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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: 3,357. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 10 Jun 2026.
Tom Mason Con Committee
24 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
As you said, convener, I am leaving the committee in a very short time. The success of the committee—it has, undoubtedly, been a success—has been thanks in no small part to your very balanced and considerate convenership. You have always encouraged members to participate and a...
Tom Mason Con Committee
24 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
On balance, I think that we will have to close the petition. The situation is changing month by month as we go forward, and any legislation on the matter would be made for the situation at a point in time, so I do not think that that will be a solution. Strong enforcement of t...
Tom Mason Con Committee
24 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
We have got more information on the situation. It seems that we have taken the petition as far as we can. There will be an island communities impact assessment on any further parking charges if they are to be reconsidered. There are no charges as yet, so there is no problem th...
Tom Mason Con Committee
24 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
It is a difficult one, but on balance I go with your thoughts, convener. We have achieved quite a bit with the petition. A consultation is going on and the petitioners can participate in it. Bearing in mind that the petitioners can always come back with a new petition if they ...
Tom Mason Con Committee
24 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
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 information. Rational discussion and reviews that take the population along with them, with continual consultation, are essen...
Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Committee
24 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
I agree with pretty much everything that has been said. These ladies have been let down for so long, and it is so important that we maintain the momentum to ensure that they get the satisfaction that they need after such a long time. They have been very courageous and, as peop...
Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber
23 Mar 2021
European Charter of Local Self-Government (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill
I remind colleagues for the last time that I am a councillor of Aberdeen City. Before re-entering active politics in 2016, I spent many years lecturing on the MBA programme at the Aberdeen business school. A regular guest lecturer was the chief executive of Aberdeen City Cou...
Tom Mason Con Chamber
11 Mar 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Road Infrastructure Improvements (North East Scotland)
I remind colleagues that I am a councillor in the city of Aberdeen. The cabinet secretary will be aware that Nestrans has submitted its 2040 regional transport strategy to Government for approval. The strategy contains a number of vital improvements for infrastructure in the ...
7. Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber
11 Mar 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Road Infrastructure Improvements (North East Scotland)
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Nestrans and Transport Scotland regarding road infrastructure improvements in the North East Scotland region. (S5O-05112)
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
I agree with what you have said, convener. However, having identified the problem, I am not sure what the Public Petitions Committee can do about it. I think it would be right to close the petition but, in doing so, we should write to the Government to remind it that it has ...
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
I agree with my colleagues. There are issues that need to be resolved, and the petition should be kept open until that happens. Some of the issues might be misunderstandings, but misunderstandings need to be resolved and, until they are, it should be kept open, to ensure that ...
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
There is some progress, in that certain reviews are taking place and there is improvement in oversight. Therefore, it would be sensible to close the petition at this stage and see whether those improvements make a difference. The petitioner can always come back with another pe...
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
I agree with my colleagues that we have explored the issues. I do not recognise any way in which we could really make the progress that the petitioner wants, so closing the petition is our only option.
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
I declare an interest, in that I have a dog and occasionally use dog walking services. Legislation and licensing are possible, and the issue just needs detailed attention in future. I think that we have gone as far as we can with the petition, so we should close it, recognisi...
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
We can see that there is a great deal of material on the petition. To bring some sort of rational process into the situation, there needs to be legislation to get the regulation right, so that everybody is dealing with a similar pattern. If that does not happen, there will be ...
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
I agree with Maurice Corry. There is no obvious sign that the Government has developed a definitive strategy for these woodlands and there are a few issues still to be discussed with the deer working group. I think that we should keep the petition open and pass it on to the ne...
Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Committee
10 Mar 2021
Continued Petitions
I agree with what my colleagues have said. A start has been made, but we should keep the pressure on until the treatment that is advocated becomes mainstream. There are thousands of sufferers in Scotland and they need some relief. If we take the pressure off now, that might ne...
Tom Mason Con Chamber
04 Mar 2021
Decision Time
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I had the same problem. I would have voted yes.
Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber
04 Mar 2021
Decision Time
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I had a problem with my app. I would have voted yes.
