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-01072

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 May 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether schools in close proximity to Commonwealth Games venues will undergo refurbishment before 2014.

Question reference: S4W-06853

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 3 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4O-00887 by Derek McKay on 19 April 2012, whether it will list the (a) five councils that have confirmed that they already pay the current level of the living wage through their existing wage structures, (b) nine councils that have introduced the living wage and (c) six councils that have stated that they will implement a living wage during 2012-13.

The five councils that have confirmed that they already pay the current level of the living wage through their existing wage structures are:

East Dunbartonshire Council,

Orkney Islands Council,

Perth and Kinross Council,

Shetland Islands Council,

Western Isles Council.

The nine councils that have introduced the living wage are:

Aberdeen City Council,

Dumfries and Galloway Council,

East Renfrewshire Council,

Glasgow City Council,

North Ayrshire Council,

Renfrewshire Council,

Scottish Borders Council,

South Lanarkshire Council,

West Dunbartonshire Council.

The six councils that have stated they will implement a living wage during 2012-13 are:

Clackmannanshire Council,

Falkirk Council,

Moray Council,

North Lanarkshire Council,

South Ayrshire Council,

Stirling Council.

Question reference: S4W-06645

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many suicides have been recorded in each of the last five years, broken down by parliamentary constituency and expressed as a percentage of the national average.

Please see the following table showing the number of suicides (intentional self harm and events of undetermined intent) for each of the new Parliamentary Constituencies, for the years 2006-2010.

Figures for 2011 will be available in August.

