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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: S6O-00275

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how its policies and actions across government will help support local authorities to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S6O-00199

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the current basic annual salary of £18,604 for local councillors is fair when many are working full time in the role.

The Scottish Government is committed to fair income for our councillors, which is why we introduced a new mechanism in 2017 that ensures Councillors' pay is increased annually in line with the percentage increase in the median annual earnings of public sector workers in Scotland. However, I appreciate that the annual salary of an ordinary Councillor is seen as one of the main contributing factors to the lack of diversity among Councillors in Scotland, and I am open to discussing with COSLA and wider stakeholders how we might support them to address this issue.

Question reference: S6W-02102

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with ScotRail regarding the public release of the recent internal report that is reportedly recommending service cuts, ticket office closures and a reduction in the workforce.

Professor Iain Docherty’s report was commissioned by Abellio ScotRail to look at the future of rail across Scotland’s railway and the challenges and options facing the railway as the industry recovers from the pandemic. The Scottish Government was therefore not required to have any discussions regarding the public release of the report as this was a decision between Abellio ScotRail and Professor Iain Docherty.

Question reference: S6O-00043

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 June 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to tackle violence against women, particularly in relation to prostitution and purchasers of sex.

Question reference: S5O-05134

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 March 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Aggreko is to become another large-scale, Scotland-based listed company to lose its independence through a takeover.

Question reference: S5F-04877

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 March 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 March 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the UK Budget.

Question reference: S5O-05080

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how its welfare policies have supported low-income families with children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S5O-05035

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what recent representations it has made to the UK Government regarding trade deals with countries linked to genocide.

Question reference: S5W-34609

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 29 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent Savanta ComRes poll of people in Scotland, which suggested that 68% had concerns about at-home abortions and 86% had concerns around the relationship between these procedures and domestic abuse.

The Scottish Government has noted the findings of the Savanta ComRes poll.

The Scottish Government launched a public consultation on the future arrangements for early medical abortion at home on 30 September 2020, which closed on 5 January 2021. All the evidence and responses received is in the process of being analysed. The Scottish Government will confirm its proposed approach in due course, taking account of that analysis and the range of other evidence available.

Question reference: S5O-04972

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 January 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on a recent University of Sheffield report, Interventions to reduce the public health burden of gambling-related harms, which recognises that gambling should be treated as a serious public health concern.