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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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Showing 60 of 2,096,228 contributions. Latest 30 days: 3,758. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 11 Jun 2026.

Mr McAveety Lab Chamber

Scottish Executive Question Time · Community Payback Orders

Can the cabinet secretary justify the £10,000 expense to the taxpayer of keeping the individual who breached the first community payback order in prison due to his refusal to conform to the expectations of the CPO? What will he do if others who are issued with community paybac...

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Chamber

Scottish Executive Question Time · Community Payback Orders

6. To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on how community payback orders are working. (S3O-13350)

Mr McAveety Lab Chamber

Scottish Executive Question Time · Child Poverty

One of the key ways to tackle generational poverty is to invest increasingly in the early years and in the school estate at primary level. In the east end of Glasgow, our statistics are challenging to say the least. Irrespective of that, can the minister give any indication of...

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Chamber

Scottish Executive Question Time · Child Poverty

2. To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to Save the Children’s report, “Severe Child Poverty in Scotland”. (S3O-13140)

Mr McAveety Lab Chamber

“Session 3 reports of the Public Audit Committee—key themes”

I hope that the minister will reflect on those things in his response at the end of the debate.10:28

Mr McAveety Lab Chamber

“Session 3 reports of the Public Audit Committee—key themes”

That exemplifies the difficult nuances with which we are dealing. When we have, with that understanding, probed some of those folk who have appeared at committee in the past few months, we do not quite get those responses.However, that is a general issue in Scotland. As a smal...

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Chamber

“Session 3 reports of the Public Audit Committee—key themes”

First, I tender my apologies. A prior commitment means that, after making this speech, I have to go and meet representatives of a significant organisation in my constituency.I echo what fellow members have said about the work that has been done behind the scenes, by the clerks...

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

In answer to Anne McLaughlin, you said that you thought that the word “bad” was difficult. Why do you not feel the same about the word “good”?

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

I think that the term “shared discussions” was used in response to Nicol Stephen, on the subject of discussions between officials and ministers. Did ministers say that they thought that, once funding was acquired, it might be sensible for Transport Scotland to come off the boa...

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

Nicol Stephen asked earlier about equivalent projects. Obviously, this is an especially large project with particular governance structures in Edinburgh. This is not a speculative question, but will you confirm that there are no other projects of similar stature that Transport...

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

I understand that, but I am asking whether there was anything in the papers that you have seen to indicate that there were any discussions over whether, if funding were acquired, Transport Scotland would come off the board?

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

From your recollection of the papers that you read, were there any debates about coming off the board once funding had been acquired?

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

In earlier evidence, you said that you had reviewed some papers. Could anything be lurking in paragraphs in the murky recesses of those papers that could help us to understand the thinking?

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

When Transport Scotland was on the board, was there any discussion about whether, once funding was acquired, it would be good practice to come off the board? Have you seen any evidence of that?

Mr McAveety Lab Chamber

Scottish Executive Question Time · Community Court (Glasgow East End)

I note that the minister’s response is not quite what was promised and committed to in the Scottish Government’s early years. That is disappointing for my constituents in the east end, who were supportive of the establishment of a community court for Glasgow, particularly to r...

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Chamber

Scottish Executive Question Time · Community Court (Glasgow East End)

4. To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to reconsider establishing a community court in the east end of Glasgow. (S3O-13084)

Mr McAveety Lab Chamber

That is obviously testament to the fantastic work of the local constituency MSP in generating that level of investment in the east end of Glasgow. The important question that I raised in my nuanced contribution was whether that can continue. Robert Crawford’s letter to the Gov...

Mr McAveety Lab Chamber

Will the member give way?

Mr McAveety Lab Chamber

Will the member give way?

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Chamber

Understandably, much of today’s debate has been about the past, because many of the communities that we represent have been shaped and defined by their history. Duncan McNeil made a passionate speech about how the private sector used to be a substantial contributor to the gene...

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

And would you have applied for the job?

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

Nicol Stephen asked Richard Jeffrey about governance arrangements, and Richard said that they had not been raised with him. Dave, did I hear you say that they had not been raised with you either? I heard you say that, but I do not think that the whole committee heard. I would ...

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

What role is there for national direction in the debate, given that despite the publication of a major report little has changed dramatically?The differences between Scotland and England were mentioned. Is remoteness an issue? We had particularly bad winters last year and this...

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

In much of this discussion it seems that personal testimonies are required. It would be helpful if committee members helped each other in their appeals to local authorities.This is an emerging major issue, and the recent weather has certainly made the situation much worse. I t...

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

Why is that not in the report?

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

And it is off the road.

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

In the process of pulling the report together, have you had an informal discussion about that with Transport Scotland, or can you not do that at the moment?

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

Was TIE aware of those concerns about either the present or the future when you were drafting the report? Does it understand the concerns? I hope that it will not experience the situation to which you have alluded and lose staff.

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

Earlier you talked about the point that is made on page 6 about the staff complement and the staff skills mix in TIE. Is there an adequate skills mix to deal with everything in the project at the moment? On page 6 you allude to the fact that there may be issues with that in th...

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

My question is about staff issues.

Mr McAveety Lab Chamber

Scottish Executive Question Time · School Estate (Glasgow)

Can the cabinet secretary name a school investment that has been commissioned and built from resources available from the Scottish Futures Trust in the Glasgow Shettleston constituency since 2007?