Scottish Parliamentary Constituency

Number of Deaths

Percentage of Scottish total

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Scotland	765	838	843	746	781	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%
Aberdeen Central	15	9	18	17	15	2.0%	1.1%	2.1%	2.3%	1.9%
Aberdeen Donside	6	4	8	10	10	0.8%	0.5%	0.9%	1.3%	1.3%
Aberdeen South and North Kincardine	10	9	8	7	8	1.3%	1.1%	0.9%	0.9%	1.0%
Aberdeenshire East	5	8	11	9	14	0.7%	1.0%	1.3%	1.2%	1.8%
Aberdeenshire West	4	5	5	6	5	0.5%	0.6%	0.6%	0.8%	0.6%
Airdrie and Shotts	14	10	12	14	8	1.8%	1.2%	1.4%	1.9%	1.0%
Almond Valley	6	10	11	11	4	0.8%	1.2%	1.3%	1.5%	0.5%
Angus North and Mearns	8	10	11	6	8	1.0%	1.2%	1.3%	0.8%	1.0%
Angus South	8	8	9	8	8	1.0%	1.0%	1.1%	1.1%	1.0%
Argyll and Bute	5	15	12	12	7	0.7%	1.8%	1.4%	1.6%	0.9%
Ayr	7	11	11	7	7	0.9%	1.3%	1.3%	0.9%	0.9%
Banffshire and Buchan Coast	8	16	16	13	13	1.0%	1.9%	1.9%	1.7%	1.7%
Caithness, Sutherland and Ross	15	14	10	11	7	2.0%	1.7%	1.2%	1.5%	0.9%
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley	4	17	3	10	9	0.5%	2.0%	0.4%	1.3%	1.2%
Clackmannanshire and Dunblane	7	8	8	4	8	0.9%	1.0%	0.9%	0.5%	1.0%
Clydebank and Milngavie	9	16	21	12	10	1.2%	1.9%	2.5%	1.6%	1.3%
Clydesdale	6	10	9	10	8	0.8%	1.2%	1.1%	1.3%	1.0%
Coatbridge and Chryston	7	11	14	4	11	0.9%	1.3%	1.7%	0.5%	1.4%
Cowdenbeath	9	10	9	13	12	1.2%	1.2%	1.1%	1.7%	1.5%
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth	10	7	10	8	12	1.3%	0.8%	1.2%	1.1%	1.5%
Cunninghame North	10	9	7	11	11	1.3%	1.1%	0.8%	1.5%	1.4%
Cunninghame South	11	19	12	13	6	1.4%	2.3%	1.4%	1.7%	0.8%
Dumbarton	17	15	19	11	14	2.2%	1.8%	2.3%	1.5%	1.8%
Dumfriesshire	10	16	12	12	10	1.3%	1.9%	1.4%	1.6%	1.3%
Dundee City East	22	13	18	10	12	2.9%	1.6%	2.1%	1.3%	1.5%
Dundee City West	14	14	14	13	17	1.8%	1.7%	1.7%	1.7%	2.2%
Dunfermline	11	3	7	7	10	1.4%	0.4%	0.8%	0.9%	1.3%
East Kilbride	16	7	9	9	11	2.1%	0.8%	1.1%	1.2%	1.4%
East Lothian	7	4	10	9	8	0.9%	0.5%	1.2%	1.2%	1.0%
Eastwood	5	5	6	4	4	0.7%	0.6%	0.7%	0.5%	0.5%
Edinburgh Central	14	18	15	10	11	1.8%	2.1%	1.8%	1.3%	1.4%
Edinburgh Eastern	10	9	17	12	17	1.3%	1.1%	2.0%	1.6%	2.2%
Edinburgh Northern and Leith	10	9	18	11	17	1.3%	1.1%	2.1%	1.5%	2.2%
Edinburgh Pentlands	10	17	11	16	8	1.3%	2.0%	1.3%	2.1%	1.0%
Edinburgh Southern	5	3	9	6	13	0.7%	0.4%	1.1%	0.8%	1.7%
Edinburgh Western	6	16	13	9	8	0.8%	1.9%	1.5%	1.2%	1.0%
Na h-Eileanan an Iar	3	9	7	3	2	0.4%	1.1%	0.8%	0.4%	0.3%
Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire	15	8	12	5	9	2.0%	1.0%	1.4%	0.7%	1.2%
Falkirk East	10	10	10	9	8	1.3%	1.2%	1.2%	1.2%	1.0%
Falkirk West	6	8	9	10	8	0.8%	1.0%	1.1%	1.3%	1.0%
Galloway and West Dumfries	12	15	11	12	13	1.6%	1.8%	1.3%	1.6%	1.7%
Glasgow Anniesland	16	20	23	14	10	2.1%	2.4%	2.7%	1.9%	1.3%
Glasgow Cathcart	10	16	15	13	10	1.3%	1.9%	1.8%	1.7%	1.3%
Glasgow Kelvin	18	13	14	12	16	2.4%	1.6%	1.7%	1.6%	2.0%
Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn	16	23	17	13	16	2.1%	2.7%	2.0%	1.7%	2.0%
Glasgow Pollok	24	11	14	16	11	3.1%	1.3%	1.7%	2.1%	1.4%
Glasgow Provan	13	21	14	12	10	1.7%	2.5%	1.7%	1.6%	1.3%
Glasgow Shettleston	20	21	16	20	13	2.6%	2.5%	1.9%	2.7%	1.7%
Glasgow Southside	18	16	19	16	10	2.4%	1.9%	2.3%	2.1%	1.3%
Greenock and Inverclyde	16	13	10	10	18	2.1%	1.6%	1.2%	1.3%	2.3%
Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse	11	15	7	8	14	1.4%	1.8%	0.8%	1.1%	1.8%
Inverness and Nairn	8	12	12	8	14	1.0%	1.4%	1.4%	1.1%	1.8%
Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley	9	16	8	8	13	1.2%	1.9%	0.9%	1.1%	1.7%
Kirkcaldy	15	8	12	14	12	2.0%	1.0%	1.4%	1.9%	1.5%
Linlithgow	9	15	18	9	15	1.2%	1.8%	2.1%	1.2%	1.9%
Mid Fife and Glenrothes	7	13	7	8	14	0.9%	1.6%	0.8%	1.1%	1.8%
Midlothian North and Musselburgh	7	5	11	8	18	0.9%	0.6%	1.3%	1.1%	2.3%
Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale	11	8	12	13	11	1.4%	1.0%	1.4%	1.7%	1.4%
Moray	10	10	9	15	18	1.3%	1.2%	1.1%	2.0%	2.3%
Motherwell and Wishaw	9	15	13	18	10	1.2%	1.8%	1.5%	2.4%	1.3%
North East Fife	10	6	7	8	10	1.3%	0.7%	0.8%	1.1%	1.3%
Orkney Islands	3	1	5	2	3	0.4%	0.1%	0.6%	0.3%	0.4%
Paisley	13	22	18	15	17	1.7%	2.6%	2.1%	2.0%	2.2%
Perthshire North	10	18	8	12	4	1.3%	2.1%	0.9%	1.6%	0.5%
Perthshire South and Kinrossshire	11	11	8	2	5	1.4%	1.3%	0.9%	0.3%	0.6%
Renfrewshire North and West	8	12	6	12	6	1.0%	1.4%	0.7%	1.6%	0.8%
Renfrewshire South	7	4	18	11	7	0.9%	0.5%	2.1%	1.5%	0.9%
Rutherglen	9	14	13	15	14	1.2%	1.7%	1.5%	2.0%	1.8%
Shetland Islands	5	6	5	4	5	0.7%	0.7%	0.6%	0.5%	0.6%
Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch	17	9	16	13	19	2.2%	1.1%	1.9%	1.7%	2.4%
Stirling	16	6	5	9	11	2.1%	0.7%	0.6%	1.2%	1.4%
Strathkelvin and Bearsden	8	8	6	7	15	1.0%	1.0%	0.7%	0.9%	1.9%
Uddingston and Bellshill	14	15	15	7	10	1.8%	1.8%	1.8%	0.9%	1.3%
Not known	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	0.1%

