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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 2,355,091 contributions. Latest 30 days: 148. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 14 May 2026.

Maureen Watt SNP Chamber

Portfolio Question Time · “Housing to 2040”

If in post after the election, will the minister be bold in following those recommendations, such as those on compulsory owners associations and building reserve funds, so that our wonderful tenement buildings such as the granite ones in Torry in my constituency and across Abe...

5. Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) SNP Chamber

Portfolio Question Time · “Housing to 2040”

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to take forward the recommendations by the tenement maintenance working group in its strategy, “Housing to 2040”. (S5O-05158)

Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) SNP Chamber

Covid-19 (Reflections and Next Steps)

As we mark a year since the start of lockdown restrictions, it is impossible to ignore the toll on people’s mental health and the subsequent demand for mental health services. Will the First Minister outline the Scottish Government’s plans to respond to the increase in demand ...

Maureen Watt SNP Chamber

Drug Deaths and Harms

Yes. I beg your pardon, Presiding Officer. I hope that you heard that first bit. It struck me, when I was preparing for this debate, that my first speech in Parliament, which I gave in committee room 2 because a beam had come down in the chamber, was on drug harm. It is a rea...

Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) SNP Chamber

Drug Deaths and Harms

Thank you, Presiding Officer. When I put my name forward to speak in the debate, I did not think that this might be my last speech in the chamber. As a member of the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee, I have been fully involved in helping my friend Emma Harper to get he...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Potatoes are mentioned on page 9, convener.

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Subordinate Legislation

As a result of Brexit, the seed potato industry was thrown completely under the bus. I notice that potato tubers are mentioned on the list of plants and other things. Is there any way in which the draft regulations can help the lucrative and important Scottish seed potato indu...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Transport (Update)

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Transport (Update)

My questions are similar to Jamie Halcro Johnston’s, but they relate to the A96 dualling project, which is due for completion in 2030—five years later than the A9 project. The recently published infrastructure investment plan states that only £20 million of the £3 billion esti...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Transport (Update)

On the increase in vehicle usage, can you drill down into what types of vehicles those are? If people are staying at home and getting deliveries rather than going out to shop, has that led to the increase? We do not have control of vehicle taxation, which is still a reserved ...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Transport (Update)

In Aberdeen, none of the changes was made in consultation with the bus companies.

Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) SNP Committee

Transport (Update)

Good morning, cabinet secretary. With regard to pop-up bus infrastructure, I hope that you will carry out a good review of how the money was spent throughout local authorities. It should focus on Aberdeen, where bus stops were moved from their normal places and street furnitur...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Parliament Practices and Procedures

Clearly, I will not be in the Parliament in the next session, but my observation is that although, personally, I like the hybrid system, I do not really like speaking in debates down the line, so to speak. We lose something from debates, because interventions are not as common...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Both, really. 09:15

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Subordinate Legislation

What sort of supervision or oversight will there be? I can foresee that there will be breaches of the coronavirus rules in relation to this.

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Are family members still able to take one member of their family—an older or infirm member of their family—in the car to the polling station?

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Do you not think that they should? With the best will in the world and the best publicity in the world, there will be people who will not realise that their normal, friendly political party that they belong to or support will not be able to transport them as it has done for el...

Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) SNP Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Minister, in your statement to Parliament yesterday on coronavirus and the uptake of postal votes, you mentioned that political parties’ transporting electors to polling stations in their cars, as they normally do, would not be allowed, unless it is family, I suppose, and they...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Yes, he said to us: “the First Minister is duty bound to act if she has a reasonable belief that her Government is in danger of behaving in an unlawful fashion.”—Official Report, Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints, 26 February 2021; c 41. ...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

So, if he did not say to you at the time that you should do that then, why do you think that he is saying it now?

