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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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2,354,908

Hansard contributions

1999–2026

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Official Report

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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD Chamber

Education Reforms

Is not the reality for parents and teachers unspent pupil equity fund money, unfilled headteacher vacancies and more bureaucracy in classrooms through yet more guidance? If the education secretary wants to work with teachers, as he has said to Parliament today, why does he not...

Tavish Scott LD Chamber

General Question Time · Jarlshof (Coach Parking)

Sumburgh hotel, local bus businesses and the cruise line industry have been told for three years that Historic Environment Scotland, the agencies and the Government would sort out those coach park facilities, but all that we have had has been endless buck passing. Why?

8. Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD Chamber

General Question Time · Jarlshof (Coach Parking)

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made in developing coach park facilities for the Jarlshof site in Shetland. (S5O-03389)

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD Chamber

Census (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

As others have observantly noted, the bill is somewhat short, with only three sections, so I am more confident than usual that everyone in the debate will genuinely have read the whole thing, which is possibly not something that we will be able to say about the Planning (Scotl...

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD Chamber

Primary 1 Standardised Assessments

I thank the cabinet secretary for his statement. Will he explain to Parliament why he hired an academic from the English educational regime that nationalists condemn, and from a country where high-stakes testing is the norm, to produce the arguments that he wanted? How many mo...

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

But that does not involve giving Susan Boyd the support that she needs, which involves extra assistance in her class to get those kids out of school.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

So, you have given teachers guidance.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

What is Education Scotland doing to break down the barriers that exist in terms of risk?

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

Are there some practical things that you would like to be done that would help that to happen? You mentioned the Care Inspectorate. Does it have to do a bit more in that regard? Could other agencies do something?

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

In your submission, you made a good point about taking children outside the school and into the wider world. I come from a farming background, and when I was farming—long before I was in politics—we used to get primary classes coming to the farm around lambing time. The childr...

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

Thank you. That is very fair.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

I want to go back to the point that Susan Boyd made about her union’s submission on initiatives. It helpfully sets out five initiatives—I can think of six, if we include languages in schools—that primary school teachers are being asked to implement, if that is the right expres...

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

That is not the point that Susan Boyd was making. She was talking about support for teachers in primary classes.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

That is welcome.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

That is not what asked. I wonder whether Andrew Bruce can give us some context to this issue.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

But you are not aware of it.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

But you have just explained to Jenny Gilruth that you are in charge of STEM for Education Scotland. Are you telling us that you are not aware of this issue being flagged up?

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

That is not what I asked. Can you answer the question?

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

As far as you are aware, the teaching of STEM has never been flagged up in an inspection report as being affected by the pressure that Susan Boyd and thousands of teachers across Scotland have been reporting.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

Ian Menzies, is there one school inspection report that demonstrates that this is an issue in Scottish education?

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

According the Government’s own figures, class sizes in primary schools are rising significantly in most parts of Scotland, so the general pressures are clear and, I assume, affect all aspects of teaching.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

I wonder whether our teachers can tell us whether the rising class sizes in primary schools are helping or hindering the teaching of STEM subjects.

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD Committee

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Inquiry

I have some supplementary questions to ask in this area.

Tavish Scott LD Chamber

Portfolio Question Time · Teachers Pay Agreement (Implications for Public Sector Pay Policy)

As the minister will be aware, exactly the same circumstances apply to Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd with regard to the pending air traffic controllers strike, which has been suspended for next Wednesday but is still threatened for the future. Will she bring the same flex...

5. Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD Chamber

Portfolio Question Time · Teachers Pay Agreement (Implications for Public Sector Pay Policy)

To ask the Scottish Government what the implications are for its public sector pay policy of the agreement reached with the teaching profession. (S5O-03328)

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD Chamber

Sustainable Aquaculture

The cabinet secretary will be aware that the Norwegian industry is trialling a mechanism to filter fish medicines out of the water that is used to treat fish. Will he immediately ensure that those trials are replicated in Scotland, to the benefit of the marine environment and ...

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Will Richard Demarco give us a perspective on assessment of artistic quality? Is there a role for that in funding of arts?

Tavish Scott LD Committee

There is a lesson there.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Ken Mathieson’s point was that assessors would, in his case, have been people who knew about jazz.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

So, you think that the previous system had considerable advantages.

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD Committee

I am very tempted to get into that philosophical discussion, but perhaps I had better not. David Leddy has already touched on this issue. The really interesting bit in your submission, in the context of peer review, is your observation that “Organisations should not receive ...

