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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.

129
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2,096,228
Hansard contributions
1999–2026
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Showing 60 of 2,096,228 contributions. Latest 30 days: 3,758. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 11 Jun 2026.
Ian Welsh (Ayr) (Lab): Lab Chamber
16 Dec 1999
Hampden Park
The minister will be well aware of my view that public money could have been used more productively to finance and promote football in ways other than building a new national stadium. However, the stadium having been built, is the minister completely satisfied that the rescue ...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
08 Dec 1999
Special Educational Needs
Of course.
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
08 Dec 1999
Special Educational Needs
I would be disappointed if the Scottish Executive, or the Parliament, went down the road of simply appointing consultants every time a special adviser was needed. I would much prefer short-term secondments to be considered as another possibility.
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
08 Dec 1999
Special Educational Needs
Could Gillian Baxendine—or, as he is here, Mike Russell—tell us whether the adviser would work on a consultancy basis, or would he or she be seconded from another organisation to which we would pay the cost of the salary?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
08 Dec 1999
Special Educational Needs
Do you mean that the person must not have worked on those reports exclusively?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
08 Dec 1999
Improvement in Scottish Education Bill
In countries where the schools are fully funded, what has been the experience of tension between the Steiner Waldorf approach and a national system of examination and accreditation?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
08 Dec 1999
Improvement in Scottish Education Bill
I am just showing my doodle to the rest of the committee—it is remarkably similar.
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
08 Dec 1999
Improvement in Scottish Education Bill
One of the problems in mainstream schools is dealing with children with special needs and those with behavioural disorders. How do you deal with such children in your schools?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
08 Dec 1999
Improvement in Scottish Education Bill
How do you ensure that the teacher is skilled enough to deliver the curriculum?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
08 Dec 1999
Improvement in Scottish Education Bill
What about the teacher and the teaching approaches? Are you confident that you can guarantee a high degree of skill? How do you monitor teaching quality?
Ian Welsh (Ayr) (Lab): Lab Committee
08 Dec 1999
Improvement in Scottish Education Bill
As a former teacher, I want to know a little more about what makes your curriculum distinctive. What different types of teaching approaches do you have?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
01 Dec 1999
Improvement in Scottish Education Bill
The Government is entitled to make further proposals.
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
01 Dec 1999
Special Educational Needs
We should not forget that the Riddell report and the subject of special educational needs are mutually inclusive. Did the committee discuss at the previous meeting the appointment of a special adviser, which Mike Russell raised at the meeting before that?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
01 Dec 1999
National Arts Companies
To be fair, I should mention that Sandy Orr says that it now appears that there is little or no overspend on "Macbeth".When I worked in a local authority, people like Bill English advised me on budgeting procedures. There are prudent accountancy measures as well as measures th...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
01 Dec 1999
National Arts Companies
You may be aware that Sandy Orr delivered a robust and persuasive statement that confirms your view. The difficulty with deficit budgeting is that, if a company has financial problems during the year, any problematic situation is exacerbated.I did not get the papers until this...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
01 Dec 1999
National Arts Companies
To continue the work of this reconciliation commission, perhaps you can lay to rest or rebut a comment that Paul Scott made in his article in The Herald. He said that the Scottish Arts Council"has been hostile, deceitful, and manipulative".Do you have any comments on that?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
01 Dec 1999
National Arts Companies
I understand that the impact on the invisible economy would be huge, but the additional money for the arts will have to come from the budgets for local authorities, local development, tourism, or whatever. You have to appreciate that if the money does not come from within the ...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
01 Dec 1999
National Arts Companies
I support putting more money into the arts. In response to Jamie Stone's question about redistributing money within the arts budget, you implied that that should not happen and suggested that there were options. You will appreciate that there would have to be if the Scottish E...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
01 Dec 1999
National Arts Companies
I was not trying to do that. I simply wanted to address the point about a permanent base that Paul Scott had written about in his article. I wanted to be clear that we are not talking about a permanent base or building.
