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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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1999–2026
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Showing 60 of 2,095,827 contributions. Latest 30 days: 2,655. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 09 Jun 2026.
John Scott Con Committee
24 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
Yes, please, convener, and thank you for letting me speak. I pay tribute to Finlay Carson and Brian Whittle for the work that they have done on the issue. They have done the heavy lifting in driving forward some of this work in the Parliament. I also pay tribute to the Dual t...
John Scott Con Committee
24 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
I am sorry; I do not appear to be able to make the chat function work. I agree with members that the petition should be passed to the next health committee. I appreciate that we are too late in the session to do anything about it, but I wonder whether a codicil or annex might...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Committee
24 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
I am grateful to the committee for allowing me to speak at the final meeting of the session of the Public Petitions Committee. Further to what Jackson Carlaw has just said, I, too, think that the petition should be kept open. The matter is still a work in progress. Many of th...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
24 Mar 2021
Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill
Thank you for your indulgence, Presiding Officer. I have very little to say except to welcome the passage of the bill and declare an interest—Interruption. I thank the cabinet secretary for her sedentary intervention. I declare an interest as a sheep farmer and I give a heart...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
23 Mar 2021
Covid-19 (Reflections and Next Steps)
The First Minister is aware of the continuing anxieties and tensions in our communities resulting from vaccination anxiety, the worry about appointments for other illnesses being delayed and the lack of contact with friends and loved ones. Mental health issues are emerging and...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
16 Mar 2021
Covid-19
The First Minister will be aware that two primary schools in my Ayr constituency have had to close, having reopened, because staff had caught Covid or had to self-isolate. Are such temporary closures to be expected in other schools across Ayrshire and the country? Will the Fir...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
10 Mar 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Tourism Sector (Recovery)
The First Minister gave me an assurance a week or so ago that she would discuss with the cabinet secretary the difficulties that the bed-and-breakfast sector faces and how to overcome them. Will the cabinet secretary please say what progress has been made on that?
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
09 Mar 2021
Climate Change Plan
I declare an interest as a farmer. Does Edward Mountain agree that there is huge willingness across Scotland to meet those challenges in the transport and agriculture sectors? Does he also agree, however, that there is a huge need for knowledge transfer from those who know how...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
09 Mar 2021
Covid-19
Long Covid appears to be an emerging and growing problem. Can the First Minister tell us how many cases there are in Scotland, what measures the Scottish Government has put in place to deal with long Covid in hospitals and in the community, and whether additional financial res...
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Annual Report
Yes, of course.
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Annual Report
I do not know the answer.
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Annual Report
I have a technical point to make, but I have nothing against the report. Under “Resilience of the Scottish Parliament’s practices and procedures”, item 5 says: “A rule change providing for the temporary amendment of Standing Orders came into effect on 8 March 2021.” I apprec...
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Scottish Parliament Practices and Procedures
Thank you for being straightforward.
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Scottish Parliament Practices and Procedures
Yes. 10:15
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Scottish Parliament Practices and Procedures
I just wanted to ask the minister what he considers has been achieved over the course of session 5 to improve the quality of documents accompanying bills, such as financial resolutions. Minister, can you talk us through what has been done to improve the standard of accompanyin...
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Scottish Parliament Practices and Procedures
Thank you.
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Scottish Parliament Practices and Procedures
What evidence supports the argument that the powers are being used only for as long as required? Will you go back to what was normal as soon as you can, please?
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Scottish Parliament Practices and Procedures
I will move on the next section of our questions. What has influenced the use of the made affirmative procedure in response to the Covid-19 pandemic? To what extent has the use of those powers been proportionate? What have been the advantages and disadvantages of using made af...
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Scottish Parliament Practices and Procedures
I want to go back to Maureen Watt’s point about the need for members to be present at Parliament. The Parliament is a living entity and we have an obligation to be open and accessible. There is a need to have cross-party groups too and to make this a place that people want to ...
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Subordinate Legislation
Have you had any feedback from electoral administrators on the impact of moving the deadline for postal votes by 10 working day, from 20 April to 6 April?
