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-00817

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle violence against women in prostitution.

Question reference: S5F-01017

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2017

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the report by the chair of the Advisory Group on Tackling Sectarianism in Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-00762

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what plans it has to make the online payslip service more user-friendly and easier to access.

Question reference: S5O-00702

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how successful it considers Celtic Connections 2017 has been for Glasgow and Scotland.

Question reference: S5F-00920

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 February 2017

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the report by Macmillan Cancer Support, which highlights the disparity in cancer survival rates between people from more and less deprived areas.

Question reference: S5O-00646

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee's report on the economic impact of leaving the EU.

Question reference: S5W-05974

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 1 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many abortions were performed in Scotland in 2015 under section 37(1)(d) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, also broken down by (a) how many and (b) what percentage of these procedures were carried out at 13 weeks or more of gestation.

Section 37(1)(d) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 refers to those abortions performed under Ground E of the Abortion Act, that is, there is substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.

There were 186 ground E abortions performed in Scotland in 2015, and of those (a) 162 or (b) 87.1% were carried out at 13 weeks or more gestation.

Question reference: S5O-00620

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how the ability to make twice-monthly payments and pay the housing element of universal credit directly to landlords compares with the current monthly payment system.

By making Universal Credit payments more flexible and adaptable we are giving people in Scotland more choice and control over how they manage their budget.

During our social security consultation, DWP’s monthly payments were repeatedly raised as a problem. Twice-monthly payments can make life a bit easier for low income households who have to make a tight budget work for them and their family.

Direct payments to landlords can also help people manage their income better, as well as providing rental security and minimising rent arrears for local authorities and landlords.

Question reference: S5O-00585

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on GP practices in the most deprived areas receiving more resources per patient than those in less deprived areas.

Question reference: S5W-05857

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 17 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many retailers in Scotland have been found to be selling illicit tobacco in each of the last five years.