Hansard

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Chamber

28 Mar 2007

Railways

I will speak quickly in support of the motion in the name of my colleague Mark Ruskell. Communities throughout Scotland have campaigned hard to expand their local rail network. As Mark Ruskell said, if we are to improve rail travel for the vast majority of the travelling publi...

Chris Ballance: Green Chamber

22 Mar 2007

SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE · Crichton Campus

Some of us might think that stopping the intake of students represents a substantial change of approach. Be that as it may, it seemed clear from the earlier debate that the minister has given up any pretence of supporting the long-term provision of liberal arts courses that th...

7. Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Chamber

22 Mar 2007

SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE · Crichton Campus

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that it will be able to achieve a successful outcome to its negotiations about retaining a University of Glasgow presence at Crichton campus, Dumfries. (S2O-12484)

Chris Ballance: Green Chamber

22 Mar 2007

Crichton University Campus

Does the minister accept that there is a difference between higher and further education and, if so, does he accept that if one of those no longer takes place at the Crichton campus, it will be a real loss?

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Chamber

22 Mar 2007

Crichton University Campus

I congratulate Alasdair Morgan on securing today's debate. It is important that we have another debate on the subject because, although it has been only five weeks since we raised our concerns in the original debate, in that time we have seen very little positive progress from...

Chris Ballance: Green Chamber

14 Mar 2007

Edinburgh Airport Rail Link Bill: Final Stage

Is that why, when the member's leader, David Cameron, uses a bicycle, there is a car behind him carrying his bags?

Chris Ballance: Green Chamber

14 Mar 2007

Edinburgh Airport Rail Link Bill: Final Stage

Will the member give way?

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Chamber

14 Mar 2007

Edinburgh Airport Rail Link Bill: Final Stage

Normally, the Scottish Green Party enthusiastically supports rail developments and proposals to encourage modal shift to rail and public transport throughout Scotland. However, we do not support the Edinburgh airport rail link. We remain absolutely unconvinced that it is a pri...

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Chamber

14 Mar 2007

Edinburgh Airport Rail Link Bill: Final Stage

Will the member give way?

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

06 Mar 2007

Annual Report

I think that it already does.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

06 Mar 2007

Parliamentary Time

When somebody stands up to make a point of order or to challenge the business motion, members tend to listen, although they might not listen to some of the other things that are said.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

06 Mar 2007

Parliamentary Time

It would not be on the public record in the same way.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

06 Mar 2007

Parliamentary Time

That is quite a good idea. The advantage of challenging the business motion is that the convener would get three minutes in which to tell the entire chamber what we think are the key points of our report and why we think they should be debated. There would be 120 members there...

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

06 Mar 2007

Parliamentary Time

I should add that there is substantial opposition from more than one business manager to the concept of giving more notice of motions. That is deeply depressing because, as Karen Gillon and Richard Baker said, civic society cannot engage with the Parliament if members themselv...

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

06 Mar 2007

Parliamentary Time

Again, without breaching any of the confidences of a bureau meeting, a particular business manager argued on the one hand that MSPs hate parts of the report and, on the other hand, that MSPs know nothing about it. I find that to be a quite extraordinary combination of argument...

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

06 Mar 2007

Parliamentary Time

Feel free. I have no desire for privacy.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

06 Mar 2007

Guidance

I have just noticed that paragraph 1.6 on page 2 refers to "the Sewel convention". This committee established the convention of referring to legislative consent motions. Ought that to be adopted in the wording?

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

06 Mar 2007

Guidance

I just wanted to put that on record.

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Committee

06 Mar 2007

Guidance

I received the papers on Saturday. Given that there are 100 pages of detailed text, I will not be able to clear any of the guidance for publication, although I will be happy to abstain in a vote, because I simply have not had time to read and digest the papers. To clear the gu...

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Chamber

01 Mar 2007

SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE · Crichton University Campus

Given that the minister understands the issues, appreciates the strength of feeling and has undertaken to discuss and to attempt to resolve the situation, will he tell us whether, following his meetings with the funding council and the University of Glasgow, he expects success...

Chris Ballance: Green Chamber

21 Feb 2007

Environment

Will the member give way?

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Chamber

21 Feb 2007

Environment

I agree with John Home Robertson that the people of Caithness know only too well what the nuclear industry means, following the clean-up around the coast there and the abysmal behaviour of UKAEA at Dounreay.The debate started with a welcome for the ruling Greenpeace obtained i...

Chris Ballance: Green Chamber

15 Feb 2007

Crichton University Campus

Will the minister meet the funding council to discuss the issue?

Chris Ballance: Green Chamber

15 Feb 2007

Crichton University Campus

The minister's allotted time is running out, and we would very much like him to address the question that Alasdair Morgan asked: does he support the range of courses that Glasgow University offers at Crichton? If so, will he act to ensure that those courses from that universit...

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Chamber

15 Feb 2007

Crichton University Campus

I congratulate Elaine Murray on securing this important debate. Indeed, the debate on the threat to the Crichton campus is currently the most important debate for the people of south-west Scotland.We have heard a tale of two regions. We have heard that people in the Highlands ...

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Chamber

15 Feb 2007

Point of Order

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Last Thursday, the Parliament voted down the Executive's proposal that the Parliament"commits to a replacement crossing across the Forth and calls on the Cabinet to commit to preparatory work to start immediately".Yesterday, the Minister...

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Chamber

15 Feb 2007

Workers' Rights

I will stick to my two minutes. The motion is excellent and it is important to debate such issues. It is positive that all members—in the motion and the amendments—accept that the state of affairs at Simclar is unacceptable. The tragedy is that we appear to be impotent. We can...