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Local Commercial Radio

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Local Commercial Radio

So you do not think that, five years hence, the consumer will have made much of a switch to other platforms—apart, of course, from Spotify and the other radio services that we have mentioned. Broadly speaking, we will still be listening to FM radio.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Local Commercial Radio

I do not want to steal George Adam’s thunder, but I just want to understand this point. Is the view that you have just expressed that of commercial radio not just in Scotland but across the whole of the UK?

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Local Commercial Radio

When you say short to mid-term, what do you mean? Is it 10 years?

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD Committee

Local Commercial Radio

First, I thank Mr Findlay for mentioning Ian Anderson and the SIBC. Forgive me for the daft-laddie question, but why do you want to expand on FM?

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Subject Choices Inquiry

Would it be fair to say that that has taken place at local authority level?

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Subject Choices Inquiry

As a committee, we found that to be one of the most difficult exercises. I do not know whether any of you sat on the implementing the curriculum group, but when we looked at it we found that it was not covered in success. There were nine years of it going around in circles.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Subject Choices Inquiry

No kidding. What Larry Flanagan said relates to Alasdair Allan’s question about the agencies. The clarity that we would all expect from the system is not there from Education Scotland, the senior advisor to the Government. That is the part that I am interested in. You have al...

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Subject Choices Inquiry

I will try asking the questions. I am the teacher here, so hold on a minute.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Subject Choices Inquiry

Thank you for that, but you have kind of made my point: you all gave a range of different answers. You are all raising your hands now, but you have just given your answers.

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD Committee

Subject Choices Inquiry

I apologise for my lateness. It is not every day that a primary school from Shetland comes down to the Parliament, so I was showing the children around. They had a lot of questions that they would ask you guys, but I will resist saying what they were, because Alasdair Allan mi...

Tavish Scott LD Chamber

I entirely take the point that the cabinet secretary has just made about the three-year senior phase, but is not that one of the aspects that could be carefully considered in the OECD review? Parliament considered that last week. In fairness, I point out that the Government ac...

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD Chamber

We are debating education on the 20th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament, after 12 years of Scottish National Party Government and four years on from the First Minister’s speech saying that education policy is number 1. Why do teachers, parents and young people see little ...

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Article 50 (International Trade)

Is that fundamentally whisky and salmon farming?

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Article 50 (International Trade)

It is outwith the UK.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Article 50 (International Trade)

With whom is the surplus?

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Article 50 (International Trade)

My last question is related to Tony Mackay’s briefing paper, which was sent to your office. I thought that giving you a fair chance to look at it was a courteous thing to do. He made an interesting point about import substitution, which I had not thought about, and the context...

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Article 50 (International Trade)

In relation to your point about your agencies, do I gather from your published documents that you are thinking of making plans for Scottish Development International in the context of what you have discussed this morning? Could you lay those plans out for the committee?

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Article 50 (International Trade)

I agree. Related to that, is it important whether businesses that operate out of Scotland are foreign owned or domestically owned? The two obvious examples in food and drink are the whisky industry and the salmon farming industry, which are predominantly foreign owned but are ...

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD Committee

Article 50 (International Trade)

Minister, are you prepared to concede that although we talk up trade deals, they have their limitations? Bombardier has just announced the closure of its operation in Northern Ireland regardless of the Canada-EU trade deal. Do you accept that although they are important for bu...

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD Chamber

First Minister’s Question Time · Private Nurseries

The Central private nursery in Shetland will close in a month’s time. The nursery failed to recruit staff because public sector nurseries are paying more and recruiting to fulfil the expansion of childcare. Twenty families will be directly affected by the loss of the nursery, ...

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Subject Choices Inquiry

Thank you. I am trying not to put words in your mouth, but I think that the panel has argued in favour of moving forward, not going back. I get that. There must be two or three aspects to that argument that we should see as a committee. What are the two or three aspects—maybe...

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Subject Choices Inquiry

I am very interested in the take that it is about two, two, two versus what we now have. That is not necessarily the issue. You think that there are other pressures that are causing teacher shortages in your disciplines.

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Subject Choices Inquiry

Is that the most significant issue?

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Subject Choices Inquiry

Why are we failing in spite of the very sensible collegiate cross-party support for STEM subjects and getting more women into science and so on? Do we not have enough teachers? What is your diagnosis of what is the main problem?

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Subject Choices Inquiry

Do you think that fewer girls and boys who want to take a science discipline are able to go into the senior phase now than was the case some years back? Has that narrowing of choice made it more difficult to pursue a science career?

Tavish Scott LD Committee

Subject Choices Inquiry

If it is any consolation, Francisco, my son’s nine year-old class can all pronounce the Christian names and surnames of the Barcelona first team immaculately, as they were doing last night—they can also sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, but not in Spanish. I want to ask Tess W...