Tom Mason Con Chamber
03 Mar 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Affordable Homes (Target)
I remind colleagues that I am a councillor in Aberdeen City Council. In line with Aberdeen’s local outcome improvement plan, the council agreed that the on-going programme of 2,000 new homes will be built to the industry gold standard, which makes them greener and cheaper to r...
8. Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber
03 Mar 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Affordable Homes (Target)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to meet its target of building 50,000 affordable homes. (S5O-05072)
Tom Mason Con Chamber
25 Feb 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Elective Surgery (NHS Grampian)
According to the latest data, in December, planned operations in the NHS Grampian area stood at the second-highest rate of any health board. That is in addition to procedures postponed since March last year, which number well into the thousands. We understand that hospitals mu...
7. Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber
25 Feb 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Elective Surgery (NHS Grampian)
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reduce the backlog of elective surgical procedures that have arisen in the NHS Grampian area due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (S5O-05063)
Tom Mason Con Committee
24 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
As they should be. I have a construction industry background, so I know exactly what is involved in budgetary control.
Tom Mason Con Committee
24 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
Yes, we need that because, at the moment, people are concerned that the project costs—as with many other projects in Scotland—have spiralled out of control. Ferries is an example of that. We do not want other projects to spiral out of control, and the control of contingency is...
Tom Mason Con Committee
24 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
Okay. You outlined what the overall budget is, which includes contingency of £6.8 million. That was the sum at the start of the budget process in 2019. How much headroom do you have left in terms of how the project is going? In other words, how much of the contingency has been...
Tom Mason Con Committee
24 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
What happens if it cannot?
Tom Mason Con Committee
24 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
It may not be in HIAL’s remit, but should it not be in the remit of the Government to consider the issues? Even if the legislation was not in place, the issue of the impact of the project still existed and should have been addressed before it was given the go ahead.
Tom Mason Con Committee
24 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
Does it surprise you that we get into so much difficulty putting into place such projects, given how we go about doing it, cabinet secretary? The impact assessment is coming in now, when major decisions have already been made, so it is little wonder that people object to the p...
Tom Mason Con Committee
24 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
Yes, I agree with what has been said so far. There will be a change of Government, so the legacy paper will carry over the issues and they can be followed up in future. I expect the issue still to be on the cards for at least five years before anything is really resolved on an...
Tom Mason Con Committee
24 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
Minister, you kindly outlined that you have engaged with the petitioners, and you have talked about your engagement with research and round-table discussions and so on. What is most important in the whole discussion is how we move forward. Can you confirm your programme for en...
Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Committee
24 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
The Scottish Lyme disease and tick-borne infections reference laboratory has ISO accredited testing available for only five strains of Borrelia out of 300. Our evidence shows that cases can be missed based on when tests are taken. Professor Lambert has called for testing for a...
Tom Mason Con Chamber
18 Feb 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Railways (Hydrogen-powered Trains)
The first hydrogen trains are due to be displayed at COP26—the 26th conference of the parties—later this year, to demonstrate the future of sustainable rail travel. My concern is that the main line to Aberdeen is due to be electrified by 2035. In addition, electrification gant...
1. Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber
18 Feb 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Railways (Hydrogen-powered Trains)
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the future use of hydrogen-powered trains on the Edinburgh-Dundee-Aberdeen main line. (S5O-05017)
Tom Mason Con Committee
17 Feb 2021
Continued Petition
But might it be on the Government’s agenda?
Tom Mason Con Committee
17 Feb 2021
Continued Petition
But are you, at this moment, in a position to walk away from the whole project if it is not feasible or you cannot meet those high bars?
Tom Mason Con Committee
17 Feb 2021
Continued Petition
The project is being implemented section by section, airport by airport, and one of the completion activities is the safety clearance from the CAA. That will probably be successful for the initial airports, with Benbecula and Wick being down the line. What happens if Benbecula...
Tom Mason Con Committee
17 Feb 2021
Continued Petition
Yes.
Tom Mason Con Committee
17 Feb 2021
Continued Petition
We understand that an islands impact assessment was commissioned. What did the assessment conclude? Do you have all the information?
Tom Mason Con Committee
17 Feb 2021
Continued Petition
The committee has received evidence that demonstrates that the air traffic control workforce in remote and island communities is stable. However, significant concerns have been raised about the instability in that workforce in Inverness, where all efforts are now being concent...
Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Committee
17 Feb 2021
Continued Petition
Your mission statement says that you want “To create social benefit and economic prosperity by building Scotland’s sustainable regional airport group of the future”. How will the ATMS project achieve that for remote and island communities?
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
We have had a lot of information about the petition. It is evident that the Government has made some progress in a number of areas. There is still a long way to go, but time will tell whether what it is putting in place is successful. We should close the petition under rule 15...
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
The Government has demonstrated there are some workstreams in place to address the issues that are involved with maternity rural services. Difficulties will always arise with services such as maternity in rural areas. There has to be a consensus as to what can and cannot be pr...
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
I agree with my colleagues. We have a great deal of information, all of which takes us round in circles. The petition needs to be taken forward into the next session so that some of the issues can be resolved. Certainly, we need evidence from the minister in the new Government...
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
It seems that the petitioner had some particularly bad experiences and that the problem is not recognised as being a general one. The Government has a strategy in place. We will not get the petitioner to agree that the Government is doing the right thing. However, unless the G...
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
It is good that the petition was brought before us and we have established what is going on. The Government has a strategy and it has instigated a national bereavement co-ordinator and a round-table discussion. We must see what progress is made, so closing the petition is righ...
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
The Government has shown its commitment and has a strategy for dealing with the issue. We have done what we can to deal with it at the moment, therefore we could close the petition, recognising that the petitioner could come back with another petition should the Government not...
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
Our understanding is that the Government is talking to the unions and retailers generally. My only hope is that, with the pandemic going on, there will be retail left when it comes to next year. Closing the petition is the right thing to do at this stage.
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
I have a further point, convener. This is a typical example of an area where central Government constructs all the regulations and things, but implementation is locally based. Councils should be sticking their oar in and making sure that their departments apply the rules and t...
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
I think that we have explored the matter as far as can. As you say, convener, we received substantial information on the standards. If there is an issue with implementation, we should, in closing the petition, write to the minister to indicate clearly that there is a gap. The ...
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
I agree. We do not have the information that we need to make a decision or to close the petition. We should keep the petition open, write to the minister and get the information that we have been asking for.
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
I agree with my colleagues. We managed to generate a debate around the issue. The petition was not supported by a number of the witnesses and we have the member’s bill proposal, so I think that closing the petition is a sensible thing to do at this stage.
Tom Mason Con Committee
10 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
I worry a little about parts of what have been suggested about an inquiry. The danger of inquiries is that they look backwards and can become a blame game. What has been missing from the process is trust—on all sides. We must make sure that the methods that we use going forwar...
Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Committee
10 Feb 2021
Continued Petitions
We have all experienced the evidence that has been given by groups with vested interests in the petition. Medical treatments and the like are all to do with trust, and, when trust breaks down, blame starts to be bandied around. The debate has been marred throughout by the perc...
Tom Mason Con Committee
27 Jan 2021
Continued Petitions
This is a sensitive issue that must be handled carefully. We do not want heavy-handed regulation. The way the matter has been handled through guidance after real consideration is the way forward. It will allow each situation to be assessed on its merits, in order to ensure tha...
Tom Mason Con Committee
27 Jan 2021
Continued Petitions
I agree with my colleagues. The issue of skills development and employment is important, particularly as we go forward, post Covid-19. If there are funds available, the onus is on the Government to make sure that they are fully used. We must question the Government—it is alway...
Tom Mason Con Committee
27 Jan 2021
Continued Petitions
Getting first-time buyers and young people into the housing market has always been and will, I think, continue to be an issue. There is undoubtedly an increasing expectation that housing should be provided, although I am of an age that I can recall when taking on the parents’ ...
Tom Mason Con Committee
27 Jan 2021
Continued Petitions
The medical profession is very concerned about keeping the balance, and it does not believe that it is the case that general scanning for any disease is beneficial; indeed, it thinks that some high risks might result from that. We have managed to highlight the issue sufficien...
Tom Mason Con Committee
27 Jan 2021
Continued Petitions
Yes, this is an important area. Scotland is in a unique position to demonstrate to the world what can be done in terms of forestry and the ecosystem that we have available in Scotland. Therefore we must keep this petition open and we need to write to the Scottish Government to...
