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: S4W-18920

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), (b) Transport Scotland and (c) other agencies regarding the (i) roll-out and (ii) further usage of the SPT smartcard.

The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) smart card is part of SPT's overall project to modernise the Glasgow Subway, for which the Scottish Government is providing up to £246 million in capital funding. Transport Scotland has had discussions with SPT over a number of years on the scope and progress of the project, including the new smart card based ticketing system. The SPT Subway smart card, or ‘bramble card’, is also one of the projects within Transport Scotland's overall Smart and Integrated Ticketing Programme. SPT is represented on the programme board which receives periodic updates on progress. The details of implementation, and any further use of the bramble card beyond subway, are matters for SPT, subject to any essential inter-operability requirements, for example with the National Entitlement Card.

Question reference: S4O-02754

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with independent theological colleges regarding tuition fees for students from Scotland.

Question reference: S4F-01767

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 December 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 December 2013

To ask the First Minister what the implications are of the Autumn Statement for Scotland's budget.

Question reference: S4O-02565

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many passengers there have been on the Glasgow to Edinburgh line via Airdrie since it reopened.

Question reference: S4W-17607

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it responds to the finding in the Scottish Health Survey that Scotland has more than 30,000 problem gamblers.

Whilst problem gambling levels are relatively low at 0.7% of the population we recognise the serious impacts on those involved and their families.

Gambling is a reserved matter. The Scottish Government has corresponded with the UK Government regarding our concerns about the impact of the introduction of new technologies and the liberalisation of gambling laws upon problem gambling. We welcome steps that have now been taken to fully evaluate the impact of new gambling developments such as fixed odds betting terminals.

The Scottish Government would welcome further powers to alleviate the impact of problem gambling.

Question reference: S4W-17641

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on fuel poverty in the Glasgow (a) parliamentary region and (b) Shettleston constituency.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of households in fuel poverty for individual parliamentary constituencies.

Information is available at local authority level from the Scottish House Conditions Survey. The most recent available figures show that there were on average 62,000 households in fuel poverty in Glasgow City between 2009 and 2011, representing 22% of households.

Figures for the 2010 to 2012 period will be published in December 2013.

Fuel poverty estimates for local authorities are only available for three year aggregated periods, as the sample sizes in the Scottish House Conditions Survey are too small to produce reliable annual estimates.

Glasgow City Council has received an offer of grant under the Scottish Government HEEPS: Area-Based Schemes funding programme. The council has indicated it will use the funding to assist delivery of energy efficiency measures to 6,220 homes in the Glasgow City Council area.

Question reference: S4W-16535

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the role that junior football clubs have in communities, what recent contact it has had with the Scottish Junior Football Association regarding the future of such clubs and (a) protecting and (b) developing junior football.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role Junior football clubs play in communities across Scotland and I wrote to the Scottish Junior Football Association on 9 April 2013.

The Scottish Junior Football Association are an affiliated national association member of the overall governing body for football, the Scottish Football Association.

As such the Scottish Government has regular meetings with the Scottish Football Association to help ensure that the game in Scotland, at all levels, is supported and we are investing record levels of investment into football with almost £8.5m invested during 2011-12 which has supported the development of youth and grassroots football across Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-16537

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by David Stewart on 21 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will block internet access to payday loan companies on its IT network.

Question reference: S4W-16482

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 15 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason students from England studying at the Scottish Baptist College and the International Christian College in Glasgow are eligible for loans from the Student Loans Company to pay their fees and students from Scotland are not.

Policy on fees and loans is different in Scotland and England.

Students living in Scotland who attend publically funded institutions in Scotland do not have to pay tuition fees whereas students in England are liable for fees of up to £9000 and are provided with an opportunity to apply for loans to cover the cost.

Students living in Scotland attending some private institutions receive fee support. It is a matter for each private institution to set their own level of fees, however the general level of contribution payable by the Scottish Ministers in 2012-13 was fixed at £1205. In the particular case of the International Christian College, the contribution was fixed at £1783. Beyond that, the student is responsible for paying the balance.

Providing student loans involves a cost to the Scottish Government. In the case of private institutions, and in line with the policy that applies in the case of publicly funded institutions, the Scottish Ministers have decided to use the resources that are available to meet the cost of a fee contribution rather than provide a fee loan.

Question reference: S4W-16483

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 15 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the 17 independent colleges in Scotland referred to in letter 2013/0016689, dated 8 July 2013, to John Mason from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning.

The Scottish Government provides support with respect to courses delivered by 57 independent private institutions in Scotland. The names are as follows:

Achievable Care Training Scotland

Cairellot Learning Centre

Care Now

Care Skills Direct

CBT Ltd

Childcare Management Company

Childcare in the Community

Complementary Therapy School

Concentric Training

Edinburgh Creche Group

Experential Play Ltd

FTS Training Ltd

Gibson Training and Care Ltd

Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector

GMD Community Services

Happitots Day Nursery Training Ltd

Health and Social Care Training Consortium

Highlang and Moray Accredited Training

International Christian College

Interactive Design Ltd

Jays Consultancy

JHP Training

L&G Learning Scotland Ltd

Loretto Housing Association and Care

Linked Work and Training Trust

Minerva People Ltd

Megans Specialist Training

Microcom Training

North Edinburgh Childcare

Oilean Ltd

Opus Learning Ltd

PA Training

Q Train Ltd

Qualitas International

Quarriers

Quest Scotland Ltd

RT Resources

Rowan Consultancy

Ritchies Training Centre

Scottish Swimming Association

Sense Scotland

Scotia Law Training

Shelter Scotland

Simpson House Training

Step-Up

Stirling Council Children’s Services

Supporta Care

Thistle Training

Training Matters

Training Solutions Scotland Ltd

TESOL Training Scotland Ltd

The Care at Home Training Consortium

Training for Care

TELL Organisation

The Zone

Victim Support Scotland

WLR Associates Ltd