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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

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Question reference: S6W-42749

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reasons for all-sector new housing completions and starts not having recovered to their pre-2007-08 financial crisis trend of around 25,000 homes per annum.

The Scottish Government works closely with the housing sector to monitor delivery on the ground and to overcome issues where they may arise. Brexit and inflation have had a significantly depressing effect on the economy as a whole and on housebuilding as part of this. Our response to the housing emergency takes a whole-system approach, maximising growth and investment, to alleviate pressures on households to build the capacity needed to deliver.

Our Housing Emergency Action Plan, launched in September sets out our ambition to increase all tenure housing delivery by 10% per annum over the next three years committing up to £4.9bn over the next four years to deliver around 36,000 affordable homes.

Question reference: S6W-42925

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the 3-30-300 vision for tree coverage in Scotland, and whether this is a useful mechanism for cities to envisage increased tree coverage.

The Scottish Government welcomes visions that promote the appropriate expansion of tree and woodland coverage across Scotland. We recognise the value of the 3-30-300 rule, alongside other mechanisms for identifying urban areas with low tree cover, as a means to target planting where it can deliver the greatest benefits. This includes building more resilient communities and addressing the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Our commitment to increasing access to urban woodlands and trees is demonstrated through support for the Woodlands In and Around Towns grants under the Forestry Grant Scheme, and through funding partnerships such as the Forth, Clyde and Fife Climate Forests that are delivering projects to expand tree canopy cover across towns and cities in Central Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-42583

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 9 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on implementing the recommendations of the independent review of community learning and development on the effective delivery of ESOL classes for displaced people, particularly in relation to expanding community-based language learning.

Following publication of the Learning: For All. For Life. report in July 2024, the Scottish Government and COSLA accepted recommendation 1.1 of the report to set up a joint CLD Strategic Leadership Group (SLG) in December 2024. The SLG has made good progress since its inception and has identified taking action on ESOL as an immediate priority.

There are several pieces of work currently being undertaken which will feed into the work of the SLG and will inform the next steps on ESOL. This includes:

a survey undertaken by COSLA in relation to the provision of ESOL for New Scots across local authorities;
work being taken forward to address the issue of ESOL access and coordination for New Scots in line with the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy: Delivery Plan 2024-2026 commitment. This involves engagement with key stakeholders and partners to identify potential solutions for effective ESOL delivery across Scotland. This work is expected to be shared with the SLG in the first half of 2026;
a thematic inspection of ESOL led by HM Inspectorate of Education and focussed on the experience of learners in accessing provision within communities and colleges as well as how providers respond to demand. A final report will be published in early 2026.

The SLG are also in the process of establishing a working-level Strategic Delivery Group which will take forward tangible actions linked to the priorities identified by the SLG, including on ESOL.

Noting the need for immediate action, and in direct response to recommendation 3.2, since 2024-25, over £1.2M in funding has been made available for a short-term intervention in Glasgow where evidence of high demand for ESOL is documented. In the 2024-25 academic year this enabled over 1000 learners in Glasgow to access English language classes. The aim of the funding in the 2025-26 academic year is to enable 800 learners to access or progress in their learning.

In 2025-26, a further £200,000 has been awarded to ESOL Scotland for a nationwide online ESOL pilot for up to 1,800 learners responding to the demand identified by the review report.

Question reference: S6W-42492

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42170 by Fiona Hyslop on 5 December 2025, what information it holds on whether any public bodies receive reports from Peel Ports and The King's Harbour Master regarding the monitoring of container traffic on the River Clyde.

Question reference: S6W-42750

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will undertake an analysis of the operation of the thrice-weekly rail link between the Port of Liverpool and the Mossend EuroTerminal in North Lanarkshire since it was established in 2018, regarding what effect it has had on displacing container shipping volumes from the Port of Greenock on the River Clyde, which reportedly has the capacity to handle a throughput of 100,000 TEU per year.

Question reference: S6W-42844

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the overbridge that carried Gourlay Street over the railway at Cowlairs in Glasgow was removed without replacement in 2016 as part of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) electrification works, and whether it will instruct Network Rail Scotland to commission a replacement footbridge to reconnect Gourlay Street.

Question reference: S6W-42555

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the state purchasing land and property at Grangemouth Refinery, to facilitate and control new industrial development.

Question reference: S6W-42554

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of potential liabilities for site remediation at Grangemouth Refinery.

Question reference: S6W-42584

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 6 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made with delivery partners on implementing action 3.4 of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy Delivery Plan 2024-2026 on promoting better understanding of qualification recognition pathways.

Scottish Government recognise the unique challenges New Scots face, including the recognition of overseas qualifications. This is a known barrier to employment.

Through the New Scots strategy, a strategy involving wider partners including those involved in employability support, a number of partners including third sector and local authorities are working with New Scots to support the recognition of their qualifications.

Question reference: S6W-42794

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will initiate discussions with Glasgow City Council on jointly acquiring the site of the former ABC venue on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow to facilitate the implementation of the Vision and Delivery Plan for the Golden Z prepared by Stantec, Threesixty Architecture and Kevin Murray Associates, which was approved by Glasgow City Council in August 2023 and proposes that the fire-damaged buildings on the site be cleared for a landscaped terrace, in light of reported concerns that the current planned redevelopment risks undermining the efforts to fully restore the Glasgow School of Art Mackintosh Building.

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