Tom Mason Con Committee
27 Jan 2021
Continued Petitions
I agree with my colleagues. I think that we should close this petition at this stage. You have highlighted the issues quite effectively and we should write to the minister to make sure that progress is not destroyed by a lack of attention in the future.
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Committee

Public Petitions Committee 24 March 2021

24 Mar 2021 · S5 · Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
Continued Petitions
Care Homes (Designated Visitors) (PE1841)
Mason, Tom Con North East Scotland Watch on SPTV
As you said, convener, I am leaving the committee in a very short time. The success of the committee—it has, undoubtedly, been a success—has been thanks in no small part to your very balanced and considerate convenership. You have always encouraged members to participate and allowed very balanced discussion to take place. It has been a privilege to serve on the committee. I am sure that the rest of the committee will agree.

In the same item of business

The Convener Lab
The final continued petition on our agenda is PE1841, which was lodged by Natasha Hamilton on behalf of the Care Home Relatives Scotland group. The petition ...
Jackie Baillie Lab
Thank you, convener, for giving me a second opportunity to speak this morning—I promise that I will not go on too long and test your patience. Having faile...
Gail Ross SNP
I want to thank our co-opted member, Jackie Baillie, for her kind words. She has contributed so much on many petitions, even in the short time that I have be...
Maurice Corry Con
I thank Jackie Baillie for her input—there are always some wise words spoken. It is a very difficult question. I agree with my colleague Gail Ross that we ar...
The Convener Lab
Will the COVID-19 Committee continue to meet?
Maurice Corry Con
Until 5 May, we will meet only in emergency. The committee is still there, but it is slimmed down. It will meet only if emergency regulations and Scottish st...
The Convener Lab
It may be that, if we were agreeing to write to the cabinet secretary, we could write to the COVID-19 Committee and say that this is an urgent issue that the...
David Torrance SNP
As do my colleagues, I think that the issue is very difficult; however, I do not think that the committee can take the petition any further because by the ti...
Tom Mason Con
On balance, I think that we will have to close the petition. The situation is changing month by month as we go forward, and any legislation on the matter wou...
Maurice Corry Con
Further to the point about the COVID-19 Committee, it is very important that you write to the convener, Donald Cameron, on the point that we discussed. That ...
The Convener Lab
Thank you. People have wrestled with this petition. I go back to my earlier point about the frustration that the petitioners expressed. Everybody agreed that...
Maurice Corry Con
I will be very quick. You talk about the cabinet secretary and that is fine, but in the case of the COVID-19 Committee it would also be worth writing to Mich...
The Convener Lab
We can certainly copy him in to the correspondence. That would make sense.
Maurice Corry Con
Yes, exactly, if you would not mind.
Jackie Baillie Lab
Although I am disappointed by the committee’s conclusions on closing the petition, I understand and support the actions that you will take in writing to the ...
The Convener Lab
Thank you. We hope that, because the issue has been aired and commented on in the committee, it has been heard publicly. If there were a request for it, the ...
Tom Mason Con
As you said, convener, I am leaving the committee in a very short time. The success of the committee—it has, undoubtedly, been a success—has been thanks in n...
The Convener Lab
Thank you very much. I have never been accused of being balanced in the past, so that is a great compliment.
Maurice Corry Con
Thank you, convener, for all your work. I reiterate what my colleague Tom Mason said. The two periods that I have been on the committee have been thoroughly ...
The Convener Lab
Thank you very much. I will call David Torrance and then I will give the deputy convener the last word before we move into private session. That is much more...
David Torrance SNP
Thank you very much, convener. It has been a privilege to be on the committee once again in this parliamentary session. The committee has worked really well,...
The Convener Lab
Thank you very much, David. I appreciate your very kind words. We go finally to Gail, our deputy convener.
Gail Ross SNP
It has been an absolute privilege to serve on the committee. The subjects and information that we have had before us mean that I have learned about many diff...
The Convener Lab
Thank you very much, Gail. We look forward to seeing what the new Public Petitions Committee does. If it is as focused on what the petitioners are trying to ...