Holyrood, made browsable

Hansard

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
Current MSPs
415
MSPs ever elected
14
Parties on record
2,095,827
Hansard contributions
1999–2026
Coverage span
Official Report

Search Hansard contributions

Showing 60 of 2,095,827 contributions. Latest 30 days: 3,026. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 10 Jun 2026.
Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab) Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Bill
I welcome the opportunity to make a brief contribution. In the stage 1 debate I spoke exclusively on the rogue landlord aspects of the bill, given the antisocial behaviour of the tenants of rogue landlords in my constituency. I make no apology for reiterating my concerns, beca...
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · Land Use Planning System
I have been made aware that a major established business in Edinburgh is still awaiting a decision on its master plan after some nine months, having incurred professional fees and overall opportunity costs of some £600,000. Does the minister think that such examples are accept...
Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab) Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · Land Use Planning System
4. To ask the Scottish Executive whether the recent changes to the land use planning system have helped expedite local planning decisions. (S3O-13344)
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Bus Services Regulation
Again, Mr Stevenson makes a point that he wishes he had made a fortnight ago, during the fuel duty debate. I back Ed Balls’s judgment rather than even Stewart Stevenson’s.Ross Finnie was on stronger ground when he praised the achievements of the former Strathclyde Passenger Tr...
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Bus Services Regulation
I have already touched on the financial effect that I want to see from the type of reregulation that I advocate.In fairness to Rob Gibson, who is a thoughtful contributor at the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee, he rightly made the point that integration ...
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Bus Services Regulation
I always like to give transport ministers credit where it is due and I have done that since Keith Brown took over his job. I will not criticise him for not taking an intervention from Karen Gillon, because I think he is feart of her. To be fair, so am I. However, he rather pho...
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Bus Services Regulation
I cited the transport commissioner, who described most of the bus scene in Scotland as a monopoly and near-monopoly city and county arrangement. Does the member deny her experience and knowledge?
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Bus Services Regulation
I am sorry, but I do not have time: maybe later. I pressed Mr Swinney at that meeting by asking:“Are you now saying that the deal that was done”—that was the deal with the bus service operators—“will ensure that substantially the same commercial bus network will be in place fo...
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Bus Services Regulation
Not for the first time, Mr Brown is wrong. If he listens for a bit longer, he will learn.The traffic commissioner continued:“Thus, Edinburgh has Lothian Bus whereas the surrounding counties have Stagecoach; Dundee has Travel Dundee ... and the counties have Stagecoach; Aberdee...
Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab) Lab Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Bus Services Regulation
Our previous full-scale debate on local bus services was way back on 12 June 2008. That is not to say that Labour has not campaigned relentlessly before and since for various improvements for bus users. Throughout this parliamentary session, we have fought for free bus travel ...
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
I think that the phrase is, “Good luck to everyone.”
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Annual Report
Going through it page by page would be fine.
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Forth Crossing Project
You will agree that, if FETA is merged with Transport Scotland, Transport Scotland will have the responsibility for deciding what arrangements to make for cyclists and pedestrians when bad weather shuts the Forth road bridge.
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Forth Crossing Project
I read into what you have said the suggestion that the weather has got better and is going to stay better for the foreseeable future, that it is FETA’s responsibility anyway and that, in the great scheme of things, we are not talking about a lot of people.You have anticipated ...
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Forth Crossing Project
I thank Mr Shackman for that multifaceted answer. You have told us the number of hours for which the bridge has been closed, but if it is always closed when one particular individual is trying to cross, that might add up to a big negative.
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Forth Crossing Project
Right. I will move on. In correspondence, Transport Scotland told us about what cyclists and pedestrians would do if the existing Forth bridge were closed. They could use the bridges at Kincardine, which is quite far away; they could try to use the bus, but it is usually not p...