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
01 Dec 1999
National Arts Companies
From what Hamish Glen said, I assumed that the Scottish national theatre could be in a back hall in Stornoway, in the Gaiety Theatre in Ayr, or wherever the company was performing. I want to be clear about this, because it is a question that Brian Monteith raised when we first...
Ian Welsh (Ayr) (Lab): Lab Committee
01 Dec 1999
National Arts Companies
A nice consensus is developing about the model. I would like to ask Paul Scott a question. You said—and I know that you will remember this:"Theatre directors, in the past, have been reduced to an untypical, embarrassed silence when they have been asked where the national theat...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
23 Nov 1999
National Arts Companies
Is it the simple fact that baseline funding is inadequate to fulfil the vision that has been set for the national companies?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
23 Nov 1999
National Arts Companies
I accept that; I just want to establish whether there can be any solution to the problem of the budget black hole that has been created by the reorganisation of local government. Is the advancement funding process in which you are involved, Simon, an attempt to reincorporate w...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
23 Nov 1999
National Arts Companies
I pick up on a point that you made earlier, which Brian Monteith mentioned in the previous exchange. Local government reorganisation since 1996 has significantly affected revenues for both your companies and has presumably impacted on the range of partnership projects in local...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
23 Nov 1999
National Arts Companies
I will not repeat the question that I asked of the RSNO; I will take it as read that the business of annualising budgets causes the SCO some operational difficulty. I think that it was Simon Crookall who said that ambition costs money. Equally, I am aware that advocates of Sco...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
23 Nov 1999
National Arts Companies
Have you asked that question of the SAC?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
23 Nov 1999
National Arts Companies
Why do you think that, of all the national companies, the RSNO is the only one not to have been offered index-linked funding from next year?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
23 Nov 1999
National Arts Companies
Would you like your accumulated deficits to be written off, as those of other companies are?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
23 Nov 1999
National Arts Companies
I want to explore the issue of the accumulated deficits. Would you expand on that for us?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
23 Nov 1999
National Arts Companies
Would you rather that the budget was allocated in another way?
Ian Welsh (Ayr) (Lab): Lab Committee
23 Nov 1999
National Arts Companies
Last week, Sandy Orr told us about the problem of dealing with grants on an annual basis and the inability to build up reserves. Are you satisfied with the way in which your budget is articulated by the demands of the Scottish Executive?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
09 Nov 1999
Evidence
I do not believe that the minister was stonewalling. I think that she was being appropriately circumspect. The SFA placed a contract with the City of Glasgow Council; I heard its comments this morning on the appropriate managers of the facility. I agree with Brian Monteith's c...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
09 Nov 1999
Evidence
I congratulate Rhona and her officials on painstakingly assisting in facilitating the rescue package for what will be a glorious national facility. The committee knows my views, but I repeat that I do not believe that there was a need for a new Hampden. Our needs were well ser...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
09 Nov 1999
Evidence
I want to repeat what I have said from the beginning. At what is still a delicate stage of the negotiations, it is entirely appropriate for the minister to be circumspect. Nicola says that the questions that she is asking are historical. They are not historical; the negotiatio...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
09 Nov 1999
Evidence
With respect, Mary, it is important that we receive clarification—
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
09 Nov 1999
Evidence
I do not think that it is necessarily our function to interrogate ministers all day. I am interested in pursuing Brian. Does he believe that Scottish Opera's money should be cut?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
09 Nov 1999
Evidence
You start.
Ian Welsh (Ayr) (Lab): Lab Committee
09 Nov 1999
Evidence
I have been working with a chap called Pete Heywood who edits a magazine called "The Living Tradition". We are trying to set up a traditional arts summer school or workshop in Ayrshire, but it has been quite difficult to put together the funding package to assist that process....
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Invitations
Frankly, I do not think that this is appropriate for us.
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Petition
It is an important matter but it would be more appropriate for the local authority to deal with it. I am sure that the local authority is dealing with it. I do not have a problem with Mike's suggestion, but I am pretty sure that the issue will have been addressed in the local ...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Work Programme
So that we do not focus too narrowly on whether there is a hole in the roof—although that is important—we must bear in mind what constitutes an adequate school. That relates to car parking, up-to-date technology resources, libraries and other issues.
