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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 292 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4W-22752

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 28 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that Glasgow City Council is providing sufficient nursery places within walking distance.

Glasgow City Council, like all local authorities, has a statutory duty to secure early learning and childcare (ELC) for eligible children whose parents wish it. All eligible children are now entitled to a minimum of 600 hours per year.

When a child becomes eligible for their early learning and childcare place, local authorities will do their best to meet the needs of each parent, and can offer places through their own settings or through private and third sector providers. However, this cannot always be guaranteed to be at a parent or carer’s first choice of nursery.

The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 also puts flexibility on a statutory footing for the first time. Local authorities are now required to consult with groups of parents at least once every two years on patterns of ELC provision. This will increase parental choice and better meet the needs of families.

Question reference: S4W-22753

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 28 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that Glasgow City Council is giving parents enough choice of nursery places for their children.

Question reference: S4W-22586

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a league table of recycling rates for local authorities.

Official statistics on household waste are published annually by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). Its annual household waste summary reports, which include the recycling rate for each local authority, can be viewed on SEPA’s website at:

These SEPA reports give an overview of local authority household waste management performance, showing that:

Nine local authorities recycled/composted more than 50% of household waste in 2013 - the same authorities that achieved this in 2012 (Stirling, Perth and Kinross, North Ayrshire, Moray, Inverclyde, Fife, Falkirk, East Renfrewshire, Clackmannanshire).

20 local authorities improved on their 2012 rates. The biggest increases were: Orkney, up 8.3% (to 30.8%); East Dunbartonshire, up 6.2% (to 44.9%); Renfrewshire, up 5.4% (to 44.3%); Inverclyde, up 4.8% (to 55.5%); Argyll & Bute, up 4.6% (to 36.1%).

Variation between councils is a big factor in overall performance – five of the eight with biggest waste volumes are recycling under 40%, as follows: South Lanarkshire 39.1% (up 1.7%); Edinburgh 38.1% (up 1.4%); Aberdeen City 37.1% (down 0.2%); Aberdeenshire 35.9% (up 0.3%); Dundee 31.1% (up 1.4%); Glasgow 26.9% (down 2.6%).

Waste landfilled in Scotland went down from 55.5% in 2012 to 53.5% in 2013. The biggest local decreases were: East Dunbartonshire, down 12.6% (to 48.7%); Angus, down 7.4% (to 46.6%); East Ayrshire, down 6.6% (to 49%); Argyll and Bute, down 5.9% (to 51.1%); Dundee, down 5.8% (to 43.6%)

Question reference: S4W-22584

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the recycling rates of each local authority.

Official statistics on household waste are published annually by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). As from 2012, SEPA started publishing household waste data information on an annual calendar year basis rather than a financial year basis. This aligns household waste data reporting with other European waste data reporting, and allows comparison and aggregation of the information on household waste data with commercial and industrial waste data. The data in the household waste reports are obtained from WasteDataFlow (the web based system for waste data reporting by UK local authorities to government).

Question reference: S4W-22587

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Glasgow City Council regarding its recycling rates and service availability.

I met with all councils at COSLA’s Development, Economy and Sustainability Executive Group in September 2013 to discuss the importance of the zero waste agenda and hear feedback from councils on progress and the issues they are facing. Earlier this year, I, along with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, convened the first meeting of the Zero Waste Taskforce with COSLA. The taskforce’s work aims to support all councils to collaborate, drive up recycling rates, and create economic opportunities.

Scottish Government officials and Zero Waste Scotland last met with Glasgow City Council in late 2012 to discuss their approach to waste and recycling. Following that meeting, Zero Waste Scotland has provided the council with considerable support for a variety of activities to help review its approach to collections, including piloting food waste collection and assessing waste collection issues in tenements.

Question reference: S4F-02319

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 October 2014

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to tackle the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

Question reference: S4W-22585

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 6 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has with COSLA and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to ensure that local authorities are working toward achieving the objectives set out in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

<>The Public Sector Climate Leaders Forum (PSCLF) provides a formal means of discussing climate change action with both COSLA and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. I chair the forum which meets quarterly and Councillor Stephen Hagan, COSLA Spokesperson on Development, Economy and Sustainability is deputy chair. Minutes and papers for the meetings are available at .

The Climate Leaders Officers Group provides operational support to PSCLF and is the main delivery vehicle for the actions arising from PSCLF.

I have also had several bilateral meetings over the last year with Councillor Hagan, to discuss climate change and also biodiversity, and the Scottish Government funds a policy manager post within COSLA to provide liaison between the government and COSLA on climate change and waste issues.

Question reference: S4O-03571

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what provision primary schools and nurseries make for first aid cover.

Question reference: S4W-22362

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what costs have been associated with the electrification of the Whifflet-Central line.

Question reference: S4W-22361

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when the electrification of the Whifflet-Central line will be completed.