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: S4T-00920

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 February 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the recent Celtic versus Rangers match had on police resources.

Question reference: S4W-23992

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 23 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether, in light of paragraph 25 of Conduct of Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood Education in Schools, individual teachers will have the final say over which resources they choose to use for such education.

The choice of resources in any part of the curriculum, including relationships, sexual health and parenthood education, is decided in partnership between the teacher, school and local authority. Individual teachers are expected to work within that context and in line with the General Teaching Council for Scotland's Code of Professionalism and Conduct [which includes a requirement that teachers help pupils to understand different views, perspectives and experiences].

In addition, paragraph 28 of the guidance on Conduct of Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood Education in Schools makes plain that “no school, or individual teacher, is under a duty to support, promote or endorse one type of relationship over another. Discussions about relationships should acknowledge that same sex couples can now marry as a result of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014. Teaching should be based on facts and should enable pupils to develop an understanding of how the law applies to different relationships.

Question reference: S4W-23990

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 23 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether, in light of paragraph 27 of Conduct of Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood Education in Schools, no teacher will be required to teach aspects of such education to which they fundamentally object.

Paragraph 27 of the Conduct of Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) Education in Schools guidance makes plain that “In issuing this guidance it is the Scottish Government’s expectation that if a teacher is asked to teach aspects of RSHP education to which they fundamentally object, they should feel comfortable raising this with the school or local authority. The Scottish Government expects that these matters would be dealt with in an appropriate manner by the local authority, whereby teachers are made aware of the relevant sections from the General Teaching Council for Scotland’s Code of Professionalism and Conduct, in particular part 5 on equality and diversity. Where teachers raise religious or belief concerns about teaching aspects of RSHP education, local authorities may wish to take account of the guidance issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission on religion or belief in the workplace at:

http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/publication/religion-or-belief-and-workplace-acas. The Scottish Government expects all local authorities to consider objections which teachers have to any aspects of RSHP education. The Scottish Government expects that the teaching of the RSHP programme would continue.”

In addition, paragraph 28 of the guidance then makes plain that “no school, or individual teacher, is under a duty to support, promote or endorse one type of relationship over another. Discussions about relationships should acknowledge that same sex couples can now marry as a result of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014. Teaching should be based on facts and should enable pupils to develop an understanding of how the law applies to different relationships.”

Question reference: S4W-23991

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 23 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether, in light of paragraph 28 of Conduct of Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood Education in Schools, no teacher will be required to promote a particular type of relationship to which they have a deeply held objection.

It is correct that no teacher should promote or oppose a particular kind of relationship. This is a feature of the guidance on Conduct of Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood Education in Schools.

In fact, paragraph 28 of the Conduct of Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood Education in Schools states that “no school, or individual teacher, is under a duty to support, promote or endorse one type of relationship over another. Discussions about relationships should acknowledge that same sex couples can now marry as a result of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014. Teaching should be based on facts and should enable pupils to develop an understanding of how the law applies to different relationships.”

Question reference: S4T-00883

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what contact it has had with the administrators of City Link Limited.

Question reference: S4W-23508

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 17 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether the people appointed named persons under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 are in place and, if so, whether it will provide a breakdown by gender.

Question reference: S4W-23495

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 11 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on Glasgow City Council's decision to reduce the budget of the Glasgow Association for Mental Health by 40% and what it can do to ensure that its services can continue.

Question reference: S4O-03837

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on how the Scottish budget method of consultation and committee deliberation compares with that of the UK.

Question reference: S4O-03753

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the economic benefits of immigration from the EU are to Scotland.

Question reference: S4O-03695

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what its position is on offering a small discount or other incentives to encourage the use of cashless payments in the Garden Level Restaurant.