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Subordinate Legislation
No, I am just seeking general reassurance that that aspect is being dealt with.
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Subordinate Legislation
Can the minister provide an update on what is being done to ensure the timely delivery of postal votes for Scottish armed forces electors who are posted overseas?
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Subordinate Legislation
Thanks very much.
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Subordinate Legislation
Yes, that would be helpful.
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Subordinate Legislation
What level of proof might be required?
John Scott Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Subordinate Legislation
I see. So there are no grounds on which an application might be rejected.
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Committee
04 Mar 2021
Subordinate Legislation
I want to ask a couple of questions about that. Would an elector be required to demonstrate that their request for an alternative proxy was due to coronavirus, or could that be for any reason?
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
04 Mar 2021
First Minister’s Question Time · Business Grants (Covid-19)
I, too, have been contacted by several constituents who have applied over the past few weeks for newly self-employed hardship grants and mobile and home-based close contact services grants, only to have their applications rejected because of so-called glitches in the system. W...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
02 Mar 2021
Scottish Parliamentary Elections 2021
I welcome the arrangements that have been made for polling day under which only 800 people will be allowed at each polling station. Some polling stations would usually expect more people and some would expect less. Will local authorities make an effort to direct voters to diff...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
23 Feb 2021
Covid-19
Among all the good will towards the business sector that the First Minister speaks of, one part of that community has slipped through the cracks—namely, the bed-and-breakfast sector. It is struggling hugely and is badly in need of targeted support. Will she consider this probl...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
16 Feb 2021
Topical Question Time · Hotel Quarantine
I spoke this morning to a constituent who, along with her five-year-old daughter, is in Finland where her partner is receiving hyperbaric oxygen treatment following a severe brain injury. With school now about to restart for their five-year-old, the family wants to return to S...
John Scott Con Committee
11 Feb 2021
Public Appointments
Other people have suggested that that has not been the case, so you might want to look further into that. Our information tells us that examples of good practice are not being built on. I note your optimism and ebullience, but I think that the matter needs closer examination.
John Scott Con Committee
11 Feb 2021
Public Appointments
When the committee first discussed the matter in December, I asked for examples of good practice. We got several examples in the follow-up information that the commissioner submitted. She stated: “The case studies have been acknowledged by the panel chairs, on behalf of the a...
John Scott Con Committee
11 Feb 2021
Public Appointments
Gil Paterson said that we would be “missing a trick” if we did not include people on low incomes. I agree with that, and with much of what the cabinet secretary said about the need for greater flexibility. However, we would also be missing a trick if we did not do more to attr...
John Scott Con Committee
11 Feb 2021
Public Appointments
No.
John Scott Con Committee
11 Feb 2021
Public Appointments
I do not have much more to say, except that it is a sweeping generalisation for Neil Findlay to say that the 22 per cent of people in the category of those who prefer not to say what they earn are necessarily high-income earners. There is a reticence among normal, good Scottis...
John Scott Con Committee
11 Feb 2021
Public Appointments
Hmm—well, I will move on to my final question. The commissioner published a good-practice case study on the Poverty and Inequality Commission board recruitment round. What features of that round made it a success, and what is the Government doing to roll out and embed that app...
John Scott Con Committee
11 Feb 2021
Public Appointments
That takes us on to the broader picture. Since you apparently do not want people with established managerial abilities, what role does the definition of merit have to play here? How will you judge people who are meritorious and suitable for appointment? We are talking about £1...
John Scott Con Committee
11 Feb 2021
Public Appointments
I note your use of the word “daunting” to describe how people from the private sector find the application process. I agree that we must focus on outcomes, but your principles-based approach seems to suggest that the process might be less rigorous than it has been hitherto. Ne...
John Scott Con Committee
11 Feb 2021
Public Appointments
My point is on socioeconomic diversity. The cabinet secretary will be familiar with the tables with which we have been provided in our committee papers. Table 5 shows that around 78 per cent of the Scottish population works in the private sector but that only around 27 per cen...
