Portrait of John Mason

Photo © Scottish Parliament

Former Member of the Scottish Parliament

John Mason

Unknown party

At a glance John Mason was a Member of the Scottish Parliament.

Votes cast2,822
Attendance97%
Voted For1,610
Voted Against1,174

Attendance is votes cast as a share of the 2,903 Holyrood divisions on record; John Mason did not vote in 12.

Voting recordlatest 15 shown
Questions303 tabled

John Mason has tabled 303 questions in the Scottish Parliament.

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions have taken place with football authorities concerning the recent deplor… 9 Mar 2026 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions have taken place with football authorities concerning the recent deplorable fan behaviour after the match between Celtic and Rangers.

Awaiting an answer.

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, regarding its role in staffing and resourcing the Lobbying Register, … 5 Mar 2026 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, regarding its role in staffing and resourcing the Lobbying Register, what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of the register in its current form.

Awaiting an answer.

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the current Fiscal Framework is biased against Scotland. 3 Mar 2026 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the current Fiscal Framework is biased against Scotland.

Awaiting an answer.

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the joint review with the UK Govern… 24 Feb 2026 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the joint review with the UK Government regarding the potential removal of ptarmigan from schedule 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Awaiting an answer.

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 aligns with Fair Trade prin… 17 Feb 2026 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 aligns with Fair Trade principles for imported food and drink.

Awaiting an answer.

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the diversity and socio-economic background of audiences at… 20 Jan 2026 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the diversity and socio-economic background of audiences attending performances by the National Performing Companies.

Awaiting an answer.

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to ensure that outcome 6B of the Good Food Nation Plan, which ai… 29 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to ensure that outcome 6B of the Good Food Nation Plan, which aims for Scotland’s food sector to make a positive contribution to global food system transformation, is effectively measured, and what consideration will be given to using indicators, such as Fairtrade product purchasing or Fair Trade procurement through Scotland Excel, to provide independent data on Scotland’s global food impact.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon · 13 Jan 2026

The first national Good Food Nation Plan and accompanying initial monitoring framework set out how we will measure progress towards our six overarching outcomes. Scotland’s food sector already makes many positive contributions to global food system transformation. For example, the Scottish Government continues to support research and innovation in low-carbon food solutions to enhance the resilience of our future food system to climate change and contribute positively to global food transformation.However, a suitable indicator to assess and monitor sub-outcome 6B has not yet been identified. As set out in Scottish Fair Trade’s recent reports on Fair Trade procurement within the Scottish public sector, fair trade procurement data was ‘not fully accurate nor reliable due to variations in how fair trade spend is defined and monitored’. As set out in the monitoring framework, we intend to review the Scottish food data landscape on an on-going basis and will reflect any new or improved datasets in future iterations of the Plan.

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to prevent starvation and suffering among the sheep on St Kilda. 16 Dec 2025 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to prevent starvation and suffering among the sheep on St Kilda.

Awaiting an answer.

See all questions

Motions lodged526 lodged
12 Mar 2026 Eid al-Fitr 12 sig.
16 Jan 2026 Welfare of the Sheep on St Kilda 16 sig.
7 Jan 2026 Nature Champions Initiative 35 sig.
6 Jan 2026 Children in Conflict 13 sig.
5 Jan 2026 Harms of Gambling 10 sig.
23 Dec 2025 Greenland Special Envoy 12 sig.

See all motions

Speechesfrom the Official Report

Recent things John Mason has said in the chamber and in committee, from the Official Report.

25 Mar 2026   Remote, Rural and Island Communities (Sustainability) (draft)

I thank Jamie Halcro Johnston for securing the debate and other members for their kind words.Many people in Scotland’s urban areas and central belt still care deeply for our remote, rural and island communities. I have visited a number of …

25 Mar 2026   Remote, Rural and Island Communities (Sustainability)

I thank Jamie Halcro Johnston for securing the debate and other members for their kind words.Many people in Scotland’s urban areas and central belt still care deeply for our remote, rural and island communities. I have visited a number of …

19 Mar 2026   Visitor Levy (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 (draft)

Does the member think that he is being realistic? Edinburgh has millions of tourists who come for all sorts of reasons, but they could be put off doing so by the exchange rate, problems in the middle east and other sorts of things. Does he…

19 Mar 2026   Visitor Levy (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 (draft)

Would the member accept that lots of things can change after somebody books a holiday? Beer duty often goes up overnight. People buy things, and a few pounds here or there will not make a difference.