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Work Programme
My point is that there would be no duplication.
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Work Programme
The session could take place on any day.
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Work Programme
Nicola and I obviously disagree on that point.
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Work Programme
I disagree with Nicola. I think that we will have substantial agreement on the McCrone submission. However, that is a matter for another day.Presumably the report will have two consultation phases. The Education, Culture and Sport Committee could invite a range of interested p...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Work Programme
I suggested three issues that rapporteurs could examine: sports in schools, Scottish film and consultation, which you picked up on. I had forgotten that Children in Scotland was coming back to the committee. The bigger issues were special educational needs, national companies ...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Work Programme
I would prefer to hear what the professionals have to say about the issue first. Afterwards, the committee can take a view as to whether the teaching of history is inadequate or not.
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Work Programme
Yes, but it would be an interesting conversation for those who do not know what is taught in history in Scottish schools to have before we took a decision—I speak as a trained history teacher.
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Work Programme
Before we make a decision on a rapporteur for Scottish history, I would like us to invite a delegation from the organisation responsible for the delivery of history teaching in Scottish schools to tell us what goes on.
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Work Programme
It might be helpful if we were to crystallise the discussion. I have jotted down an idea and I wonder whether the committee would like to take a view on it.I think that national companies, school infrastructure and special educational needs are issues that the committee should...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Work Programme
I will concentrate on special needs. I am wary of waiting for the Executive to respond on special needs. My experience is that Governments talk up the issue but deliver at a very low level. We cannot yet judge whether this Executive will deliver more than any previous Governme...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Work Programme
I want to reiterate that I do not think that we should attempt to lever ourselves into the delicate negotiations that might still be going on. Irrespective of what Fiona says about the need for information—I am as pleased as the next person to receive information—I would prefe...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Work Programme
Nicola's approach is much more sensible, with respect. I would be happy to see a briefing note or statement prepared by the Executive, to show the extent to which there is a move towards a conclusion in the negotiations on what is clearly a package to rescue the project. I am ...
Ian Welsh (Ayr) (Lab): Lab Committee
03 Nov 1999
Work Programme
I disagree—
Ian Welsh (Ayr) (Lab): Lab Chamber
28 Oct 1999
Fisheries Council
Is the minister aware of the outstanding success of the electronic fish market at Troon? How will the European Community address the key issues of quality and marketing in the fishing industry?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
06 Oct 1999
Teachers' Pay
Nicola has asked about this five or six times. She knows that I am prepared to support positions on a non-partisan basis. The EIS position is quite clear: this was not a matter of resources—the offer was deeply flawed and incoherent, as Malcolm MacIver said. The real issues we...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
06 Oct 1999
Teachers' Pay
Can The Scotsman?
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
06 Oct 1999
Teachers' Pay
Does the minister agree that there is an opportunity to have a wide-ranging review of and a fresh look at management structures in our schools? Does he further agree—and this has not happened during the process—that there should be an agreement on the way forward, rather than ...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
06 Oct 1999
Teachers' Pay
The local authority budget settlement is a red herring, Mike. As most local authority budgets were set in March, there is already an amount for settlements. The settlements exist for the purpose of setting council tax levels. If another settlement comes in above or below the b...
Ian Welsh: Lab Committee
06 Oct 1999
Teachers' Pay
You have given your view on the SJNC. After you have seen the report of Professor McCrone's committee, what will be your view on the future of national collective bargaining?
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Chamber

Plenary, 16 Dec 1999

16 Dec 1999 · S1 · Plenary
Item of business
Hampden Park
Welsh, Ian Lab Ayr Watch on SPTV
The minister will be well aware of my view that public money could have been used more productively to finance and promote football in ways other than building a new national stadium. However, the stadium having been built, is the minister completely satisfied that the rescue package, which I know to have been the product of tortuous negotiations, is robust enough to be sustainable in the longer term?

In the same item of business

The Presiding Officer (Sir David Steel): NPA
We come now to the statement on Hampden Park. As this statement is rather longer than is usual, I will time the 20 minutes' question time from when the minis...
