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Every contribution to the Official Report — chamber and committee — searchable in one place. Pulled from data.parliament.scot, indexed for full-text search, linked through to every MSP.

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Official Report

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Showing 60 of 2,095,827 contributions. Latest 30 days: 3,026. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 10 Jun 2026.

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

Urgent Question

That concludes the urgent question. We will have a one-minute break to switch over, after which we will resume with portfolio questions.The rest of this Official Report will be published progressively as soon as the text is available.

Neil Gray SNP Chamber

Urgent Question

I understand the motivation behind Mr Smith’s questions. He will understand that Police Scotland, the Courts and Tribunals Service and the Crown are rightly independent of Government. However, what we are able to see from the footage that Mr Kerr and Mr Smith have alluded to s...

Alyn Smith (Stirling) (SNP) SNP Chamber

Urgent Question

I commend Paul Sweeney for his contributions in the chamber. There is a lot of unanimity across the Parliament, and we should all be careful with our words in general when discussing such matters.These are aggravated offences. I commend the cabinet secretary for his response, ...

Neil Gray SNP Chamber

Urgent Question

I agree with Mr Kerr’s points. Of course, there is a right to protest and to organise peacefully, but that is not what we saw last night. We saw thuggery and intimidatory tactics seeking to divide communities. They will not succeed in Scotland.Last night, I was in live dialogu...

Stephen Kerr (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con Chamber

Urgent Question

Looking at the footage of last night’s events, we see that it was not protest but criminal disorder. Families should be able to go about their daily lives in Scotland without fear of violence, intimidation or public disorder from a gang of balaclava-clad hooligans.Will the cab...

Neil Gray SNP Chamber

Urgent Question

In the first instance, those efforts are being led by Police Scotland in the work that it is doing to reassure communities across Scotland. Work is ongoing in Government to ensure that we are able to protect and enhance communities, including minority ethnic groups and religio...

Clare Haughey (Rutherglen and Cambuslang) (SNP) SNP Chamber

Urgent Question

The scenes in Glasgow city centre and in other parts of Scotland—and, indeed, in Belfast—were truly shocking. Those scenes and all racism must be condemned by all parties in the chamber. Shame on those who choose not to do so.How will the Scottish Government reach out to and w...

Neil Gray SNP Chamber

Urgent Question

I fundamentally and completely agree with what Paul Sweeney has said—I believe that to my core. We are a welcoming nation. We have benefited from migration to this country and we continue to benefit from it. I say that particularly given the offices that I have held in health ...

Paul Sweeney Lab Chamber

Urgent Question

Some members of the Parliament have sought to fan the flames of division with continual talk of “strangers” and calls for further protests tonight. Does the cabinet secretary agree that every one of us in the Parliament has a duty to calm tensions in this country and not to in...

The Presiding Officer (Kenneth Gibson) NPA Chamber

Urgent Question

Before Paul Sweeney comes back in, I say to him that I am looking for questions rather than speeches. Other members are keen to come in, so it is important that we keep questions as brief as possible.

Neil Gray SNP Chamber

Urgent Question

I completely agree with everything that Paul Sweeney has put on the record in his supplementary question. The Scottish Government’s approach is grounded in tackling hate consistently and proportionately across all communities, which is underpinned by a zero-tolerance stance on...

Paul Sweeney Lab Chamber

Urgent Question

Last night, racist thugs stormed through the centre of Glasgow under the white nationalist slogan “White lives matter”. Members of the public were attacked indiscriminately because of the colour of their skin, and two police officers were injured. My prayers are with those who...

The Cabinet Secretary for Justice (Neil Gray) SNP Chamber

Urgent Question

The actions of a very small number of individuals in parts of Scotland last night, which included the assaulting of police officers and members of minority ethnic communities, are shocking and unacceptable. Violence and racism have no place on our streets, and I utterly condem...

Paul Sweeney (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

Urgent Question

To ask the Scottish Government what urgent action it will take in response to the reported violent racist demonstrations that took place last night in Glasgow.

Speaker unknown Chamber

Urgent Question

The Presiding Officer (Kenneth Gibson) NPA Chamber

Committee Conveners

Today’s business begins with the results of the elections for committee conveners. I will announce the results for each committee in turn.Stuart McMillan has been elected as convener of the Climate Action Committee. The total number of ballots was 121 and the results were as f...

Angela Constance SNP Chamber

General Question Time · GP Walk-in Centres (North Ayrshire)

It is disappointing that Mr Hoy does not welcome the prospect of a GP walk-in service for Stranraer. The important point is that the purpose of GP walk-in services is to free up capacity in the primary care system, so that people across our constituencies and regions can be se...

