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 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

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: S5O-02811

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the citizens' basic income pilot schemes.

Question reference: S5O-02767

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 16 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the decline in kestrel numbers in Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-02713

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what it expects the impact to be on social security and older people in Glasgow of its draft spending and tax plans for 2019-20.

Question reference: S5O-02639

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether children in Glasgow must demonstrate greater needs than those in other parts of Scotland in order to gain access to an Additional Support for Learning school.

Question reference: S5F-02717

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 October 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 November 2018

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking in response to the reported rise in antisemitism.

Question reference: S5O-02491

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 October 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what support it can give to older people who find themselves lonely and isolated.

Question reference: S5O-02384

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 September 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of the number of free-to-use ATMs reducing at a record rate, whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to support communities on this issue, particularly those in remote and rural areas.

Question reference: S5O-02318

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 5 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with banks and the UK Government regarding branch closures.

Bank branch closures are a matter of great concern, affecting communities across Scotland with no constituency unaffected.

Whilst the regulation of banking services remains a reserved issue, Scottish Government ministers have been in regular contact with both the UK Government and Scotland's banking community to ensure that the high street banks' future strategy for Scotland takes into account the needs of customers, local communities and staff.

Specifically, the then Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, Keith Brown, together with Paul Wheelhouse in his role as Minister for Business, Innovation and Industry raised the matter at meetings of the Financial Services Advisory Board (FiSAB). They convened a round table meeting with representatives of Scotland's retail banks to discuss the future of banking in Scotland.

Mr Wheelhouse spoke with and wrote to the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, setting out the Scottish Government's concerns and asking what action the UK Government would take to preserve access to essential banking services and to mitigate the impact of these branch closures on individual customers, communities and business affected.

Question reference: S5O-02244

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 June 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Parkhead should be the location for a new health and social care hub for the east end of Glasgow.

Question reference: S5O-02086

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 10 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether the next local government elections are still planned for May 2022.

The date of the next Local Government Elections remains on the first Thursday in May 2022 as set out in legislation.

In the interests of the voter, Local Government Elections in Scotland should be held on a dedicated polling day when no other electoral event is taking place.

The Scottish Government has no plans to move the date at this time but will keep the matter under review until there is greater clarity around the date of other elections, and in consultation with local government partners.