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: S4O-03392

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recent reports of significant levels of disruption to residents in Dalmarnock because of the Commonwealth Games.

Question reference: S4O-03325

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it provides support to Sudan from its international development budget and, if so, what discussions it has had with the Sudanese authorities concerning Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, who has been sentenced to death and 100 lashes for apostasy.

The Scottish Government has not provided any direct support to the Government of Sudan. The international development budget funded a project run by Tearfund in the Darfur region of Sudan during the first round of our Sub Saharan Development Programme in 2008. This was a four year project and it was awarded a grant of £1.25 million.

The project aimed to meet the basic needs of local and displaced people through provision of nutrition support and health promotion in feeding centres and health clubs, as well as improvements to water, sanitation and food security.

We have been in contact with the UK Government and fully support the representations made by the UK and EU regarding the Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag case, and are unequivocal in our support for freedom of religion and belief and in our opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances. The Scottish Government has not had any direct discussions with the Sudanese authorities.

Question reference: S4O-03339

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on prescribing homeopathic medicines.

Question reference: S4T-00701

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent Sunday Times Rich List figures showing a 19% increase in the wealth of the 100 richest people in Scotland, what action it can take to narrow the gap between rich and poor people.

Question reference: S4T-00691

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report in the Sunday Herald suggesting that the Labour administrations in the 1970s ignored advice about setting up a North Sea oil wealth fund.

Question reference: S4O-03183

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 7 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to attract and encourage more boats to make use of the River Clyde.

The Scottish Government recognises the value of the River Clyde to a wide range of commercial, business and leisure users and would welcome any initiative which encourages the growth and expansion of industry, tourism and transport services based around the use of the estuary.

This year, as part of the celebrations for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, VisitScotland, through Homecoming Scotland, is supporting The Homecoming Muster and The Commonwealth Flotilla. More than 250 vessels and crews have applied to take part in this spectacular opportunity to sail up the Clyde to the centre of Glasgow as part of the celebrations.

Question reference: S4F-02076

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

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on the increase in Scotland’s population.

Question reference: S4F-02048

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 May 2014

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will provide an update on the economic benefits of the Commonwealth Games.

Question reference: S4O-03049

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Liam McArthur on 27 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what discussions it has had with energy suppliers regarding the efficiency of the energy bill payment process for constituency and regional offices.

It is a matter for individual Members to determine their preferred payment method with their chosen energy supplier and the SPCB has not held any discussions with suppliers in that regard. The Members’ Expenses Scheme allows a range of methods to reimburse Members for the costs they incur in running their local offices:

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Members may pay their energy supplier directly and submit a claim to the Allowances Office for reimbursement.

BACS payments can be made by the Allowances Office directly to the energy supplier on behalf of the Member, on receipt of actual authorised invoices.

Where Members have negotiated set monthly payment amounts, regular BACS payments can be made directly to the energy supplier, with a final reconciliation of payments made and charges due at the end of each year.

Where Members have set up a direct debit to the energy supplier from their own bank account, arrangements can be made to pay a set monthly amount to the Member in advance of the direct debit payment coming from their own bank account with final reconciliation of payments made and charges due at the end of the payment year.

Question reference: S4O-03096

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of cost savings of using Revenue Scotland rather than HMRC for collecting and managing landfill tax and land and buildings transaction tax.