Craig Hoy (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Con Chamber

General Question Time · GP Walk-in Centres (North Ayrshire)

It is 77 miles from Sanquhar to Stranraer, which is a journey that takes a minimum of two hours by car or at least four hours by bus. Given that my constituents will be expected to make that journey to access the GP walk-in centre in Stranraer, does that not expose the policy ...

Angela Constance SNP Chamber

General Question Time · GP Walk-in Centres (North Ayrshire)

I expect the Glasgow site to open later this month. I very much appreciate the health board’s hard work to get the services up and running. I am sure that Michelle Campbell will join me in welcoming the opening of the sites and thanking our hard-working national health service...

Michelle Campbell (Renfrewshire North and Cardonald) (SNP) SNP Chamber

General Question Time · GP Walk-in Centres (North Ayrshire)

Work is well under way in preparation for Glasgow’s first walk-in clinic opening. Can the Scottish Government offer an update on when that wonderful resource for the good people of Cardonald will be open?

Angela Constance SNP Chamber

General Question Time · GP Walk-in Centres (North Ayrshire)

Ms Gibson has made an important point about reducing health inequality by improving access to healthcare. The Government is committed to providing a North Ayrshire walk-in service, which was one of the 14 additional services that were announced. That brings the total number of...

Patricia Gibson SNP Chamber

General Question Time · GP Walk-in Centres (North Ayrshire)

North Ayrshire’s people have Scotland’s lowest healthy life expectancy. The average adult remains in full health until just 53 years old. More than 28 per cent of people live with a long-term health condition, which is 6 per cent higher than the Scottish average. In view of th...

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care (Angela Constance) SNP Chamber

General Question Time · GP Walk-in Centres (North Ayrshire)

I have committed to expanding the walk-in service programme and will set out how I will do so in the first 100 days of this Government. Health boards were previously asked to generate proposals that considered their populations’ needs, taking into account local issues and circ...

Patricia Gibson (Cunninghame South) (SNP) SNP Chamber

General Question Time · GP Walk-in Centres (North Ayrshire)

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects a general practitioner walk-in centre to open in North Ayrshire. (S7O-00023)

Neil Gray SNP Chamber

General Question Time · Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Service Delivery Review)

The short answer is yes. I am happy to meet Ms Minto or any other member to discuss the matter further. The challenge of multiple organisations drawing on small rural populations is not new. The SFRS works collaboratively with a range of partners, including the coastguard serv...

Jenni Minto (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) SNP Chamber

General Question Time · Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Service Delivery Review)

I appreciate that these are independent decisions to be made by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, but I am interested to know whether the Scottish Government is looking at the cumulative impact of those changes on, for example, other rescue services such as the coastguard,...

Neil Gray SNP Chamber

General Question Time · Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Service Delivery Review)

I am more than happy to explore that with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in order to ensure that we are in a position to respond to the changing nature of fire and flood risk across Scotland. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s very successful prevention activities, a...

Stephen Kerr (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con Chamber

General Question Time · Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Service Delivery Review)

Ministers previously told Parliament that almost £1 million of specialist wildfire pumping units would be deployed within weeks. A Scottish Conservative freedom of information request later revealed that they were still not operational, during Scotland’s worst wildfire season ...

Neil Gray SNP Chamber

General Question Time · Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Service Delivery Review)

These are independent decisions for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to make, but it is open to Parliament to take a view on those matters—in the way that a view is normally taken, for example, on investigations undertaken through the committee structure—or otherwise. Obvi...

Joe Fagan Lab Chamber

General Question Time · Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Service Delivery Review)

There is profound concern about the potential outcomes of the service delivery review, not least from the firefighters and their union. Given the gravity of the decisions that are about to be made, does the Government agree that there should be full parliamentary scrutiny and ...

The Cabinet Secretary for Justice (Neil Gray) SNP Chamber

General Question Time · Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Service Delivery Review)

I met the SFRS board chair on 4 June, when we discussed the overall objectives of the service delivery review and the consultation and outreach process that the SFRS has undertaken. Recent large fires in Glasgow and Fife have been dealt with commendably by our front-line firef...

Joe Fagan (South Scotland) (Lab) Lab Chamber

General Question Time · Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Service Delivery Review)

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service board regarding the outcome of the service delivery review that is due to be considered on 22 June. (S7O-00022)

Stephen Flynn SNP Chamber

General Question Time · Active Travel (Funding)

I am happy to answer.If Mr Cole-Hamilton wishes to write to me, I will write back to him as swiftly as I possibly can.

