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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 2,096,833 contributions. Latest 30 days: 2,655. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 09 Jun 2026.
Michael McMahon Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2016
Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Bill
I would like to correct that—I did not say that; I said that the proposal had not appeared from nowhere. It was a result of the discussions that took place during the bill process.
Michael McMahon (Uddingston and Bellshill) (Lab) Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2016
Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Bill
I have no hesitation in welcoming the passage of the bill, which will go a long way towards securing many of the rights for private sector renters and their landlords that Labour members have longed for. However, it could have done much more. That is why we supported in partic...
Michael McMahon Lab Chamber
15 Mar 2016
Hamilton Academical Football Club (Community Ethos)
I, along with Siobhan McMahon, recently met members of the autism parent and carer support group that meets at the Hamilton Accies stadium. They spoke openly about the problems that they are having, in particular around the transition from school to adult services. Is there an...
Michael McMahon (Uddingston and Bellshill) (Lab) Lab Chamber
15 Mar 2016
Hamilton Academical Football Club (Community Ethos)
I welcome the debate and congratulate Margaret Mitchell on securing it. Hamilton Academical FC is more than deserving of having the invaluable contribution that it makes to the community in Hamilton and throughout South Lanarkshire recognised by our having the debate. Margare...
Michael McMahon (Uddingston and Bellshill) (Lab) Lab Chamber
15 Mar 2016
Standing Orders Rule Changes (Admissibility of Petitions and Minor Changes)
One of the roles of the Public Petitions Committee is to keep under review the operations of the Parliament’s petitions process. I would like to say a little bit about the effect of the proposed rule changes on that process. The change to rule as inadmissible a petition that...
Michael McMahon Lab Chamber
09 Mar 2016
Portfolio Question Time · Lifeline Ferry Services (Clyde and Hebrides)
I point the minister to the report’s conclusion, which suggested how damaging the privatisation of the ferry services in the Clyde and Hebrides would be should the tender process go to Serco. Is the minister also aware that, prior to the Scottish Government overturning North ...
9. Michael McMahon (Uddingston and Bellshill) (Lab) Lab Chamber
09 Mar 2016
Portfolio Question Time · Lifeline Ferry Services (Clyde and Hebrides)
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the RMT union-commissioned report, “The Economic Benefits of Public Sector Ferry Provision”, on lifeline ferry services in the Clyde and Hebrides. (S4O-05644)
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
I am also minded to keep the petition open and include it in our legacy paper. The SFA and the SPFL are entities in their own right and like any other commercial organisations they have the right to make rules to govern themselves. Equally, they take public money and they rece...
The Convener (Michael McMahon) Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Good morning, and welcome to the sixth meeting in 2016 of the Public Petitions Committee—the final meeting of this session. I remind everyone, including members, that mobile phones and BlackBerrys should be turned off, as they can interfere with the sound system. Before begin...
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Annual Report
As we agreed at our previous meeting, the committee will now go into private session for agenda item 3. 11:38 Meeting continued in private until 11:41.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Annual Report
Agenda item 2 is consideration of the committee’s draft annual report for the parliamentary year 11 May 2015 to 23 March 2016. As has been agreed by the Conveners Group, all committee annual reports follow a standard format. Members have a note by the clerk and the draft annua...
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Do members agree? Members indicated agreement.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1597, by Bill Welsh, is on Mycoplasma fermentans in regressive autism.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1596, by Paul Anderson, James McDermott and Chris Daly, is on In Care Survivors Service Scotland. Given the on-going discussions, we have to include the petition in our legacy paper. Do members agree? Members indicated agreement.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
I had to make that clear, in case people were working under a misapprehension. We will definitely keep the petition open and take it forward. Members indicated agreement.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
I agree with that. In some of the submissions that we have received, there appears to be a belief or a misconception that the committee has the authority to order local authorities not to do things. I have to put it on the record that we do not have that authority. We can scr...
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1595, by Alexander Taylor, is on a moratorium on shared space schemes. I do not think that we have concluded our deliberations on the petition. We are gathering a lot of information on it. I am certainly learning a lot about the concerns, and I think that there is more that ...
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
I agree. The petition was introduced because of the on-going situation, but a number of people have raised concerns about what will happen as a result of the current spending round given the budget restrictions that local authorities face. People think that a bad situation is ...
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1581, by Duncan Wright, is on saving Scotland’s school libraries. What do members think?
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Do members agree? Members indicated agreement.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1577, by Rachael Wallace, is on adult cerebral palsy services. We still have not pursued the petition to the fullest extent, and there is a bit of work to be done. We cannot do anything specific now, but we cannot close the petition. It has to be left open.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
I am happy to keep the petition open until we get that response. At that point, the session 5 committee can determine whether there is any value in taking the matter further. Do members agree? Members indicated agreement.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
We have been in this position before. We accept that the Government is not going to do what the petition asks for, but that does not mean that there is not an area that the committee can continue to scrutinise and ask questions about. Hopefully, we will get some answers.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1563, by Doreen Goldie, on behalf of Avonbridge and Standburn community council, is on sewage sludge spreading.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1548, by Beth Morrison, is on national guidance on restraint and seclusion in schools. There is still work that we need to do on the petition. It would be advisable to write to the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, inviting his views on the guidance that is ...
