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: S4O-03997

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for pupil assessment in schools.

Question reference: S4O-03937

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the most recent homelessness statistics.

Question reference: S4W-23667

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has as to the number and adequacy of fire risk assessments in NHS premises in Lanarkshire.

NHS Lanarkshire uses the NHS Scotland Estates Asset Management System (EAMS) for recording all fire risk assessments, as mandated by the Scottish Government and in accordance with NHS Scotland Fire Safety Policy CEL 11 (2011).

The current total number of fire risk assessments covering NHS Lanarkshire’s estate is 392, all of which are completed and entered into EAMS.

The total number of fire risk assessments is subject to change as new premises are acquired, old premises disposed of, and operational changes are made within existing premises.

Question reference: S4W-23199

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 3 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to mark the surrender of Scottish regiments in 1940 following the battle for St Valéry-en-Caux.

Commemorative events marking the defensive battles leading to the ultimate evacuation of UK Expeditionary Forces from the Pas-de-Calais area in France in 1940 are arranged and managed by individual regimental associations and veterans’ groups, working closely with the French civic authorities.

Scottish ministers have not as yet received an invitation to attend any event planned to mark the 75^th anniversary of the battle for St-Valéry-en-Caux. However, consideration will be given to sending a representative if a suitable opportunity arises, as when the then Minister for Parliamentary Business attended on behalf of the Scottish Government commemorative events in France that marked the 70^th anniversary of the battle for St-Valéry-en-Caux in 2010 as a guest of the North East Scotland Disabled Veterans Association.

The North East Scotland Disabled Veterans Association has no plans to attend, though that position could change at some point in the run up to June 2015. The association is also unaware of any other veterans’ group planning to make the trip. Similarly, Legion Scotland is unaware of any Scottish legion branch planning a trip to France to mark the 75^th anniversary of the battle.

The Scottish Government appointed the Scottish Commemorations Panel in March 2013 to recommend a programme of events to commemorate the centenary of World War One. The panel, which is chaired by former military Chaplain Professor Norman Drummond CBE FRSE, were tasked with creating a programme of events that would honour the sacrifice of Scottish servicemen and women, reflect on the global impact of WWI and on the domestic impact of the war during 1914-18. It is the panel’s responsibility to ensure that these commemorations achieve a balance of remembrance as well as encouraging a spirit of research and inquiry in educational and genealogical terms, thus leaving a lasting legacy.

The eight key dates that Scotland will mark nationally are:

10 August 2014 - The Drumhead Service.

25 April 2015 - Gallipoli

22 May 2015 - The train crash at Quintinshill, near Gretna

25 September 2015 - Battle of Loos

31 May 2016 - Battle of Jutland

9 April 2017 - Battle of Arras

11 November 2018 - Armistice Day and Celebration of Peace

1 January 2019 - Loss of HMY Iolaire

Question reference: S4O-03779

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how it will tackle the link between child poverty and educational attainment.

Question reference: S4O-03729

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to replace the council tax with a local income tax.

Question reference: S4O-03671

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 12 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report.

The scientific evidence could not be clearer. Climate change is happening now and greenhouse gas emissions from mankind are extremely likely to be the dominant cause.

It is essential that a new global climate treaty is agreed in Paris in 2015, given this is crucial to limiting the average global temperature increase to less than 2 degrees Celsius. The Scottish Government is committed to playing its part by working with partners, as it has done since the 2009 Climate Change Scotland Act, to deliver on Scotland’s ambitious greenhouse gas emissions targets. As highlighted by the Committee on Climate Change, there are clear economic benefits and long term cost savings from Scotland taking, as it has, early action to cut emissions.

Question reference: S4O-03621

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met COSLA to discuss care charges.

Question reference: S4O-03581

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that grades awarded in the new national qualifications are considered to be equal across all subjects.

Question reference: S4O-03553

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to analyse the impact of its 2014 major events strategy.