19 Mar 2026   Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 (draft)

I welcome both Daniel Johnson’s and Willie Rennie’s comments, as well as those of the cabinet secretary.Willie Rennie used the word “ambiguity”; other people would use the word “flexibility”. I fully accept that there is a balance to be st…

19 Mar 2026   Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 (draft)

Amendment 1 will provide a regulation-making power to amend the definitions of restraint and seclusion in section 1 at a future date, where ministers consider it necessary to do so. I understand that the Cabinet Secretary for Education and…

19 Mar 2026   Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Question Time (draft)

I thank the member for that answer, but does she agree that the lobbying register is a complete waste of money and that it serves no valuable purpose at all?

19 Mar 2026   Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Question Time (draft)

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, regarding its role in staffing and resourcing the lobbying register, what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of the register in its current form. (S6O-05644)

18 Mar 2026   Parliamentary Bureau Motions

Is the answer not to consider compulsory voting, so that prisoners would have to vote along with the rest of the population?

17 Mar 2026   Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill (draft)

One of my colleagues suggested to me that he would rather that religious people be up front and say that they oppose the bill because of their belief in God. As that is one of my reasons, I am happy to say a little from that angle. However…

17 Mar 2026   Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill

One of my colleagues suggested to me that he would rather that religious people be up front and say that they oppose the bill because of their belief in God. As that is one of my reasons, I am happy to say a little from that angle. However…

17 Mar 2026   Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill (draft)

I think that it was the member’s Conservative Government that actually brought in equivalent legislation in England, where I presume it will have a similar effect. Would it not have been better to charge a bit more in corporation tax?

17 Mar 2026   Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill

I think that it was the member’s Conservative Government that actually brought in equivalent legislation in England, where I presume it will have a similar effect. Would it not have been better to charge a bit more in corporation tax?

17 Mar 2026   Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Does Michael Marra accept that the Parliament has been put into a bit of a corner by Westminster and that we have had to have such a bill, which might not have been ideal?

17 Mar 2026   Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 (draft)

Does Michael Marra accept that the Parliament has been put into a bit of a corner by Westminster and that we have had to have such a bill, which might not have been ideal?

13 Mar 2026   Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 (draft)

I am happy to support Douglas Ross’s amendment 256.Amendment 257 would introduce an institutional opt-out, which is an essential safeguard to ensure that no hospice, palliative care provider or other health or social care organisation is f…

12 Mar 2026   Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 (draft)

I understand the risks of amendment 112, but one of our challenges has been to engage the public more in decision making. We have tried different approaches, such as citizens assemblies. It was because there was a referendum in 2014 that p…

12 Mar 2026   Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I understand the risks of amendment 112, but one of our challenges has been to engage the public more in decision making. We have tried different approaches, such as citizens assemblies. It was because there was a referendum in 2014 that p…

12 Mar 2026   Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I understand the risks of amendment 112, but one of our challenges has been to engage the public more in decision making. We have tried different approaches, such as citizens assemblies. It was because there was a referendum in 2014 that p…

12 Mar 2026   Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 (draft)

I am on board with Mr Marra on a lot of this. However, he has not mentioned savings, which also came up at the Finance and Public Administration Committee. One of my fears with the bill is that, in future, Governments and the NHS could sav…

Seat & career3 seats held

Source: this MSP's profile on parliament.scot.

Allowances£17,359 · 2025

2025 (latest published)

Printing and/or Photocopying£4,838
Rent£3,893
Utilities£2,684
Hotel£2,460
Advertising£1,210
Telephone Services Costs£696
Mailing Costs£464
Members Rail£305
Staff Rail£200
Tv Costs£170
Running Repairs and Maintenance£150
Water Coolers£111
Portable Appliance Testing£84
Office/Window Cleaning£45
Stationery£28
Cleaning/Hygiene Products£18
Staff Bus£6

Source: Scottish Parliament (published ~1 year in arrears)

Contact & offices[email protected]

Source: this MSP's official Scottish Parliament profile. Last updated 26 Jul 2026.