into the 25-day category, but which are unable to be let or sold for main dwelling purposes due to planning constraints attached to consent, which prohibit use or sale as a main dwelling.
Answer
Since 1 April 2024 local authorities have had discretionary powers to apply a Council Tax premium of up to 100% on second homes.
Council Tax is a local tax, and it is for individual councils to determine the appropriate balance of housing in their areas based on local needs. The Regulations give Councils greater fiscal empowerment, in the spirit of the Verity House Agreement. They enable Councils the discretion to charge Second Homes anywhere between a 50% discount, and up to a 100% premium. It is for Councils to take decisions about the tax treatment of second homes, including where exclusions may apply.
The Scottish Government is committed to monitoring the impact of the premium and will consider their effects as more data becomes available. The first set of data reflecting the implementation of the premium was collected in September 2024. This data indicated a 10% decrease (2,455 properties) in the number of second homes compared to the previous year. This decline may be related to the introduction of the 100% Council Tax premium on second homes. The Scottish Government will continue to monitor the impact of the Council Tax premium.
I would also note that the Council Tax system includes exemptions for certain circumstances. This includes an exemption for properties that are difficult to let, which applies specifically to properties that are inherently hard to let due to their physical relationship with another dwelling. Further, there is an exemption for properties that cannot legally be lived in because it is prohibited by law. It is for the local authority to assess whether the conditions are met for these exemptions to apply.
- Asked by: Stephanie Callaghan, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 20 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Lanarkshire regarding the administration of duvyzat for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, in light of reports that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is now administering the drug through the Early Access Programme, and what steps it has taken to identify and overcome any barriers faced by NHS boards, including NHS Lanarkshire, in administering the medication, in order to support safe, fair, and equitable access across Scotland.
Answer
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) is the regional hub responsible for providing services to children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) on behalf of the West region which includes NHS Lanarkshire. In response to concerns raised regarding access to givinostat in Scotland, the Cabinet Secretary has met with the four health boards, including NHS GGC. He has asked them to set out their timelines and approaches to the families with children with DMD covered by the national Early Access Programme (EAP), in the next two weeks. NHS GGC are planning three treatment cohorts, beginning week commencing 26 May 2025, with the second and third cohorts starting week commencing 28 July 2025 and 29 September 2025. In addition, the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer has been assured that the consultants have reviewed all eligible children and applied the broadest definition possible to the eligibility criteria to ensure that all children described in the EAP can access the medicine.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 20 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to ensure that female-only sports, changing rooms and hospital wards are for biological women only, in light of the Supreme Court ruling regarding For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers.
Answer
The Scottish Government are not responsible for monitoring or enforcing compliance with the Equality Act 2010. That is the statutory role of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Scottish public authorities must comply with the law, including the 2010 Act, and regulations made under that Act when carrying out their functions, shaping their policies and practices and in relation to their employees.
The Scottish Government will continue our work to review relevant policies, guidance and legislation impacted by the judgment to position us towards a state of readiness to take all necessary steps when the EHRC’s Code of Practice and updated guidance are published in the Summer.
- Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 20 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Ministers will call in appeal PPA-002-2021 on the Flamingo Land Lomond Banks resort development.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 20 May 2025