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Forth Crossing Project
However, by definition, the people whom we are really trying to get are those who drive cars and perhaps do not think about using public transport at the moment.
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Forth Crossing Project
I am sure that the convener would take the point that it is never too soon to achieve modal shift. There are probably good reasons for it whether or not we build a Forth crossing.
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Forth Crossing Project
Not much progress then, eh?
Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab) Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Forth Crossing Project
Staying with the subject of recommendations in the committee’s report of a year ago, what progress have you made in developing plans to encourage modal shift to public transport for cross-Forth journeys?
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
10 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · Nurture Classes (Support)
Is the door still open for nurture groups to become a standard feature of the development of the curriculum for excellence?
Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab) Lab Chamber
10 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · Nurture Classes (Support)
2. To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is giving to nurture classes across Scotland. (S3O-13226)
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
I would like to comment on SSI 2011/89. Paragraph 2 of the Executive note on the regulations states, under the heading “Policy Objective”:“A reform of the Blue Badge Scheme in Scotland is necessary to reflect the significant social changes that have taken place over the past 4...
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Major Issues)
Is the £100 million contingent liability contained in the range of costs that were previously made known to the committee for the main project?
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Major Issues)
What I have in mind is any trade-off that might not necessarily meet with our approbation. We have already heard that East Coast has made some rather strange decisions about Scotland lately.
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Major Issues)
In addition, the UK Government appears to be proposing a Y-shaped network in which high-speed rail on its way to the west side of the country would branch over in the direction of Yorkshire and link to the east coast main line. Are there any potential issues for Scotland and i...
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Major Issues)
You said that you are pressing the UK minister on end-to-end journey times, which could improve incrementally as each stage of high-speed rail, including HS2, is built, and you also mentioned the running of high-speed trains on classic or conventional lines, presumably north o...
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Major Issues)
Like you, I am sure, I noticed that, very recently and in advance of any formal consultation on HS2 construction, Philip Hammond announced more than £200 million for mitigation measures in areas of England that might be affected by the project. Do you, like me, see that as a s...
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Major Issues)
Some time ago, the committee took evidence from campaigners against the proposed third runway at Heathrow airport, who made the point that cancelling the runway makes sense only if high-speed rail goes all the way from London to Scotland. Is the present Secretary of State for ...
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Major Issues)
I will start by asking about high-speed rail, on which we last heard ministerial evidence in September. Will you update us on how the Scottish Government’s representations to the UK Government are going in relation to the current proposals for high-speed rail?
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
I see. I had misunderstood that.
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
Minister, in your opening statement, you mentioned the development of the multi-agency response team. I am not clear how often that meets—you can tell us in a minute. It has on it eight police officers from the different police forces, who I presume are all traffic officers. D...
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
On that last point, minister, the new rolling stock did not perform well but the old stuff that was in mothballs did rather better.
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
I take Frances Duffy’s latter point and the minister’s point about the ORR being the lead regulator for Network Rail. However, the Scottish Government has powers of direction over Network Rail. I fully accept the minister’s point that it would be better to have a devolved sanc...
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
Notwithstanding the acceptance of the key route approach, are there sanctions that might apply to franchisees or Network Rail for their performance during the recent severe weather?
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
You will be aware that we heard from the rail operators during the previous evidence session. Without going over everything that they said, which presumably you support, you will have heard them promise at the end that they will do better. The guiding philosophy that came thro...