Question reference: S4O-00887

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 19 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities are committed to paying a living wage.

The current position in local authorities regarding implementation of the living wage is as follows:

Five councils have confirmed that they already pay the current level of the living wage through their existing wage structures;

Nine councils have introduced the living wage;

Six councils have stated that they will implement a living wage during 2012-13, and

Seven councils have indicated their intention to consider introducing a living wage.

Question reference: S4O-00927

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether future legislation relating to Getting It Right for Every Child principles will take a whole-child approach and cover social work and other services as well as education services.

Question reference: S4W-06338

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average life expectancy is of a person living in the east end of Glasgow.

Question reference: S4O-00857

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how the new National 4 qualification will be monitored to ensure consistent grading standards nationally.

Question reference: S4W-06104

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) economic and (b) congestion impacts have been on (i) Glasgow and the (ii) west of Scotland of the M74 motorway extension.

Journey times, across and through Glasgow have been reduced by between five and 18 minutes during peak periods. Reduced congestion has been observed along the M8 northern flank, across the Kingston Bridge as well as along a number of the surface streets across the local road network.

Transport Scotland is currently examining traffic patterns and lane usage where the M74 and the M8 join the M77 southbound at the M8 Junction 22 Plantation Interchange, where some issues have been observed during the evening peak period.

It is too early to determine the economic impacts of the scheme on Glasgow or the West of Scotland, however this and other matters such as air quality, traffic noise, journey times, accident statistics are being examined as part of a wide-ranging project evaluation exercise being undertaken by Transport Scotland. The data gathering for the project evaluation is underway and a series of interim reports will be prepared as and when data becomes available, with a final report scheduled to be completed in 2016 (subject to data availability).

Question reference: S4W-06103

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to publish a housing Bill in the near future.

Question reference: S4W-06106

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits people living in the east end of Glasgow can expect as a result of the Commonwealth Games being primarily based there.

Glasgow 2014 will be the biggest multi-sports event that Scotland has ever hosted, and will bring significant opportunities and benefits for Glasgow and for Scotland. The Scottish Government works closely with a wide range of partners, including all local authorities, to ensure these benefits are maximised and that these games leave a lasting legacy for the whole of Scotland.

For the east end of Glasgow specifically, the skyline is already being transformed through the building of infrastructure for the games, leaving a lasting physical, economic and social legacy. The construction of the multi-million pound Athletes’ Village will become a desirable new residential community after the games, providing 700 new quality homes. The state-of-the-art sports facilities will be available for the local community to enjoy, whilst enabling Glasgow to secure further high profile national and international events.

Road and rail connectivity will be improved through projects which have been or will be completed such as the M74 completion, the M80 upgrade and the refurbishment of Dalmarnock Station. Clyde Gateway URC are taking forward a number of Games-related projects which will benefit the east end of Glasgow including new office space and the renovation of the iconic Olympia Theatre at Bridgeton.The Scottish Government and delivery partners continue to engage with community groups and partners in the Dalmarnock area to discuss how a lasting legacy can be achieved together. Most recently this included working with Glasgow City Council to prepare a funding package that will create a modern, fit for purpose facility that meets the needs of the East Carers within the Aquatic Centre after the 2014 games have taken place. More generally, Glasgow businesses are winning games-related contracts and supporting local jobs. Many of the 127 graduates of the Personal Best employment programme pilot were from the east end of Glasgow.

There are also a range of Scotland-wide legacy programmes, including Community Sports Hubs, games for Scotland events, and Young Scot’s Youth Legacy Ambassadors which are creating opportunities across every local authority in Scotland. The full range of opportunities from the games can be found on the games legacy portal at www.gameslegacyscotland.org.