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: 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:

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.

Question reference: S4O-03055

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how schools are teaching about sectarianism.

Question reference: S4W-20003

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by David Stewart on 19 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how it encourages people to visit the Parliament by bicycle and what arrangements are in place for people wanting to pass through security with folding bikes.

The Parliament actively encourages the use of bicycles as a healthy means of transport when visiting the Scottish Parliament. Cycle racks are conveniently situated close to the Parliament, with two racks directly in front of the Parliament public entrance at Horse Wynd and further facilities are available at Dynamic Earth for use by visitors to the Parliament.

We are unable to allow visitors to bring bicycles into the building for security reasons, coupled with the difficulty of screening bicycles at the public entrance.

Question reference: S4O-02994

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the widening availability and increased marketing of e-cigarettes.

Question reference: S4T-00607

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the report in the Daily Record about conditions at the hostel, the Bellgrove Hotel, and, in light of such institutions being supported by public money, whether it considers that they should meet certain standards.

Question reference: S4W-19411

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Keith Brown on 29 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project.

I can confirm that this government intends to award this NPD contract to Scot Roads Partnership Project Ltd (SRP). The value of the contract is approximately £500 million in Net Present Value (NPV) terms, and includes the cost of the construction of the new road, its operation and maintenance over 30 years and the financing costs.

The NPV of £500 million represents a construction cost of approximately £310 million; significantly below the pre tender estimate of £415 million, which reflects the robustness of the competitive dialogue process, challenging bidders to provide the optimal value-for-money solution. It also demonstrates the very strong competition for this contract and is indicative of the prevailing market conditions in the construction industry more generally.

This important milestone heralds a strong statement from the international investor community that Scotland’s infrastructure is seen as a viable and desirable long-term investment. Following a significant level of international investor interest, funding from the project will come from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and a group of investors managed by Allianz Global Investors, one of the world’s leading integrated financial services providers.

The employment benefits of this project will be of a similar scale to the M74 completion which directly supported 900 construction jobs at its peak, the large majority of which were filled by workers from the local area. We expect that the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project will deliver similar benefits to the local economy. Businesses will also benefit from economic savings while more generally the project will improve road safety, accessibility and reduce the number of accidents.

We will also see considerable community benefits delivered as a result of this project, including opportunities for on the job training for apprentices and local employment.

Delivery of this project will take us another step towards realising our vision of a modern and efficient transport system fit for a 21st Century Scotland, connecting our cities by fast and safe road and rail networks and making Scotland an attractive place to do business both now and in the future.

Question reference: S4W-18919

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) the Scottish Football Association and (b) Police Scotland regarding recent reports of vandalism at football grounds.

Question reference: S4W-18918

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents of pyrotechnics being illegally used in football grounds were reported in (a) 2003, (b) 2004, (c) 2005, (d) 2006, (e) 2007, (f) 2008, (g) 2009, (h) 2010, (i) 2011 and (j) 2012 and have been reported in 2013.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.

We are aware however of the increasing concerns over the illegal use of pyrotechnic devices at football grounds. The Scottish Government are continuing to work with Police Scotland, the Crown Office and other stakeholders on the best way to highlight the potential dangers of the misuse of such devices.

I have asked Police Scotland to contact the member directly to ascertain whether they hold the information requested.