Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-29576

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government to what extent the forthcoming commercial tender to procure a new fleet of Intercity trains will increase capacity across Scotland’s intercity rail network, and what considerations have been made in calculating long-term passenger estimates to ensure that the new fleet provides ample capacity for ScotRail’s long-term future.

Question reference: S6W-29573

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to ensuring that there will be a place for a second safety-critical member of staff, which trade unions and passengers reportedly recognise as a playing a key role in providing a safe, secure and accessible railway, on all services operated by the new Intercity fleet of trains that will be procured to replace ScotRail’s existing High Speed Train fleet.

Question reference: S6W-29230

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much each action in the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy Delivery Plan with a deadline of 2024-25 will cost.

The Scottish Government is committed to providing over £3.8m of grant funding towards the delivery of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy in 2024-25. This includes funding for Scottish Refugee Council to provide a comprehensive, nationwide Refugee Support Service. There is also funding made available to progress a Family Reunion service with the British Red Cross, a contribution to the continuation of Bridges Programme's Refugee Doctors Project, and partner resourcing to ensure actions they are responsible for delivering are progressed.

Additionally, we continue to fund a number of third sector organisations to support refugee integration. This funding totals £488,000 in 2024-25, with a number of these organisations working to the outcomes of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-29218

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the cost of travel on intercity journeys within Scotland of comparable length can reportedly be up to 50% more expensive than those in the south west of England, and what is being done to further reduce fares for ScotRail passengers to ensure that green transport options are accessible and affordable for all.

Question reference: S6W-29228

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the free bus travel for asylum seekers pilot referenced in the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy Delivery Plan will no longer proceed due to emergency spending controls, whether it expects that any other actions in the strategy will be cancelled in the current financial year.

Question reference: S6W-29229

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much money was allocated to the delivery of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy in its 2024-25 Budget; whether this allocation has changed due to its emergency spending controls, and, if so, what the revised total allocation is for the current financial year.

The Scottish Government has ensured that we have enhanced the support we are providing to new Scots in 2024-25, despite a very challenging financial context. We have provided over £3.8m of grant funding towards the delivery of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy in 2024-25.

Additionally, we continue to fund a number of third sector organisations to support refugee integration. This funding totals £488,000 in 2024-25.

This investment represents an increase in the funding the Scottish Government has provided in previous years, to mitigate the impact of the end of EU funding.

Question reference: S6O-03721

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is doing to enhance protection of the nation's built heritage and listed buildings.

Question reference: S6W-29173

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 6 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the civil service headcount in Scotland reportedly increased by 51% between 2019 and 2024.

The Scottish Government workforce size has had to grow over several years to deliver on newly devolved powers, the implications of EU Exit, responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and now supporting our recovery from that. More recently the Government has had to respond to the conflict in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis and the establishment of ScotWind within our wider Net Zero commitments, as well as the introduction of a National Care Service.

Devolved powers relating to certain aspects of social security to the Scottish Government in 2018 and Forestry in 2019 have also seen growth in the three related agencies to take on this additional work – Social Security Scotland has grown by 3,425 FTE since 2019, and Scottish Forestry and Forestry & Land Scotland have grown by 1,310 FTE since 2019.

In support of the wider Public Sector Reform agenda and budget constraints, Scottish Government is proactively addressing the need to reduce in size to remain fiscally sustainable, and we have seen further reductions in overall workforce in the 12 months since March 2023.

Recruitment controls have been in place since April 2022 and have been successful in controlling growth within the Scottish Government and ensuring any recruitment activity is aligned to Ministerial priorities.

Question reference: S6W-29231

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 5 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation took place with stakeholders before its reported decision to cancel the national free bus travel for asylum seekers pilot was made.

The Scottish Government is having to make very difficult decisions to deliver balanced and sustainable spending plans for the 2024-25 financial year, therefore it is unaffordable to progress our plans to pilot free bus travel for all people seeking asylum in Scotland.

I am grateful to the stakeholders involved in the working group set up to develop the free bus travel for asylum seekers pilot. My officials informed them directly of the difficult decision to cancel the proposed pilot scheme to provide free bus travel for asylum seekers on 16 August 2024.

Question reference: S6W-29232

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 5 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for (a) third sector organisations and (b) local authorities to provide support with transport costs for people seeking asylum, in light of the reported cancellation of its pilot scheme for free bus travel for asylum seekers.

The Scottish Governments approach to supporting the integration of refugees, people seeking asylum and other forced migrants within Scotland’s communities is set out in the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy published in March 2024.

The Scottish Government does not provide direct funding to third sector organisations or local authorities specifically for the purpose of providing travel support for people seeking asylum.

However, people seeking asylum who are aged 60 or over or under 22 years old, or meet the disability eligibility criteria are eligible for concessionary travel in the same way as all other Scottish residents. I would encourage all those eligible to apply.

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