Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 03 March 2011
03 Mar 2011 · S3 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Damages (Scotland) Bill
Like others, I congratulate my neighbour Bill Butler on his outstanding work in introducing the bill. Like me, he has a very strong interest in asbestos issues, on which the Parliament has already passed two bills. The Damages (Scotland) Bill will extend some of the improvements that have been achieved for sufferers of asbestos-related conditions to a wider range of victims of industrial diseases and accidents, which is greatly to be welcomed.
Mention should be made of Dave Scott, Bill Butler’s excellent researcher, and Thompsons Solicitors, which, as ever in this field, has done an outstanding job. I make particular mention of Frank Maguire. Although other members of staff of Thompsons have made a contribution, he has been the great champion in taking forward legislation on asbestos and damages. In addition, the campaigning groups Clydebank Asbestos Group and Clydeside Action on Asbestos have made use of the Parliament to progress significant issues that they are concerned with. I think that they can now chalk up their third bill, which is a record of achieving significant improvements that is unequalled by any set of campaigning organisations in any field.
The bill, which deals with a specific set of areas of injustice, will give significant reassurance to those people who will benefit from its passage, and it will provide clarification of the law in an important area. On all those counts, it will be good legislation, and I will be delighted to support it at 5 o’clock, along with—I hope—the rest of the chamber.
Mention should be made of Dave Scott, Bill Butler’s excellent researcher, and Thompsons Solicitors, which, as ever in this field, has done an outstanding job. I make particular mention of Frank Maguire. Although other members of staff of Thompsons have made a contribution, he has been the great champion in taking forward legislation on asbestos and damages. In addition, the campaigning groups Clydebank Asbestos Group and Clydeside Action on Asbestos have made use of the Parliament to progress significant issues that they are concerned with. I think that they can now chalk up their third bill, which is a record of achieving significant improvements that is unequalled by any set of campaigning organisations in any field.
The bill, which deals with a specific set of areas of injustice, will give significant reassurance to those people who will benefit from its passage, and it will provide clarification of the law in an important area. On all those counts, it will be good legislation, and I will be delighted to support it at 5 o’clock, along with—I hope—the rest of the chamber.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Alasdair Morgan)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S3M-8028, in the name of Bill Butler, on the Damages (Scotland) Bill. I call the Cabinet Secretary for Justic...
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice (Kenny MacAskill)
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 Damages (Scotland)...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Thank you, cabinet secretary. I call Bill Butler to speak to and move the motion.14:59
Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab)
Lab
I rise to speak to the motion in my name that the Damages (Scotland) Bill be passed.The bill, which was introduced on 1 June 2010, has the clear purpose of i...
The Minister for Community Safety (Fergus Ewing)
SNP
I begin by belatedly responding to Robert Brown’s earlier point by advising him that, under section 17, nothing affects proceedings that are commenced before...
Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I begin by paying tribute to Bill Butler for bringing the bill before the Parliament. Without his intervention, the bill, following the excellent work by the...
Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con)
Con
When someone is killed or dies as a result of an industrial accident or illness or in the short and fairly traumatic circumstances of a road traffic accident...
Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD)
LD
When I was in professional practice, I dealt with cases of this type across the board, including injury cases and some death cases. We must remember, as Bill...
Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I am content with the Parliament’s scrutiny of the bill, on which the committee has done a tremendous job. I commend Bill Butler for his work on bringing the...
Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab)
Lab
Like others, I congratulate my neighbour Bill Butler on his outstanding work in introducing the bill. Like me, he has a very strong interest in asbestos issu...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Trish Godman)
Lab
We move to the wind-up speeches. You have a very tight four minutes, Mr Pringle.15:27
Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD)
LD
I join everyone else in congratulating Bill Butler on all the hard work that he has done on the bill. Anyone who has put forward a proposal for a member’s bi...
John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con)
Con
Like other members, I begin by stating that we should congratulate Bill Butler on his hard work and commitment and on bringing the bill to its final stages t...
James Kelly (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab)
Lab
Like others, I would like to congratulate Bill Butler on bringing this bill through to stage 3. I am sure that it will be passed at 5 o’clock. Bill has shown...
Fergus Ewing
SNP
I believe that in its approach to the bill this Parliament has done itself what Donald Dewar might have described as a modicum of credit. In a cross-party sh...
Bill Butler
Lab
This has been a good debate on an important area of the law of Scotland. The bill’s objective, as Mr Ewing succinctly put it in the stage 1 debate,“is about ...