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Thank you very much, John.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
More information about the matter is appearing all the time, and we are hearing more horrendous information about the impact of the implants. There is still a good bit of work to be done on the petition and on the issue in general. There is a consensus on the committee that w...
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1517, by Elaine Holmes and Olive McIlroy, on behalf of the Scottish mesh survivors hear our voice campaign, is on mesh medical devices. John Scott, who has joined us, has pursued the matter with diligence. Do you want to make some comments before we consider the petition?
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Okay. We will close the petition.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Exactly. I cannot think of anything else that we need to do. Do members agree?
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1493, by Peter John Gordon, is on a sunshine act for Scotland. What action should be taken on the petition? There is stunned silence.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
One more letter cannot do any harm. Do members agree that we should write to the Scottish Government and keep the petition open while we wait for its response? Members indicated agreement.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
I take Jackson Carlaw’s point, but we could wait until we got the Scottish Government’s response. There is not much left to do, but a response would still be due back from the Government if we wrote to it. Notwithstanding the fact that some progress has been made with the JCVI...
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1477, by Jamie Rae, is on behalf of the Throat Cancer Foundation, on a gender-neutral human papillomavirus vaccination. I invite contributions from members on the petition.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Are members agreed? Members indicated agreement.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1412, by Bill McDowell, is on bonds of caution. Members have a note from the clerk and submissions in relation to the petition. Do committee members have any suggestions to make?
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
That is a fair enough point to make. I think that there is a consensus that we will try to keep the petition open and try to pursue it a bit further. I thank Chic Brodie for his contribution.
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
It would be for the next committee to determine what to do but we can certainly suggest that it considers such an action if we keep the petition open. I take on board John Wilson’s request to write to the Government and get a response in relation to that specific point. I thin...
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Thank you for an interesting speech, Chic. Do members have any comments?
The Convener Lab Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
The first item of business is consideration of continued petitions, the first of which is PE1319, by William Smith and Scott Robertson, on improving youth football in Scotland. Members have a note from the clerks and copies of the submissions. I welcome Chic Brodie to the meet...
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Thank you very much. It is worth having that on record. I now close the meeting to the public, who have all deserted us anyway. We will move into private session to discuss the committee’s legacy paper. 11:43 Meeting continued in private until 11:47.
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Shall we just close it, because there is no other value in it at all? Members indicated agreement.
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Our final petition is PE1594, by Richard Burton on behalf of Accountability Scotland, on the specification of lying as an example of public maladministration. Do members think that we need to do anything else with this petition?
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
I think that we have reached agreement, even if it is not entirely enthusiastic. We will put the recommendation into the legacy paper.
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Are members happy that we at least leave the matter in the legacy paper and let the next committee have a look at it? Members indicated agreement.
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
I put it to the committee that we have debated a number of petitions this morning on which there are still outstanding questions. We have had clear answers from Government bodies and from ministers, who have said no to particular requests, but we have continued to take an inte...
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
I would like clarification on at least one of the issues to which the minister responded. The submission from Fans Against Criminalisation challenges a lot of what has been said by Police Scotland and the minister, and we would be entitled to go back and ask them for clarifica...
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1593, by Paul Quigley on behalf of Fans Against Criminalisation, seeks a full review of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012. We have received responses from those whom we contacted, and we have also had a submission from Fan...
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1592, by Shaheen McQuade, is on group B streptococcus information and testing. I am still not satisfied that we have had an outcome that addresses the petitioner’s aims. The petition deals with an issue that was the subject of an earlier petition; we closed the earlier peti...
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
We will need to check whether the Welfare Reform Committee has drawn up its legacy paper; it might be too late for the petition to be included in it. If so, we can include it in our own legacy paper, with the suggestion that it be sent to the Welfare Reform Committee at some p...
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1571, by John Beattie, is on food bank funding. The responses to the petition are, I think, very clear but it, too, involves an on-going issue. Is the Welfare Reform Committee aware of the petition? As that committee will be looking at issues such as food banks an on-going b...
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Is that agreed? Members indicated agreement.
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1495, by Rab Wilson on behalf of Accountability Scotland, is on the use of gagging clauses in agreements with NHS staff in Scotland. Do members have any views on what we do with the petition? Indeed, is there anything that we can usefully do to take the petition forward? I s...
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
We will take the next two petitions together. They are PE1480, by Amanda Kopel on behalf of the Frank Kopel’s Alzheimer’s awareness campaign, on Alzheimer’s and dementia awareness; and PE1533, by Jeff Adamson on behalf of Scotland against the care tax, on the abolition of non-...
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Okay. We need to get clarification on those issues, which requires us to keep the petition open in order to pursue them. Members have made a number of suggestions about communications that we need to make and what to include in our legacy paper to the successor public petition...
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
That is a very valid point. If there is to be only one centre to serve the whole of Scotland, we cannot have the local health board footing the bill for it and hoping that other health boards will make a contribution—it has to be funded properly. We also need to get clarificat...