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

General Question Time · Active Travel (Funding)

That was not quite on the nose for the general question, but do you want to respond, cabinet secretary?

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh North Western) (LD) LD Chamber

General Question Time · Active Travel (Funding)

I hope that the cabinet secretary will agree that one of the safest ways to get students from Kirkliston in my constituency to their catchment high school in South Queensferry is via the council-funded coach service that has been operating well there for several years. A decis...

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

General Question Time · Active Travel (Funding)

I realise that everyone is finding their feet, including me. I remind members that they should only press their button if they want to ask a supplementary to the general question that has been asked.Alex Cole-Hamilton has a supplementary.

Lloyd Melville (Angus South) (SNP) SNP Chamber

General Question Time · Active Travel (Funding)

My apologies, Presiding Officer. I pressed my button in error, thinking that I would have to do that for my general question later on.

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

General Question Time · Active Travel (Funding)

Lloyd Melville has a supplementary.

Julie MacDougall Reform Chamber

General Question Time · Active Travel (Funding)

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

General Question Time · Active Travel (Funding)

That is not relevant to this question. We are on supplementaries to the question that Patrick Harvie asked.

Julie MacDougall (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Reform) Reform Chamber

General Question Time · Active Travel (Funding)

I recently met the chief executive of Forth Valley College. It was incredibly harrowing to hear about how apprenticeship courses are being cut—

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

General Question Time · Active Travel (Funding)

Julie MacDougall has a supplementary.

Stephen Flynn SNP Chamber

General Question Time · Active Travel (Funding)

Mr Harvie will be pleased to know that £3.2 million is still going to regional transport partnerships—£1.6 million will be available for local direct awards and £1.4 million is going to bikeability schemes, which all our weans can benefit from. Of course, that forms part of a ...

Patrick Harvie Green Chamber

General Question Time · Active Travel (Funding)

I am sorry that the cabinet secretary did not choose to answer that question by explaining why the cut took place and why it took place during the election purdah period. I have returned to my job to meet local community organisations that are doing the work that the Scottish ...

The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport (Stephen Flynn) SNP Chamber

General Question Time · Active Travel (Funding)

I thank Patrick Harvie for his question, because it gives me the opportunity to restate what the First Minister said. We support cycling, walking and wheeling, which is why £226 million-worth of investment is going into sustainable and active travel. I am very proud of that—I ...

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green) Green Chamber

General Question Time · Active Travel (Funding)

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of comments made by the First Minister in the Parliament on 2 June that the Scottish Government prioritises active and safe travel routes and the encouragement of cycling, walking and wheeling, for what reason Transport Scotland reporte...

Stephen Kerr Con Chamber

Committee Conveners

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

Committee Conveners

Stephen Kerr (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con Chamber

Committee Conveners

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. For guidance, would it be possible for the same person to be nominated again in those circumstances?

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

Committee Conveners

The process is opened again for further nominations. However, to be clear, any other member who is nominated will have to come from the party from which the original member was selected.

Helen McDade Reform Chamber

Committee Conveners

What happens then?

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

Committee Conveners

If a candidate receives the majority of votes, that candidate will become the committee convener. If the majority is against it, that candidate will not be the committee convener.

Helen McDade (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Reform) Reform Chamber

Committee Conveners

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I just wonder what the process is. Can you explain what happens once a vote has been cast when there is only one candidate, so that we know what we are voting against?

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

Committee Conveners

Willie Rennie’s election as convener will be subject to election by secret ballot.Fifteen out of 15 convenerships will be subject to secret ballots.I have also received two valid nominations for convener of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee. The nomin...

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

Committee Conveners

Craig Hoy’s election as convener will be subject to election by secret ballot.Willie Rennie has been nominated as convener of the Transport Committee. If any member objects to his election as convener, please press your point-of-order button now.An objection was received.

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

Committee Conveners

Mark Ruskell’s election as convener will be subject to election by secret ballot.Craig Hoy has been nominated as convener of the Social Justice, Housing and Local Government Committee. If any member objects to his election as convener, please press your point-of-order button n...

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

Committee Conveners

Bob Doris’s election as convener will be subject to election by secret ballot.Mark Ruskell has been nominated as convener of the Rural Affairs Committee. If any member objects to his election as convener, please press your point-of-order button now.An objection was noted.

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

Committee Conveners

Paul Sweeney’s election as convener will be subject to election by secret ballot.Bob Doris has been nominated as convener of the Public Service Reform Committee. If any member objects to his election as convener, please press your point-of-order button now.An objection was noted.

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

Committee Conveners

Neil Bibby’s election as convener will be subject to election by secret ballot.Paul Sweeney has been nominated as convener of the Public Petitions Committee. If any member objects to his election as convener, please press your point-of-order button now.An objection was noted.

