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-01590

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S4W-10934

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 19 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the impact on social cohesion of Stonewall giving Cardinal O'Brien the Bigot of the Year Award.

Question reference: S4W-10933

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 19 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review its funding of Stonewall in light of Stonewall giving the Bigot of the Year award to Cardinal O'Brien and nominating Archbishop Tartaglia.

Stonewall UK’s awards are not funded by the Scottish Government.

We provide funding for Stonewall Scotland for its work to tackle inequality in relation to sexual orientation. In the period 2012-15 this has been awarded to Stonewall Scotland to implement its Good Practice Programme. This programme works with public sector organisations to assist them in reducing the discrimination and inequalities experienced by lesbian, gay and bisexual staff and service users in line with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty.

We have no plans to review this funding.

Question reference: S4O-01510

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 November 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made toward the commencement of construction of the Newhouse to Baillieston M8 upgrade.

Question reference: S4O-01446

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects to receive Barnett consequentials as a result of the UK Government’s recently-announced advice services transition fund and, if so, whether it will allocate these to advice services in Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-09697

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 2 October 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that the lead researcher on its consultation on civil partnership and same sex marriage "insulted and belittled" Christian views while preparing the report and "directed obscenities" at Cardinal Keith O’Brien in the presence of other members of the analysis team.

<>We have received no evidence to suggest that the lead analyst in relation to this consultation "insulted and belittled" Christian views and "directed obscenities" at Cardinal O'Brien. The analysis, http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/07/5671/0, reflects the points made by Christians and others who responded to the consultation. The government is satisfied that the analysis of responses to the consultation reflects accurately and fairly the comments that were made by consultees responding to the consultation.

Question reference: S4O-01280

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S4O-01254

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 September 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will put in place to stimulate the construction sector.

Question reference: S4W-08175

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many businesses that received support under the small business bonus scheme went out of business in the year in which they received that support, in the last two years for which information is available.

In the four years since its introduction by this Government, the Small Business Bonus Scheme has reduced business rates taxation for over 85,000 business premises across Scotland, including over 6,900 in Lanarkshire.

A 2009 poll by the Federation of Small Businesses stated that around two-thirds of businesses in receipt of the rates relief are putting the money saved into offsetting increases in other bills, with around one in eight suggesting the saving has helped their business stay afloat and almost one in ten had reinvested the saving in their business, for example in staff training.

Question reference: S4W-08176

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many businesses in receipt of support under the small business bonus scheme employed additional staff after receiving that support.