Chris Ballance: Green Chamber

08 Feb 2007

Transport and Works (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Does not the minister accept that the debate on the planning strategy will be a debate on a large number—perhaps 50 or 60—of planning issues? What is required is detailed examination of a specific transport issue, but that will not happen in a general debate on the overall pla...

Chris Ballance: Green Chamber

08 Feb 2007

Transport and Works (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Will the minister give way?

Chris Ballance: Green Chamber

08 Feb 2007

Transport and Works (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I, too, have a great deal of sympathy with amendment 16. It is important that we have some form of parliamentary scrutiny and debate on the general principles of such proposals before all the work of inquiries and everything else gets under way.At the moment, we risk creating ...

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Chamber

08 Feb 2007

Transport and Works (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Is the minister saying that applications to extend airport runways will be part of the national planning framework?

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Chamber

01 Feb 2007

Scottish Water

Today we have heard members speak in support of keeping Scottish Water public, and against privatisation or mutualisation. I would like to introduce a further theme: democratisation. Scottish Water is compared with and benchmarked against the privatised companies south of the ...

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Chamber

31 Jan 2007

Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Bill

I will be brief, but I think that it is important that the breadth of voices of those in the chamber who have worries about part 6 of the bill in particular is heard. People who have had artworks stolen from them in traumatic circumstances, such as the Holocaust, have a right ...

Chris Ballance: Green Chamber

25 Jan 2007

Interests of Members of the Scottish Parliament Act 2006 (Determinations)

Will I get an answer to my question?

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Chamber

25 Jan 2007

Interests of Members of the Scottish Parliament Act 2006 (Determinations)

I congratulate the Standards and Public Appointments Committee on the completion of a useful exercise. I have a question that I hope will be answered in the summing-up of the debate.On page 13 of annex A of the fifth report, on section 4, it is stated, under the heading "Spons...

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Chamber

24 Jan 2007

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month

I congratulate my colleague on his motion for debate—the topic is a very important one for the Parliament.One of the most positive aspects of LGBT history month is that a wide range of organisations will be working together to provide the programme of events throughout Scotlan...

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Electronic Voting

This is a small point, but if you can understand the subtle nuance, I was suggesting that we should respond to the Conveners Group and say, "We are not interested, but if you can suggest a way in which the transparency issue can be resolved, we will look at the matter again." ...

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Electronic Voting

It might be something that BIT could do internally within its own work programmes.As things stand, I do not think that we should change the rules to allow electronic voting in committees, but I am open to finding out whether the transparency problem can be overcome.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Electronic Voting

I do not know whether that has a cost.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Electronic Voting

If we can overcome the transparency problem and ensure that, immediately after the vote, who has voted which way is clear to everyone in the room, I have no problem with electronic voting. If that is not possible, I have grave reservations about it.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Electronic Voting

On the issue of transparency, the convener of the Communities Committee, who has worked with electronic voting, states:"there are genuine efficiency benefits to be gained by using this system and … it would be unfortunate if its future use were to be ruled out on this issue al...

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Electronic Voting

Page 6 of the paper tells us that the pilot scheme cost £3,744 and that it would cost an extra £6,700 to equip a further two committee rooms. We already have one committee room enabled, which I presume will be enabled for the rest of time or until there is technological failur...

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Electronic Voting

I would be happy for us just to change the rules and to instruct Parliament's information technology department to look into the possibility of getting the votes up on the public television screens.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Electronic Voting

It has.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Electronic Voting

The paper talks about the possibility of flagging up the votes on the public television screens at the same time as the convener gets them. That would certainly get around the problem of a lack of openness. I would be happy for us to change the rules to enable electronic votin...

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Legacy Paper

It is true that the changes that we have made have not worked as intended.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Legacy Paper

A letter or a quiet word from the convener of the relevant committee might be the answer.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Legacy Paper

There might have been that nuance. There was the suggestion that one or two people tended to skive off regularly.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Legacy Paper

The member who spoke to me was thinking about permanent absence.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Legacy Paper

I know—that was deliberate.I am not sure what would be the right mechanism for recording that information, but a member raised the suggestion with me last week.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Legacy Paper

Yes, it would. I am afraid that I arrived at 10.22 today—my apologies.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Legacy Paper

I want to raise a matter that another member raised with me the other day. I am not sure how to bring it to the committee's attention or whether including it in the legacy paper would be the right approach. A member asked me whether the Official Report could record when member...

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Legacy Paper

I do not think that there will be a further election after six months. I do not think that that is statutorily possible.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Legacy Paper

But that happened by default rather than anything else. We did not make a decision to continue with the status quo. We just could not decide whether or not to change the rule, and therefore—

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Legacy Paper

Having no consensus is not the same as coming to a decision.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Legacy Paper

We did not really make a decision. There was no consensus on the matter.

Chris Ballance: Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Legacy Paper

The paragraph points out that the new committee can decide whether to reconsider the issue. The legacy paper cannot tell the new committee what to do, but it can flag up issues that we suggest it might wish to consider if it so desires.

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Committee

23 Jan 2007

Legacy Paper

We can draw the new committee's attention to paragraph 88 of our report "Review of Parliamentary Time".

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): Green Committee

17 Jan 2007

Current Petitions

I do indeed have an interest in the petition, through a community group in the Scottish Borders that has been trying to set up an eco-village—a small, self-organised development of ecologically built housing. The group has not been able to get anywhere, despite positive noises...

Chris Ballance: Green Chamber

21 Dec 2006

SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE · Culture (Scotland) Bill

I am well aware of the minister's statement and of "Scotland's Culture" but, with respect, that was not the question that I asked. My question was: what provisions are included in the bill that will ensure that more people have access to the arts and culture?