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD Committee

Subject Choices Inquiry

I was not persuaded.

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Committee

Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee 09 May 2019

09 May 2019 · S5 · Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee

Item of business

Article 50 (International Trade)

Scott, Tavish LD Shetland Islands Watch on SPTV

Is that fundamentally whisky and salmon farming?

In the same item of business

The Convener SNP

Agenda item 2 is an evidence-taking session on article 50 negotiations on international trade. This morning, we will take evidence from Ivan McKee, the Minis...

The Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation (Ivan McKee) SNP

I would be delighted to, convener. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for inviting me along this morning. The committee’s inquiry into the negotiation of...

The Convener SNP

Thank you very much. As you indicated at the beginning of your remarks, the committee has taken a considerable amount of evidence from international trade ex...

Ivan McKee SNP

You are right. The discussion paper that we produced in August 2018 covered our view on the issue in depth. We looked at some examples, and we argued that in...

The Convener SNP

What has been your input in relation to the rollover deals? We call them rollover deals, but, as you know, they often differ considerably from the deals that...

Ivan McKee SNP

Other than the fact that we periodically get an update on where the UK Government is with the process, our input is fairly limited, which is not great. I was...

The Convener SNP

Has the UK Government point blank refused to consider Scotland’s early engagement? You say that you have not yet been able to reach an agreement, but has the...

Ivan McKee SNP

To be fair, there will be discussions at the official level, so Reuben Aitken might want to comment on that. George Hollingbery understands that it makes sen...

Reuben Aitken (Scottish Government)

I agree whole-heartedly with what has been said. The issue that we face is that the narrative about wanting to involve us is often quite good; in practice, h...

The Convener SNP

I take it that you are referring to the decision to liberalise or drop tariffs in certain areas in the event of a no-deal Brexit. I think that the committee ...

Ivan McKee SNP

You ask about our input into those decisions. I remember the night fairly well, as I was out at dinner with representatives of a group of technology business...

The Convener SNP

In an ideal world, if things changed and you got the early engagement that you and the experts say is needed, how ready is the Scottish Government to provide...

Ivan McKee SNP

Yes, I think that we have. We have set up a new directorate in the Scottish Government—I believe that it now has 70 people—that will look at international tr...

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Lab

I will ask a bit more about capacity issues. A couple of weeks ago, we took evidence from trade negotiators who demonstrated huge experience and expertise an...

Ivan McKee SNP

You are right that there is huge complexity around trade negotiations. It is about lining up our offensive and defensive positions and understanding the wide...

Claire Baker Lab

You mentioned that a concordat is being developed and you said that it would be around how the process would operate and how the two Governments would co-ope...

Ivan McKee SNP

Yes, and it is important to recognise that it is not just Scotland—all the devolved Administrations are involved in the process. You are right—the detail of...

Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Con) Con

I take on board what you are saying with great interest, and you make some very valid points. If all the negotiators are singing from the same hymn sheet it ...

Ivan McKee SNP

As you say, what is important is how you approach the negotiation and the intent that is there. Certainly, if we end up in a position in which we are having ...

Jamie Greene Con

In an ideal world, that is the case. You have hit the nail on the head: if there is an established protocol by which dispute resolution can be achieved withi...

Ivan McKee SNP

I am not aware of the evidence that you are talking about, but that is interesting. If that is the case, that would point to the EU having negotiated a bette...

Jamie Greene Con

Different parts of the UK will have different markets and strengths. For example, one region might have a seafood industry or a dairy industry that is strong...

Ivan McKee SNP

At that level, it is about understanding clearly where our interests are. You highlighted some of them. As I said, the Scottish Government has put the capaci...

Jamie Greene Con

Thank you. That is very helpful.

Stuart McMillan (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP) SNP

Towards the end of the process, when the treaties are concluded, what type of activity will the Scottish Government look for to monitor the impact of any tra...

Ivan McKee SNP

The process is new to us, as are the discussions with the UK Government on how that will work. At that stage, as from the beginning and as we move through th...

Stuart McMillan SNP

Have you had any discussions with the UK Government on that type of activity, or will you approach it closer to the time?

Ivan McKee SNP

At the moment, we are keen to talk about all of it as much as we can. The discussion paper talks to all stages of the process. As I said, the issue is bringi...

Stuart McMillan SNP

On the aspect of the engagement with the Scottish Parliament, we have similar discussions around the secondary legislation in the Delegated Powers and Law Re...

Ivan McKee SNP

We want to engage, involve and consult as much as possible because we think that that brings strength to the process. The Government is happy to provide info...