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
We turn now to rail, minister. What was the nature of the interaction between Transport Scotland, Network Rail and First ScotRail during the severe weather?
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
Gentlemen, I gather that more snow is on the way later in the week. Are you all confident that you will do even better when you are faced with the next challenge?
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
Can you cite any examples from the severe weather operations of the effectiveness of your snowploughs in enabling you to get a route or part of a route reopened? Did they fire a shot in anger? Did they help?
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
Jumping back to Network Rail for a minute, and staying with the analogy of winter maintenance of trunk roads and motorways, can you clear up some confusion? At an evidence session in December 2010, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, Mr Swinney, gave the ...
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
You will appreciate that on the road equivalent, which is the trunk road and motorway network, there is no key route strategy, as far as the committee is aware, and that best endeavours are expected to try to keep as many parts of the network open as possible. That is a slight...
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
How about charging slightly lower fares on the routes that are not key and which are liable to severe disruption if we get more severe weather?
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
Do you charge slightly higher fares on the key routes?
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
Will you be able to leave information with the committee about, for example, what the key routes are?
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
Is it catered for in the franchise agreement?
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
I presume that First ScotRail, as the train operator, buys into the key route strategy.
Charlie Gordon Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
Were there any problems with point heaters in the vicinity of Edinburgh Waverley?
Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab) Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
Mr Simpson, you mentioned point heaters. With the severe weather warning, were all your point heaters switched on well in advance? Did they all function continuously throughout the severe weather?14:15
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
02 Mar 2011
Fuel Duty
What is the minister’s view of the report of the Office for Budget Responsibility, whose analysis apparently shows that a fuel duty regulator or stabiliser would not work and that compensatory problems would make it unworkable?
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
02 Mar 2011
Fuel Duty
I have finished.
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
02 Mar 2011
Fuel Duty
According to Dave Thompson, the SNP’s proposed regulator would be set in a short-term way, so it does not sound like a long-term solution to me. What we know is that people are hurting to an exceptional degree, and we must move quickly with practical responses.Liam McArthur sa...
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
02 Mar 2011
Fuel Duty
Perhaps the minister will do that now.
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
02 Mar 2011
Fuel Duty
The member will find out shortly. Given that the people who are hurting out there are watching us, the other MSPs in this Parliament must have regard to the fact that we are the only party that is proposing a 3 per cent cut in fuel duty and we have explained precisely how that...
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
02 Mar 2011
Fuel Duty
Yes.
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
02 Mar 2011
Fuel Duty
Sorry, Cathy Peattie. As Stewart Stevenson pointed out, I am not getting any younger—but I am younger than he is. Laughter. Cathy Peattie made a couple of extremely important points about the effect of high fuel prices on people on fixed incomes, which includes people in urban...
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
02 Mar 2011
Fuel Duty
I thought that the minister was emollient in his opening speech. If he does not mind, I prefer my source to be the House of Commons library, not Peter Mandelson. The minister spoke about fuel duty derogation for rural areas, which Alasdair Allan mentioned in his speech. The Go...
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
02 Mar 2011
Fuel Duty
I would be rather distressed if the member was suggesting that I made such a frivolous analogy, because Mr Stevenson’s quote was from a quite different context.
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
02 Mar 2011
Fuel Duty
As an aside, can I say that I yearn for the days when I was younger and better looking than the former transport minister?I have explained that the Government’s own advisory body says that a regulator would not work. I have made it clear that we are being practical: cutting ba...
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
02 Mar 2011
Fuel Duty
Will the member take an intervention?
Charlie Gordon Lab Chamber
02 Mar 2011
Fuel Duty
Will the member give way on that point?
← Back to list
Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 17 March 2011