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

To follow on from Alex Cole-Hamilton’s questioning, Mr Salmond said to us that he thought that you should have informed officials in the civil service as soon as it became clear that the meeting of 2 April was related to a Government matter. Did he say that to you at the meeti...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

In his evidence, the Lord Advocate highlighted the importance of focusing on the complainers when it came to the decisions to concede the judicial review. Did protecting the complainers and their complaints play a role in the fact that it took quite a while to decide whether t...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Committee members were allowed to read the report by the former director general of organisational development and operations, Sarah Davidson. The permanent secretary said that the decision that she took after reading that report “was to concede—indeed, that was also the advi...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

A lot of this has been covered in earlier evidence sessions with senior civil servants. Nonetheless, the ACAS guidance on sexual harassment states: “If they do not want to tell the police, you should still encourage them to do so. You might still need to report it but should ...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

What about the question on whether you think the policy should have been debated in Parliament? 10:00

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

It is okay. Finally, do you think that the policy that related to the civil service should have been discussed in Parliament, as someone suggested?

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Did that influence the way that you looked at the policy?

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

At the time of the commissioning of the new procedure, were you aware of any concerns being raised about the behaviour of any current or former minister?

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Was the new policy or procedure discussed at Cabinet, and how often during the process of drawing up the new procedure and its iterations was it discussed?

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

It is clear from our evidence that, prior to the introduction of the procedure, complaints were sometimes handled informally; we heard Dave Penman of the civil servants union talking about concerns about instances being handled informally—for example, staff were moved on so th...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Under the fairness at work procedure, mediation is an option that is available in cases of complaints against current ministers, so why is there a difference between mediation being available to current ministers but not in relation to former ministers?

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Much has been made about the time difference in devising the policies. Fairness at work was devised over 18 months or so and the new policy took a relatively short time to produce. Did you encourage that? Did you want it to be done very quickly?

Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Good morning. I would like to concentrate on the creation of the new procedure in the light of the #MeToo movement. When Mr Salmond gave evidence, he questioned whether there was any need to create a new procedure. He questioned why fairness at work was not simply edited to “s...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Okay. We can take it up with the Parliament’s lawyers, too. Thank you very much.

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Thank you. I am thinking about what you just said in answer to Stuart McMillan. The SPCB redacted five paragraphs from Mr Salmond’s submissions. You said that you, as the Crown, will draw attention to publishers on what they publish and what they do not. Was each of those reda...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

From your recollection, you would think that the Government’s case in relation to the other aspects of the judicial review was robust—although we will never know, because they were not proved in court.

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Inaudible.—brought up again in relation to that. We have also heard a lot about the prospect of junior and senior counsel withdrawing in relation to the judicial review if the Government’s case was not conceded. Much of what I have heard seems to suggest that this was someho...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Yes, and matters that are a lot more important have come before this Parliament in this session. I move on to the judicial review decision. It has been said in evidence that the judicial review declared the Scottish Government’s policy in relation to harassment—the policy its...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

In my lifetime, it was asked that the legal advice on the Iraq war be published. That is the main example that we think about. In your experience, is it typical for Parliaments to pass motions asking for legal advice to be disclosed?

Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

As I am last, a number of my questions have already been asked, so I will be as brief as possible. Throughout the inquiry, we have heard a lot about legal professional privilege, or LPP. Lord Advocate, will you explain how LPP typically operates for the Scottish Government?

Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) SNP Chamber

Scottish Parliamentary Elections 2021

Can the minister provide any further information on steps that the Government is taking to raise awareness of postal voting, particularly among the elderly, vulnerable and less mobile, given that it will not be possible for anyone other than, possibly, family to give them a li...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Mr Salmond, you said in your written evidence that you support protecting the anonymity of complainers and that you have upheld that at every stage in the process, yet you have provided material directly to committee MSPs, some of which was then leaked into the public domain. ...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

I have just one other point. You said that mediation could have been pursued, or that arbitration could have been a much better means. Any human resources professional would say that, in a sexual harassment case, both mediation and arbitration are totally unsuitable.

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

May I go back to the timing of the concession of the judicial review? Of course, the judicial review was conceded on the basis of only one issue, which was the contact between the complainants and the investigating officer. When the committee talked to Paul Cackette, he said: ...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

I will take that as a no, then. We have heard evidence that one of the matters that eventually resulted in a complaint against you was resolved by your apologising to the woman in question. Was it typical for issues like that to be resolved via an apology rather than through ...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Was the fairness at work policy discussed and debated in Parliament?