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Chamber

Scottish Executive Question Time · School Estate (Glasgow)

4. To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it has made available to fund school estate investment in Glasgow since 2007. (S3O-12879)

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

Whatever you want it to.

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

It looks like a game of battleships.

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Chamber

Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

There has been broad consensus on the subject of the bill irrespective of the political affiliations of colleagues on the Public Petitions Committee. The reason for our visit to Govanhill was to try to understand more about the situation. I have more knowledge about Govanhill ...

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Chamber

First Minister’s Question Time · Secretary of State for Scotland (Meetings)

I welcome the First Minister’s comments about jobs, economic growth and fairness. Does he think that it is right and fair to slash the budgets of urban regeneration companies across Scotland? Will he ask his enterprise minister to intervene to prevent the 46 per cent cut in th...

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

European Union Budget (Europe 2020 and Cohesion Policy)

It has been turbulent but wonderful.Bill Wilson and I engaged in mini-coalition politics by visiting the European Parliament in early December. One of the key messages that came out of our trip—and which was reflected in the earlier discussion about the issue of Scottish engag...

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Committee

European Union Budget (Europe 2020 and Cohesion Policy)

Cabinet secretary, I have followed your career so well that I know your title accurately.

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

Leave the facts to the others, Robert, and you can speculate.

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

I do not think that there was ever a golden age. I have taught in older secondary schools in which you could feel the chill in the air for the whole day—in fact, you got warmer when you stepped outside some of the classrooms. That is not always the case with PPP, but there hav...

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Committee

Section 23 Report

You have covered many of the points in your responses. There are two big difficulties here. One is that the incentive that was there before is no longer there because of the spending review. That is a genuinely retrograde step, and the committee should explore it with the UK G...

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Chamber

Scotland’s Irish Diaspora

I had not intended to speak in the debate—Anne McLaughlin prompted me to do so this morning, during a committee meeting—although I wanted to stay and hear the speeches.I want to reflect on some critically important themes. Joe FitzPatrick talked about the journeys of Irish peo...

Mr McAveety Lab Chamber

Scottish Executive Question Time · Budget 2011-12 (College Bursary Funding)

I thank the cabinet secretary for her reply. I mean, I thank the new minister for her reply. Sorry about that.Does the minister share my regret that many colleges in Scotland have had to reduce their bursary support to students and many have had to close their doors to prospec...

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab Chamber

Scottish Executive Question Time · Budget 2011-12 (College Bursary Funding)

2. To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it considers the real-terms reduction in college bursary funding announced in the 2011-12 draft budget will have on further education students. (S3O-12508)

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

If we are looking for a name, I see that that guy George has disappeared. You are back to having “Gordon Hanning” on your nameplate, so you are fine.

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

Was the firm the main beneficiary of the high consultancy fees?

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

Audit Scotland thought that private sector advisers had too much influence. How many private sector advisors were there? Are we talking about a single contractor?

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

He was last rumoured to be on a tour bus somewhere in the north of Scotland.We know that there is a high risk with technology. If you had been in this position in 2004, what two things would you have done immediately that you found out in 2006 had not been done?

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

Your predecessors did not do basic budget figures. Is that what you are really saying?

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

As soon as you walked through the door in 2006, what alarm bells rang when you saw the project that was handed to you?

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

Mr Hanning, did you say that you inherited this in 2006?

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

I am tempted to say that, if I found myself in a court, I would find it remarkable if an evidence trail were similar to the evidence trail that we have heard about today.I want to ask about three things. We have been very concerned about value for money. We know from the previ...

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

I do not know whether Nicol Stephen wants to come in at this point, because he has some knowledge of the time in question.

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

Does your organisation have an annual review of issues that have been thrown up, including concerns about fraud? Have you discussed at a senior level how you wish to address fraud?

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

If one or two companies—perhaps larger companies—had been involved in fraud and you had to take action, how would you fill the gap if they were unable to provide the service?

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

Does it not worry you that nearly a tenth of the organisations that you represent are perhaps not doing what you would like them to do? Do you have no responsibility to try to sort that out?

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

We know that eight companies are being investigated. Two cases have certainly been sent to the courts for further deliberation and that is probably being considered for the others.Short of going to court, if you are aware that a company has figures that are perhaps not as accu...

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

What is the total number of operators under your auspices?

Mr McAveety Lab Committee

Section 23 Reports

What is the timescale for that process? If companies are being investigated, does Transport Scotland make you aware of that at all?

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Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 17 March 2011

17 Mar 2011 · S3 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Scottish Executive Question Time

Community Payback Orders

General Questions

McAveety, Mr Frank Lab Glasgow Shettleston Watch on SPTV

Can the cabinet secretary justify the £10,000 expense to the taxpayer of keeping the individual who breached the first community payback order in prison due to his refusal to conform to the expectations of the CPO? What will he do if others who are issued with community payback orders exhibit the same pattern of conduct?

In the same item of business

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) Lab

6. To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on how community payback orders are working. (S3O-13350)

The Cabinet Secretary for Justice (Kenny MacAskill) SNP

The provisions for the community payback order have been in force for only a little over a month. The significant work that went into planning and preparing ...

Mr McAveety Lab

Can the cabinet secretary justify the £10,000 expense to the taxpayer of keeping the individual who breached the first community payback order in prison due ...

Kenny MacAskill SNP

I do not interfere in the independence of the judiciary, but I fully support any action that a sheriff feels it is necessary to take. If that is sending some...