17 Mar 2011 · S3 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Bill
Gordon, Charlie Lab Glasgow Cathcart Watch on SPTV
I welcome the opportunity to make a brief contribution. In the stage 1 debate I spoke exclusively on the rogue landlord aspects of the bill, given the antisocial behaviour of the tenants of rogue landlords in my constituency. I make no apology for reiterating my concerns, because the problems are on-going.

A new case that landed on my desk the other day made me reconsider my previous definition of a rogue landlord. Hitherto, all my casework involved complaints about the antisocial behaviour of the tenants of landlords who are unregistered under current legislation and who are therefore, by definition, rogue landlords. In this new case, the landlord is registered, but he has told the exasperated neighbours of his antisocial tenants that he is just an investor and that they should talk to his managing agent.

I have written to the landlord in question at his home in a leafy suburb outside Glasgow, to ask him not to act like a rogue landlord and to restore my constituents’ quality of life.

I would have hoped for more effective enforcement of the existing legislation in such cases, but the enforcement authorities in Glasgow have been adamant that the legislation needed strengthening. As the minister says, after today they will have the full set of tools for the job and I, for one, intend to ensure that they do their job with those tools.

When the bill is enacted, it should spell the beginning of the end for rogue landlords. It should also be a big setback for unregulated, irresponsible letting agents. That is a good thing, as they currently do little or nothing to vet the suitability of potential tenants.

When some aspects of the bill were removed from the recent Housing (Scotland) Bill, I expressed fears in the chamber that we would run out of parliamentary time to deal with those important matters. I am delighted to have been proven wrong, but it was a close-run thing.

16:24

In the same item of business

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Alasdair Morgan) SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S3M-8128, in the name of Alex Neil, on the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Bill.15:45
The Minister for Housing and Communities (Alex Neil) SNP
I am pleased to open the debate and to move the motion in my name.I thank the Local Government and Communities Committee for its detailed consideration of th...
Tricia Marwick (Central Fife) (SNP) SNP
Will the minister assure the chamber that the powers that the bill establishes will force local authorities to act when private landlords do not live up to t...
Alex Neil SNP
I agree with Tricia Marwick that enforcement is crucial. The powers are now well in place and I believe that the local authorities have the tools to do the j...
Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab) Lab
I am sure that I am not the only one who feels a sense of achievement when we reach stage 3 of a bill, and that is especially true when one has been particul...
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con) Con
The Conservatives support and will vote for the bill.Going through the process has been interesting and certain aspects of today’s procedures have been parti...
Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD) LD
I thank my colleagues on the Local Government and Communities Committee, the committee clerks, the bill team and the minister for their hard work and dedicat...
The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP
We now move to the open debate.16:07
Anne McLaughlin (Glasgow) (SNP) SNP
Sometimes it might seem to people as if we in this Parliament are navel gazing or talking only to ourselves, but nothing could be further from the truth. Thi...
Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab) Lab
Although the bill is one of the last that we shall consider in this session of the Parliament, its gestation has been fairly long. Most of its provisions wer...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP
It was a privilege to be a member of the committee that examined the bill. It was clear that not all local authorities have taken a vigorous approach to land...
Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab) Lab
I welcome the opportunity to make a brief contribution. In the stage 1 debate I spoke exclusively on the rogue landlord aspects of the bill, given the antiso...
Bob Doris (Glasgow) (SNP) SNP
I start by saying something that I think that we all agree on: the private rented sector must become increasingly important in the provision of good-quality,...
Jim Tolson LD
One principal element of the bill is the measures on the registration of private landlords. Alex Neil said that the bill is targeted at a minority of landlor...
Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con
In winding up for the Conservatives today, I begin what will possibly be my final contribution in this place by saying how grateful I am for the kind words o...
Alex Neil SNP
Can the member confirm that he is registered? Laughter.
Ted Brocklebank Con
Absolutely, as the minister will discover if he checks the register of landlords.However, there have been problems. Pauline McNeill and Patricia Ferguson all...
Mary Mulligan Lab
I offer my best wishes to Ted Brocklebank for all that he has done, particularly today. He said that his closing speech will probably be his last contributio...
The Presiding Officer (Alex Fergusson) NPA
Given Patricia Ferguson’s earlier warning about what Alex Neil is capable of doing in an empty house, I am a little bit loth to let him loose on a fairly emp...
Alex Neil SNP
I am delighted that Mary Mulligan is confident that I am going to be the minister moving the commencement order after the election.Earlier, when we were disc...
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (Michael Russell) SNP
Indeed.
Alex Neil SNP
This has been a consensual debate, with good contributions from throughout the chamber. It is appropriate that it has been consensual, because the issue that...
Bob Doris SNP
I just want to add to the list the Home Owner and Debtor Protection (Scotland) Act 2010, under which all evictions for mortgage arrears must call in court, w...
Alex Neil SNP
That is a good point from Mr Doris. I am always one to undersell our achievements. Laughter. The legislation is extremely important, but it is also importan...
Patricia Ferguson Lab
Does the minister accept that the issue is not just the location of the judgment but the courts having an understanding of the effects that behaviour can hav...
Alex Neil SNP
Absolutely. My view is that some kind of tribunal system may be more appropriate, certainly in some circumstances, than a case immediately going to the sheri...