John Scott Con Committee
11 Feb 2021
Public Appointments
I am not sure that it does, Kate. We are talking about budgets of £17 billion, and I think that it really needs to be very clearly defined. I am sure that there is some work to be done on how you are going to change the system for the better, because I am not sure that what yo...
John Scott Con Committee
11 Feb 2021
Public Appointments
I would have to say no—I am not clear about that. I could not hear Kate Forbes, and I regret to say that it was not clear what was meant in the response from her assistant, whose name I do not have in front of me—I am sorry.
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Committee
11 Feb 2021
Public Appointments
Good morning. Can the cabinet secretary explain to me, and possibly to others, what she means by a “principles-based code”? She has said it twice, and, if that is going to be the new theme, perhaps she could explain what the principles might be.
John Scott Con Committee
10 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
Thank you very much, convener, for letting me come back in. I, too, pay tribute to the work of the clerks over many years, not just on this petition but generally. They are assiduous beyond measure—I agree with you about that. I think that the petition should be kept open, as...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Committee
10 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
Thank you, convener, and I apologise for my late arrival. I want to complement what has been said by Jackson Carlaw and Neil Findlay and will begin by saying that I, too, think that the petition should be kept live. I very much welcome the work of the committee. I was one of ...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
02 Feb 2021
Scottish Parliament (Assistance for Political Parties) Bill: Stage 3
I welcome the Scottish Parliament (Assistance for Political Parties) Bill and the work of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee in bringing this committee bill to Parliament. The bill was introduced and the stage 1 process was completed before I joined th...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
28 Jan 2021
Budget 2021-22
I declare an interest as a farmer. Given that much transitional funding is required to move Scotland’s rural areas towards net zero, is the cabinet secretary confident that sufficient funds are being made available in the budget to achieve early carbon-reduction targets, as re...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
28 Jan 2021
First Minister’s Question Time · Covid-19 (Vaccination Programme)
I declare an interest as a shielded person. Further to Ruth Davidson’s questions, can the First Minister explain to the Parliament why general practitioners in my constituency, who vaccinated their over-80s and nursing home patients some weeks ago, cannot now get vaccines to v...
John Scott Con Chamber
21 Jan 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Tourism Industry (Meetings)
The cabinet secretary will know that tourism businesses such as coach operators and visitor attractions have been waiting months for support. Last week, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities suggested that the support that was announced in December may not arrive until ...
8. John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
21 Jan 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Tourism Industry (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Government what recent meetings it has had with representatives of the tourism industry, and what was discussed. (S5O-04928)
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
19 Jan 2021
Covid-19
The vaccination supplies for the over-80s and under-80s that are reaching GPs in Ayrshire and elsewhere appear to be patchy—that is beyond dispute. Is there a particular reason why delivery of vaccinations to GPs surgeries has become such a postcode lottery, and what is the Sc...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
14 Jan 2021
Managing Scotland’s Fisheries
Inaudible.—interest as a—Inaudible.—Fishermen’s Association. What is being done to protect and help the prawn fisheries in the Clyde at this awkward time?
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
04 Jan 2021
Covid-19
The First Minister knows of my concerns, which I have repeatedly raised with her, about the threat to bed capacity in Ayrshire and Arran, with particular regard to ICU capacity as the pandemic progresses. With NHS Ayrshire and Arran at 96 per cent of bed capacity, what further...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
30 Dec 2020
Covid-19
Although the new variant strain of Covid-19 is on the rise, which is immensely concerning, intensive care unit and other hospital beds are, thankfully, not overwhelmed. Will the First Minister tell us what impact the arrival of the new variant has on detecting and treating oth...
John Scott Con Chamber
23 Dec 2020
Portfolio Question Time · South Ayrshire Council (Meetings)
The cabinet secretary will know that high streets across Scotland have been struggling for years—nowhere more than in Ayr—and that Covid has made the problem worse. Businesses large and small need help in both the short and the longer term. Will the Scottish Government therefo...
