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-28538

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 7 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether all Scottish Ministers routinely use ministerial despatch boxes and folders, similar to UK Government ministers.

Question reference: S6W-28333

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will (a) instruct Amey Consulting to reverse the decision to fence off the Kingston DIY community skatepark and (b) support the group of skateboarders to improve the environment under the motorway viaduct in the area.

The area under the Kingston Bridge West Street on and off ramps requires fencing off to address a growing problem of anti-social behaviour. Issues include the lighting of fires, illegal drug use, discarded hypodermic needles and graffiti.

It should be emphasised that skateboarders who use the unofficial skate park are not being blamed for this anti-social behaviour.

The unofficial skate park lies within the area to be fenced-off. However, contrary to suggestions in the media, Transport Scotland has no intention of closing the skate park and, indeed, is supportive of the initiative. Gated access will be required to the area for bridge maintenance purposes. Transport Scotland and Amey will be happy to discuss how shared access can be accommodated, to allow continued use of the skate park.

Transport Scotland’s Operating Company, Amey Highways, is progressing the fencing scheme. The work will commence in the autumn and will be completed by the end of the year.

Question reference: S6W-28323

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28146 by Fiona Hyslop on 21 June 2024, whether it will provide the information requested regarding when the East Kilbride line will have an all-day, four-train-per-hour "turn up and go" timetabled service.

Question reference: S6W-28332

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether Scotland's Railway is involved in any activities associated with the electrification of the branch line from the Cumbernauld Line into the former St Rollox railway works in Springburn.

Question reference: S6W-27891

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Amey is using masking paint patches to cover graffiti on the South West Trunk Roads Network, whether it will (a) request that Amey fulfils any contractual obligation to remove any graffiti and (b) consider commissioning street art murals on structures that are more prone to repeat targeting of graffiti.

Question reference: S6W-28214

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the redevelopment of Pollok roundabout, in light of reported capital funding constraints facing Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Glasgow City Council causing the project to be suspended.

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.

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.

In 2024-25, Glasgow City Council will receive over £1.6 billion to fund local services, which equates to an extra £74.9 million to support vital day to day services or an additional 4.9% compared to the 2023-24 budget.

Ultimately, it is for locally elected representatives to make local decisions on how best to deliver services to their local communities.

Question reference: S6W-28213

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 26 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether bridge repainting has been included in the scope of works for improvements to Anniesland railway station in Glasgow.

Question reference: S6W-28081

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Transport Scotland being cited as a co-lead for a number of actions in the Glasgow City Centre District Regeneration Framework for Cowcaddens, published in November 2022, what Transport Scotland is doing to support work to (a) "undertake an accessibility audit of streets leading up to the M8, ensuring fair access for pedestrians and cyclists from all walks of life, and making sure connections across the barriers are prioritised", (b) undertake "junction assessments with the express aim of simplifying the connections between the M8 and the city and humanising streets connecting to the junctions through conducing a Junction Rationalisation Study", (c) "design up interventions and test/model in order to identify additional measures needed to ensure successful delivery, rather than allowing the modelling to steer or dictate the design process" and (d) "snip the motorway junctions and humanise city streets leading to and from the motorway" and "undertake design and delivery of new uses and programmes on now available land to further stitch the city back together".

Transport Scotland continues to engage with Glasgow City Council regarding their aspirations for Glasgow City Centre, noting it is they who are responsible for bringing forward land use changes and the associated planning duties. The interests of Transport Scotland lie in the safe and effective operation of the M8.

Transport Scotland has communicated to Glasgow City Council that to take forward potential proposals identified in its District Regeneration Framework for Cowcaddens, a robust assessment of the potential impacts on the M8, access roads and adjacent facilities should be carried out. Officials from Transport Scotland are currently scoping an assessment on the future of the M8.

I also refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27301 on the Broomielaw District Regeneration Framework on 17 May 2024.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Question reference: S6W-28146

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when the East Kilbride line will have an all-day, four-train-per-hour "turn up and go" timetabled service.

Question reference: S6W-28023

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 20 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will urgently allocate the reported £450 million of European structural and investment funding, due to be returned to the European Commission by the end of the current financial year, to so-called shovel-ready bids within currently suspended capital programmes, including the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund and Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme.

The media reports suggesting that £450 million of European Structural and Investment Funds will be returned to the European Commission by the Scottish Government are wrong. As I stated in Parliament on Thursday 13 June, all projects supported by this funding must have concluded by December 2023 to be eligible. The criteria for projects supported by European Structural and Investments Funds is set by the European Commission - it cannot be used to replace core government funding. For further information, I include a link to the related Scottish Government webpages which provide more detail on how these funds have been administered in Scotland: https://www.gov.scot/policies/european-structural-funds/