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
I agree with that. I think that there is a large body of work that the next health committee could look at. Questions have been raised because of the evidence that we have heard. There is nothing that we can do about the issue in the short amount of time that is still availabl...
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
PE1568, by Catherine Hughes, is on the funding of, access to and promotion of the NHS centre for integrative care. Elaine Smith is staying with us for consideration of this petition, I think.
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
I think everyone is agreed on that. We will put the petition in our legacy paper, and we will ask the next public petitions committee to continue to look into the matter. I thank Elaine Smith and all those who have continued to contribute to our consideration of the petition, ...
The Convener Lab Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Yes, I think that there is still work for a future petitions committee to take forward on the issue. There is no danger that we are going to close the petition. We will put it in our legacy paper and we will continue to ask the relevant questions, based on the submissions. Que...
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Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 17 March 2016

17 Mar 2016 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Bill
McMahon, Michael Lab Uddingston and Bellshill Watch on SPTV

I would like to correct that—I did not say that; I said that the proposal had not appeared from nowhere. It was a result of the discussions that took place during the bill process.

In the same item of business

The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott) Con
Pressing swiftly on, the next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-15944, in the name of Margaret Burgess, on the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland...
The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners’ Rights (Alex Neil) SNP
For the purposes of rule 9.11 of the standing orders, I advise the Parliament that Her Majesty, having been informed of the purport of the Private Housing (T...
The Deputy Presiding Officer Con
I call Margaret Burgess to speak to and move the motion. 17:19
The Minister for Housing and Welfare (Margaret Burgess) SNP
I thank everyone who contributed to the development of the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Bill, including members of all parties and all stakeholders...
Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab) Lab
It is good to reach the stage in a bill where the arguments have all been made and the amendments have been won or lost. Whether or not the bill will do ever...
Jim Eadie (Edinburgh Southern) (SNP) SNP
Hear, hear.
Ken Macintosh Lab
Thank you, Mr Eadie. Secondly, I thank the alliance that is the living rent campaign, which is led by the National Union of Students Scotland and includes m...
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con) Con
I have reached an interesting point in the passage of the bill. I said at stage 1 that it was not possible for me to support the bill then but that I could e...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith) Lab
We move to the open debate. I can give members up to five minutes at this stage. 17:42
Clare Adamson (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP
I associate myself with the comments that have been made about the bill team and the clerks to the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee, who have ...
Alex Johnstone Con
I remind the member that I took a very careful position on the matter and, despite expressing concern, did not vote against it.
Clare Adamson SNP
I thank Mr Johnstone for that clarification, because this is a very important issue. After all, the family home is at the heart of what we are doing today. ...
Lesley Brennan (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab
In 1999, only 5 per cent of households in Scotland lived in the private rented sector but, by 2014, that figure had increased to 14 per cent. Clare Adamson i...
Jim Eadie SNP
Does the member recognise that the greatest contribution to what she rightly calls the residualisation of public sector housing was the right to buy, a pract...
Lesley Brennan Lab
The right to buy stripped away properties, but the fact is that not enough houses were built in addition. The two things are not incompatible; people were ve...
Clare Adamson SNP
There is certainly no member in my group who does not see merit in what Mr Macintosh brought forward, and who does not think that a charter would be possible...
Lesley Brennan Lab
There may have been challenges, but the hurdles were not insurmountable. We need to improve the standard across the sector. Many non-HMO rented properties ne...
The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab
Can you begin to close, please?
Lesley Brennan Lab
Tenants have to chase landlords for repairs and annual gas safety checks, so we need to make sure that we put a charter in place. If more people are living i...
Jim Hume (South Scotland) (LD) LD
I remind members of my registered interests in this debate. My colleagues and I are supportive of the bill. We want to see the more than 330,000 households...
The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab
Given the way that you started your speech earlier, Mr Hume, I am delighted that you did not start that one with a high five. 17:57
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green) Green
The pressure is on me, then. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in the closing stages of the debate on an important bill. I am particularly pleased ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab
Draw to a close, please.
Patrick Harvie Green
Either way, there will be continuation of that gradual incremental change and of constantly fighting to catch up with wider changes in the economy that we ar...
The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab
Many thanks. I ask the next two members to stick to a maximum of five minutes. Jim Eadie will be followed by Siobhan McMahon. 18:02
Jim Eadie (Edinburgh Southern) (SNP) SNP
Thank you. I welcome the opportunity to speak at stage 3 in support of the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Bill. The Infrastructure and Capital Invest...
Siobhan McMahon (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lab
As I said at stage 1 of the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Bill, I welcome a lot of what the Scottish Government and, in particular, the minister, Ma...
The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab
On behalf of the Parliament, I thank you for your service and wish you all the best, particularly with the imminent arrival. We move to the closing speeches...
Alex Johnstone Con
I will keep this short and simple. I explained in my opening remarks that I feel that we could have done better and that the bill at stage 1 was better than ...
Patrick Harvie Green
Will the member give way?