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

On the likelihood of women coming forward to report sexual harassment, Sir Peter Housden said that “a formal procedure” on sexual harassment “is one of the safeguards that would make that more likely.”—Official Report, Committee on Scottish Government Handling of Harassment...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

We have been shown a staff survey by the FDA that highlights a lack of confidence among civil servants in making complaints about bullying and harassment. Would you agree that there was a clear problem with the underreporting of bullying and harassment generally and sexual har...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

It appears, from the evidence that we have received, that complaints were handled informally when you were First Minister. Sir Peter Housden, your former permanent secretary, stated that “no formal complaints” were received when he was in post, and Dave Penman of the FDA discu...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

In the evidence that we have heard, people have said that it would have taken a considerable amount of work to refit the fairness at work policy, that the fairness at work policy did not have a specific focus on sexual harassment and that the revelations of the #MeToo movement...

Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) SNP Committee

Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Good afternoon, Mr Salmond. I will follow on from Margaret Mitchell’s questioning. The evidence that we have received shows that there were voices who supported a robust response to the revelations of the #MeToo movement. The First Minister supported such a response, as did th...

Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) SNP Committee

Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

I welcome amendment 30, which is a helpful one. As Jamie Halcro Johnston said, grazing in woodlands is becoming increasingly common. That is because we know that, in many cases, bracken is a nuisance. We are not only talking about cattle grazing in woodlands, as pigs are quite...

Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) SNP Chamber

What discussions have been had with the UK Government about the continuation of the furlough scheme to reflect the needs of Scotland’s approach to the existing lockdown that the First Minister has outlined today? Will any further discussions take place in the light of today’s ...

Maureen Watt SNP Chamber

Portfolio Question Time · Covid-19 (Young People at Risk of Offending)

I thank the minister for her answer, and I associate myself with her thanks to the police. Torry, in my constituency, has recently seen an upsurge in small-scale youth vandalism. Prior to Covid and its restrictions, Police Scotland, along with partners such as streetsport Sco...

4. Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) SNP Chamber

Portfolio Question Time · Covid-19 (Young People at Risk of Offending)

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with Police Scotland to engage with young people who are at risk of offending during the Covid-19 pandemic. (S5O-05028)

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

I do not disagree with anything that has been said about the importance of these issues and the likelihood of them being on-going. However, it is important to close these petitions, because it allows the petitioners to consider what has happened—or not—and to take into account...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2021-22

As well as talking about building back better and greener, we also talk about the wellbeing economy. How much, if at all, does your portfolio deliver for the wellbeing economy? You and I helped to establish Jim Hume’s rural mental health forum. Is that now self-sustaining or d...

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2021-22

I am finding it quite difficult to identify what a “green job” is. How would you identify a new green job in the rural economy, specifically, which would be able to use some of that £3.2 million in funding? 11:30

Maureen Watt SNP Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2021-22

I can probably cover that over a couple of questions. As a result of the pandemic, we are all looking at building back better and embracing the low-carbon economy. I notice that the new budget line for the low-carbon economy will provide £3.2 million for “green jobs funding ...

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Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 24 March 2021

24 Mar 2021 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Portfolio Question Time

“Housing to 2040”

Communities and Local Government

Watt, Maureen SNP Aberdeen South and North Kincardine Watch on SPTV

If in post after the election, will the minister be bold in following those recommendations, such as those on compulsory owners associations and building reserve funds, so that our wonderful tenement buildings such as the granite ones in Torry in my constituency and across Aberdeen will restored to their former glory?

In the same item of business

5. Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) SNP

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to take forward the recommendations by the tenement maintenance working group in its strategy, “Housing to 2040”....

The Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning (Kevin Stewart) SNP

Our new long-term housing strategy, “Housing to 2040”, sets out our intention to introduce a new housing standard so that everyone can expect the same high s...

Maureen Watt SNP

If in post after the election, will the minister be bold in following those recommendations, such as those on compulsory owners associations and building res...

Kevin Stewart SNP

We intend to undertake research this year that will consider the need for building reserve funds for tenement dwellings and mandatory owners associations for...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

That was too much information, Mr Stewart. Laughter. We will move on quickly.