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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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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.

Question reference: S5W-05858

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 12 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what volumes of cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco were sold in Scotland, which together generate the tobacco duty incomes set out in the GERS report, in each of the last five years.

Information on the volumes of cigarettes or hand-rolling tobacco sold in Scotland is not collected by the Scottish Government, and is not used in estimating tobacco duty in Government Expenditure & Revenue Scotland (GERS), which uses data on household expenditure on tobacco to apportion a share of UK wide revenue from tobacco duty to Scotland.

A review of sales estimates, which includes estimates of the volume of cigarettes sold in Scotland from 2008 to 2013, was published in November 2015 by NHS Health Scotland and is available at the link below:

http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/documents/26537-Validity%20and%20reliability%20of%20cigarette%20sales%20data.pdf

Question reference: S5O-00554

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Glasgow Colleges’ Regional Board and the City of Glasgow College regarding their relationship with each other.

Question reference: S5F-00706

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 December 2016

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government regarding the proposal by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government that holders of public office should swear an oath to uphold "British values".

Question reference: S5O-00434

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Glasgow City Council regarding the hostel for homeless men, the Bellgrove Hotel.

Question reference: S5F-00569

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 December 2016

To ask the First Minister, in light of comments by the Secretary of State for Scotland, what commitments the Scottish Government has received from the UK Government regarding the devolution of further powers.

Question reference: S5T-00189

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 November 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to research carried out by Heriot-Watt University regarding ways to reduce income and other inequalities.

Question reference: S5O-00149

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 15 September 2016

To ask Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the feasibility of a universal basic income.

Tackling poverty and inequality is a top priority for this Government, and we give serious consideration to all ideas that could help us to do so. The Universal Basic Income is an interesting concept and we will certainly pay attention to research being carried out and the different models of UBI being piloted in other countries. We also recognise that there would be significant challenges with piloting a Universal Basic Income in the devolved context, whilst we do not have full control of tax and social security.