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
13
Parties on record
2,355,091
Hansard contributions
1999–2026
Coverage span
Official Report

Search Hansard contributions

Clear
Showing 0 of 2,355,091 contributions in session S6, 16 Apr 2026 – 16 May 2026. Latest 30 days: 148. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 14 May 2026.

No contributions match those filters.

← Back to list
Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 27 April 2017

27 Apr 2017 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
First Minister’s Question Time
Engagements
Dugdale, Kezia Lab Lothian Watch on SPTV

In all of that, there was no answer to the question that I asked. I will give the First Minister the answer. There are 700 teacher vacancies in Scotland, and 400 of them are in our secondary schools, where pupils will begin exams in a matter of days.

I can reveal today that the Government’s own internal documents admit that it could take up to three years to fill those vacancies—three years for the Government to ensure that there are enough teachers to educate our children; three years to clean up the mess that the SNP has been making for the past 10; three years to give our young people a fair chance in life. However, we all know that Nicola Sturgeon will spend the next three years campaigning for independence. Can the First Minister really keep a straight face and tell teachers, parents and pupils once again that education is her number 1 priority?

In the same item of business

2. Kezia Dugdale (Lothian) (Lab) Lab
To ask the First Minister what engagements she has planned for the rest of the week. (S5F-01180)
The First Minister (Nicola Sturgeon) SNP
Engagements to take forward the Government’s programme for Scotland.
Kezia Dugdale Lab
Next week, voters will go to the polls to decide the future of local services such as our schools. The First Minister used to claim that education was her nu...
The First Minister SNP
Education is my top priority. That is why—Interruption. Kezia Dugdale does not like to hear this, but that is why, right now across Scotland, headteachers an...
Kezia Dugdale Lab
That is from a First Minister who has cut £170 million out of local services this year alone. If education was her top priority, she would be listening to th...
The First Minister SNP
John Swinney and I and this Government have never shied away from the fact that Scotland—like many countries right now—has an issue with teacher recruitment....
Kezia Dugdale Lab
In all of that, there was no answer to the question that I asked. I will give the First Minister the answer. There are 700 teacher vacancies in Scotland, and...
The First Minister SNP
As I said, we recognise the challenge in teacher recruitment. Scotland is not unique in that regard. Kezia Dugdale might not want to listen to this, but that...
Jenny Gilruth (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) SNP
The First Minister will be aware that, last Thursday, Diageo announced plans to cut up to 100 jobs in Scotland, potentially affecting up to 70 workers at its...
The First Minister SNP
Obviously, I was concerned to learn that Diageo has begun a consultation with the staff over potential job losses at its sites in Leven and Shieldhall, and I...
John Lamont (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Con
I declare an interest as a trustee of the St Abbs Lifeboat trust. One of the best examples of a community campaign that I have ever seen was the campaign i...
John Lamont Con
On Twitter, the First Minister spoke of the “incredible achievement”, of the “community coming together” and of the community having “achieved something real...
John Lamont Con
Given the exceptional circumstances surrounding this situation, will the First Minister—unlike her back benchers—apply some common sense to this matter?
The First Minister SNP
The water and sewerage charge of around £900 that has gone to St Abbs Community Trust has already been drawn to my attention. From the investigation into the...