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 05 February 2020

05 Feb 2020 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Portfolio Question Time

Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland Figures

Finance, Economy and Fair Work

Mackay, Derek SNP Renfrewshire North and West Watch on SPTV

I simply make the point that we want to have an informed debate on the future of our country. I have never challenged the impartiality of our statisticians. What I have found frustrating is the misrepresentation of the figures as they relate to Scotland that occurs when people misrepresent the GERS figures by trying to suggest that they reflect the potential of an independent Scotland when they do not do so. The GERS figures do not reflect the potential of an independent Scotland; they reflect the estimated notional position within the current constitutional arrangement.

I think that it is right and fair that we have an informed debate about the options for our country and that that debate should be based on fact and the wonderful potential that Scotland has.

In the same item of business

5. Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Con) Con

I will do my best, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government how much time and money it plans to spend producing an alternative to the GERS figures....

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work (Derek Mackay) SNP

I am sure that this answer will tone things down, Presiding Officer. The GERS publication explicitly states that it shows Scotland’s position within the UK ...

Jamie Greene Con

Never mind the relevance of supplementary questions—I am afraid that even that answer was not relevant to the question. I asked how much time and money civil...

Derek Mackay SNP

I will always expect the civil service to act in the professional and impartial fashion in which it acts. I dare say that our work will be of much greater va...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

This is getting overrude and I am really not appreciating it. It is just not funny.

Derek Mackay SNP

I simply make the point that we want to have an informed debate on the future of our country. I have never challenged the impartiality of our statisticians. ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

We will preserve the calm with a short supplementary question from Kenneth Gibson.

Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP) SNP

I bring peace and love. Laughter. Does the cabinet secretary agree that it is sheer hypocrisy for Tory members to criticise the Scottish Government for try...

Derek Mackay SNP

I agree that the spending of £5 million in that way would indeed be a waste of taxpayers’ money. We have been working on a fully informed, rational debate ab...