John Scott Con Chamber
22 Dec 2020
UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill
Mr Russell is using unparliamentary language and I ask him to withdraw his remarks.
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
22 Dec 2020
UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill
On a point of order, Presiding Officer.
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Chamber
22 Dec 2020
Covid-19
Given the concerns about bed capacity, particularly in intensive care, in Ayrshire and across Scotland and about the lack of available staff for the Louisa Jordan units in the worst-case scenarios, what reassurance can the First Minister give that ICU beds will be available to...
John Scott Con Committee
17 Dec 2020
Scottish General Election (Coronavirus) Bill: Stage 2
I agree with the minister’s position—there is no need for amendment 24. Anas Sarwar expects—or hopes—that 50 per cent of the electorate will vote by post and thinks that there might not be the capacity for that. If that number did vote by post, it would vastly reduce the numbe...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con Committee
17 Dec 2020
Scottish General Election (Coronavirus) Bill: Stage 2
Thank you, convener. I agree with Patrick Harvie on this. Two issues are being conflated, and section 3 should remain, for the reasons that we heard in evidence from experts about the need for the early deadline.
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Committee

Public Petitions Committee 24 March 2021

24 Mar 2021 · S5 · Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
Continued Petitions
A77 (Upgrade) (PE1657)
Scott, John Con Ayr Watch on SPTV
Yes, please, convener, and thank you for letting me speak. I pay tribute to Finlay Carson and Brian Whittle for the work that they have done on the issue. They have done the heavy lifting in driving forward some of this work in the Parliament. I also pay tribute to the Dual the A75 campaign group and the A77 Action Group. I should declare an interest: I live at Ballantrae, and I have driven on the A77 in and around Ayr, on many days of the week, for my whole life. So much work is needed on the road. Finlay Carson is correct to say that the roads from Ayr to Stranraer and from Stranraer to Dumfries are the forgotten roads of south-west Scotland and need to be upgraded. As far as I can see, very little work is being done on the A77 apart from the emergency repair work at Glen App and Carlock, which is vital because the road is going to fall off the hill—a bit like the A83, which Maurice Corry mentioned. If I may say so, convener, I suggest that the committee keeps the petitions open and seeks an update from the transport minister on the strategic transport projects review in the context of the work that is needed on the roads. I welcome the United Kingdom Government’s commitment to spend £20 million to jump-start connectivity across the UK, which was announced in the context of the interim report of Sir Peter Hendy’s union connectivity review. There appears to be a willingness—at least on the part of the UK Government—to try to bring the roads up to the trunk road standard that is appropriate for the traffic that uses them. I very much support the committee’s endeavours to get the roads brought up to standard and I again commend the work thus far of everyone who is involved in the petitions.

In the same item of business

The Convener Lab
The next continued petitions are PE1610, on upgrading the A75, by Matt Halliday, and PE1657, on upgrading the A77, by Donald McHarrie on behalf of the A77 Ac...
Finlay Carson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Con
I first want to thank you, convener, for the way in which you have convened the committee over the years and for making it a friendly and welcoming forum for...
The Convener Lab
Thank you for those comments and for your kind words, Finlay.
Maurice Corry Con
I thank Finlay Carson for that summary and I am glad that John Scott is going to speak later. I concur with what Finlay Carson has said. We should keep the p...
David Torrance SNP
I do not have anything to add to that, because my colleagues have covered it all. We will just have to wait and see what the strategic transport projects rev...
Tom Mason Con
I agree with Finlay Carson and other members. We are short of the information that we asked for and we should not close the petitions until we get that infor...
Gail Ross SNP
I do not have much to add, and I bow to the knowledge of the local members. I wish that there was an unlimited pot of money that we could use to upgrade all ...
The Convener Lab
John Scott, do you want to say anything?
John Scott Con
Yes, please, convener, and thank you for letting me speak. I pay tribute to Finlay Carson and Brian Whittle for the work that they have done on the issue. T...
The Convener Lab
Thank you. I think that the committee agrees that we want to continue our consideration of the petitions. People will always make an argument for an individu...