The Minister for Children and Education (Mr Sam Galbraith): Lab
With permission, Presiding Officer, I would like to make a statement. As members will be aware, Queen's Park Football Club and its subsidiary, the National S...
Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): SNP
Does the minister think that it has been acceptable for the Executive to proceed in this matter by way of continual briefings to the press, while refusing—as...
Mr Galbraith: Lab
Even for the SNP, that was a super-girn. Ms Sturgeon must stop making wild accusations that are completely and utterly untrue. She has made a great fool of h...
Nicola Sturgeon: SNP
Rubbish.
Mr Galbraith: Lab
Ms Sturgeon obviously thinks that I am lying and she must be able to justify that. That is a serious accusation, Presiding Officer. I hope that she will see ...
Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): Con
Does the minister agree that the directors of Queen's Park Football Club have displayed only too well their adherence to the amateur principle in their appro...
Mr Galbraith: Lab
I like Mr Monteith's last point on wanting the public to start taking up shares in private companies—that isdeparture for a Tory politician. an interesting M...
Mr Monteith: Con
I am not the ideologue The Herald says I am.
Mr Galbraith: Lab
Not the ideologue, he says.Mr Monteith raises a number of issues. I do not think that it is helpful to look at the past to find who was responsible for what ...
Mike Watson (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): Lab
I should declare an interest: I am a tenant of Queen's Park Football Club, as my constituency office is there. I welcome the statement and the fact that the ...
Mr Galbraith: Lab
As I pointed out, the agreement with Queen's Park is that it is leasing the stadium to the SFA, which will pay the club an agreed amount under the lease arra...
Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): SNP
The minister has just stated that he was first aware of the problems when the Millennium Commission drew them to his attention in July, but that he was happy...
Mr Galbraith: Lab
I am not quite sure of the basis for that question, but I think that it is a nasty one. Have I been a guest? I can give a definite answer, because the record...
Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): Lab
Will the minister explain why he was not able to give a briefing to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee on this matter prior to his statement? Given t...
Mr Galbraith: Lab
I will be delighted—as always—to come along to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee and be questioned on these matters. That is an important part of th...
Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): LD
The minister explained that the Government's monitoring has been adequate and correct, but the net result has not been adequate and correct. Does he plan to ...
Mr Galbraith: Lab
We will certainly want to review our monitoring arrangements to find out whether we could have detected signs of trouble. Our monitoring arrangements were ve...
Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): *
Bearing in mind that many millions of pounds of public money, including lottery money, has gone into the Hampden project, will the minister ensure that the R...
Mr Galbraith: Lab
The basis of legal agreements is that no one holds anyone to ransom. One of the reasons for the financial problems at Hampden is that two thirds of the deben...
Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): Lab
I thank the minister for his statement. Although it is unfortunate that the stadium ran over budget, I welcome the fact that the Executive has recognised its...
Mr Galbraith: Lab
As the Executive was not established until July this year, when people became aware of the deficit, it had almost no part in monitoring the project; sportsco...
Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): SNP
I hope Mr Galbraith will not use the word "nasty" about me. SNP members have not had much luck up to now; every time we have asked a question, he has given a...
The Presiding Officer: NPA
Please exercise that right.
Ms White: SNP
I will. How will the deal satisfy the strict rules imposed on local authorities by the Accounts Commission, which demands a distinct landlord and tenant? At ...
Mr Galbraith: Lab
I am a delightful chap who always likes to give nice answers even when people rant at me. The lady keeps saying how much the SNP is in favour of the national...
Ian Welsh (Ayr) (Lab): Lab
The minister will be well aware of my view that public money could have been used more productively to finance and promote football in ways other than buildi...
Mr Galbraith: Lab
My friend raises the rights and wrongs of the national stadium. That argument raged for years. All of us have different views, but we need not consider them ...
Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): SSP
I am glad to agree with Ian Welsh. Although the matter is not up for debate, it is worth putting on record that the money would have been better used improvi...
Mr Galbraith: Lab
The member must realise that there are two distinct issues: the £6 million owed to Sir Robert McAlpine, which must be found now, and the fact that we were no...