Questions and answers

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 ��˿�� 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-39237

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-38725 and S6W-38726 by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025, in which he stated that “the Scottish Government does not collect data on the locations in which vehicles are manufactured”, how it monitors and assesses the level and impact of social value of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund in the absence of such data.

The social value of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund arises in several ways, including through the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the bus sector by accelerating the uptake of zero emission buses and coaches as part of wider activity to address the climate emergency.

In addition, Wider community and decarbonisation benefit was included among the criteria for ScotZEB 2, accounting for 10% of the total score. The guidance to applicants explained that this could include job creation, making assets (particularly infrastructure) available to a wider number of users and / or transport modes. The programme’s delivery of this criterion are assessed through evidence provided in annual reports to Scottish Ministers from the consortium. The full criteria for ScotZEB2 can be found online at

The programme has been highly successful against these aims: through ScotZEB and its predecessor programme SULEBS, more than 800 zero-emission buses and coaches have been introduced to Scotland’s roads, a network of charging facilities established for use by bus operators and other businesses, and new business models introduced to the sector to help make the use of zero emission technology financially sustainable. This contributes to greenhouse gas emissions reductions, as well as higher air quality and lower noise pollution, particularly in urban areas. Furthermore, ScotZEB 2 has seen, in only its first year, 60 new jobs in the Dundee area at zero-emission coach company Ember linked to their participation in the successful ScotZEB consortium.

Question reference: S6W-39236

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-38725 and S6W-38726 by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025, and regarding the value of subsidies, what the (a) average value per vehicle and (b) total value for each bus manufacturer has been, for each phase of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund.

Through ScotZEB 1, the average subsidy per vehicle, excluding infrastructure was £176,000. Through ScotZEB 2, the average subsidy per vehicle, excluding infrastructure is £108,000. ScotZEB 2 is still a live project in its delivery phase, and consortium membership and vehicle numbers may be subject to change. Both phases of ScotZEB have been designed to bring about a market transformation in Scotland’s bus sector, to see the rapid adoption of zero-emission technologies.

Through ScotZEB 1, all subsidy was offered to bus operators, not to bus manufacturers. Similarly, through ScotZEB 2, the grant award was made to Zenobe Energy, to manage on behalf of their consortium of operators, and no subsidy went directly to manufacturers.

Question reference: S6W-39580

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government by what date all 3,614 combined sewer overflows (CSOs) operated by Scottish Water will be fitted with monitors.

Question reference: S6W-39550

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what protocols and policies it currently has in place to prevent the abandonment and dereliction of state-owned property that is declared surplus, particularly those properties that are designated as listed or otherwise of architectural heritage value.

Question reference: S6W-39512

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many drones are currently in operation with (a) Police Scotland and (b) the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Question reference: S6W-39513

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many trained drone pilots are currently employed by (a) Police Scotland and (b) the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Question reference: S6W-39514

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many drones are currently in operation with the NHS in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-39046

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Part 5, section 126, subsection (1) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 should be amended in order to insert an exemption to House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) licensing requirements for properties managed by co-operatives, in order to provide housing co-operatives in Scotland parity with their counterparts in England, which are already exempt from HMO licensing.

I recognise the importance of housing co-operatives and the need to support and encourage them. While we already have powers to make amendments to this section, given the importance of HMO licensing in protecting tenants in Scotland, any decision to make such a change should not be taken lightly, and certainly not before full consideration of any unintended consequences and mitigations had been undertaken. On that basis, the Scottish Government has no immediate plans to change the legislation relating to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing requirements.

England and Wales operate a different HMO licensing regime from Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-39044

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) university training placements for dental therapists there currently are across Scotland in total and (b) students are currently studying dental therapy.

The dental therapy degree, BSc (Oral Health Science), is delivered by Glasgow Caledonian University, University of Dundee, University of Highland and Islands and University of Edinburgh. The Scottish Government had an agreed annual target of 40 dental therapists across Scotland in a year with all four institutions. The University of Edinburgh indicated in December 2023 that it no longer wished to offer this qualification after 2027. We are continuing to look at how we can expand the capacity in other universities to make up for this future loss of places.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on current student numbers.

Question reference: S6W-39043

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many dental therapists work in (a) Scotland in total and (b) general dental practices that offer NHS services, as of 2025.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. However, we have been able to access the latest workforce survey, published by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) on 31 December 2024. There are approximately 267 WTE dental therapists currently employed in Scotland, with around 200 working in practices alongside independent contractor dentists. A further 55 are employed by the NHS in Public Dental Services (PDS), providing dental services for people who cannot access care from an independent dentist due to special needs, while the remaining 12 work in hospital services.