The Presiding Officer NPA Chamber

Committee Conveners

Helen McDade’s election as convener will be subject to election by secret ballot.Neil Bibby has been nominated as convener of the Public Audit Committee. If any member objects to his election as convener, please press your point-of-order button now.An objection was noted.

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Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 13 May 2015

13 May 2015 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Scottish Apprenticeship Week

Cunningham, Roseanna SNP Perthshire South and Kinross-shire Watch on SPTV

Can he give me one thing?

In the same item of business

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith) Lab

The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-13112, in the name of Roseanna Cunningham, on Scottish apprenticeship week. Members who wish to speak sho...

The Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training (Roseanna Cunningham) SNP

Thank you, Presiding Officer. I see the look in your eye and I will try to finish my speech in a little less time than that. Today is an opportunity to prom...

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD) LD

What the cabinet secretary said about having to overcome societal norms is correct. The cabinet secretary will be aware of the fairly significant discrepan...

Roseanna Cunningham SNP

We are looking at the issue very carefully because the difference is significant and we need to understand how it has come about. It will not have happened o...

Siobhan McMahon (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lab

I thank the cabinet secretary and the Government for holding this debate to celebrate Scottish apprenticeship week, and I welcome the money that the cabinet ...

Mike MacKenzie (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) SNP

As the person—I think—who trained the first female joiner in Argyll well over 20 years ago, I note, as I am sure Liam McArthur will confirm, that Orkney Isla...

Siobhan McMahon Lab

Yes, I totally agree, but, depressingly, the example that the member gave is just one in 20 years. I know that that was supposed to be positive, but we have ...

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Con

I will continue on the theme of common purpose and agreement. We, too welcome the debate, which takes place as we approach Scottish apprenticeship week and w...

The Minister for Youth and Women’s Employment (Annabelle Ewing) SNP

Will the member take a brief intervention?

The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott) Con

The member is in her final minute.

Mary Scanlon Con

I am running out of time—sorry. Another concern is that, although I welcome the Government’s announcements on modern apprenticeship starts, we need to look ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

We move to the open debate with six-minute speeches. I call on Gordon MacDonald, followed by Iain Gray. We are very tight for time today. 15:48

Gordon MacDonald (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) SNP

The focus for too long, across not just Scotland but also the United Kingdom, has been the view of some parents and educationists that the only path to a suc...

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab) Lab

The story of my family and of what happened in the generation between my father and me is—I think—a pretty typical one for the time. My dad left school at 14...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

You must draw to a close, please.

Iain Gray Lab

It is also true that the route through night school that my dad followed is now completely closed because of the changes in our college sector. If we really...

George Adam (Paisley) (SNP) SNP

I welcome this debate, which takes place in the build-up to next week’s Scottish apprenticeship week. Over the years, I have met many of the training organi...

Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lab

I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate on Scottish apprenticeship week. The commission on developing Scotland’s young workforce rightly highlighte...

Nigel Don (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP) SNP

It is amazing how quickly apprenticeship week comes around each year. I am looking forward once again to hosting an event in the Parliament. It takes place n...

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD) LD

As other members have done, I welcome the fact that we are having this debate in the run-up to Scottish apprenticeship week. In that context, I very much loo...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

You must close, please.

Liam McArthur LD

The Government has a decent story to tell on modern apprenticeships, but as the Equality and Human Rights Commission has observed: “we are missing a trick b...

Dennis Robertson (Aberdeenshire West) (SNP) SNP

We are here to celebrate the opportunities for people who are going into apprenticeships. I have listened very carefully to other members on areas in which o...

Hanzala Malik (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab

It is a pleasure to talk about Scottish apprenticeship week 2015. I am glad to see that the target set for 20,000 modern apprenticeship starts each year is o...

Roseanna Cunningham SNP

I listened carefully to Hanzala Malik’s comments and I understand that, although he welcomes some things, he has some concerns and criticisms. I would like t...

Hanzala Malik Lab

I could give the cabinet secretary so many. If the Presiding Officer gave me the time, I could give her examples all day.

Roseanna Cunningham SNP

Can he give me one thing?

Hanzala Malik Lab

To satisfy her appetite I will give her one thing that the Government can do. It could create an organisation with a structure that speaks to young minority ...

Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con

I reiterate our support for the Scottish Government’s motion and the priority that is placed on this very important issue. I add my support for Mary Scanlon’...

Roseanna Cunningham SNP

We have not covered all the relevant issues, because there has not been time in this debate about apprenticeships, but would the member accept that the growt...