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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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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
09 May 2006
Parliamentary Time
We can approach the business managers for additional time only if we know that an issue will attract an awful lot of amendments at stage 3. How the Parliament and the committees handle their legislative role has changed and the debate on whether there is enough time to discuss...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
13 May 2004
Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I hope that the amendments would provide a route to ensure that private landlords are fit and proper and take responsibility for the important role that they play. I am sure that the committee will forgive me for lodging such a large group of amendments, which are intended to ...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
24 Jan 2006
Parliamentary Time
This is the first time that the committee has heard of a problem at stage 1 and I am surprised that the issue has been raised. Often, committees start scrutiny of a bill before it is published. They get out there and inform themselves of the issues. The committee of which Patr...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Chamber
20 Jun 2001
Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
This group of amendments provides partners—whether they are of the same or the opposite sex—with the right to apply to the court in certain circumstances. It also ensures that section 1(3A), which requires the consent of the debtor or proprietor and the non-entitled spouse bef...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Chamber
20 Jun 2001
Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
Amendments 10 and 11 have different effects, so I will deal with each in turn.We discussed the proposals in amendment 10 at stage 2. The amendment proposes that the court should take account of whether the debtor has had the opportunity to obtain legal or financial advice befo...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
10 Jun 2008
Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I want briefly to address points that other members have raised. I accept entirely the points that Margaret Smith made about strategic matters and I agree that we have to ensure that certain issues around sheriff courts, boundaries and JP courts remain in the hands of minister...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab Chamber
17 Jan 2001
Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I am pleased to move the motion at stage 1 of the Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Bill. I thank all those who have assisted me to prepare and lodge the bill. In particular, I thank those who have supported the measure, many of whom are here this afternoon and without whom the bill ...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Chamber
17 Jun 2004
Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
I know that I lodged what could be considered to be substantial amendments at stage 2, but I did not do so just because of my constituency experience of the private rented sector or my long-held views that that sector requires to be regulated. I did so because of my experience...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
27 Apr 2005
Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I thank the minister for the detailed information that she has given in speaking to the amendments in this group. My intention in lodging amendments 105 and 106 was to generate some debate on the issue. Those amendments are supported by the SCVO, although other organisations h...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
21 Sep 2005
Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I say to Donald Gorrie that the amendment is not about telling people what to do; it is about helping people to do what is needed to maintain their properties and homes. Section 42(1), in chapter 6, says that "The local authority may by order (a ‘maintenance order') require th...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab Committee
13 May 2004
Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
Like most members who have spoken, I cannot support Bill Aitken's amendments to delete part 7. Stewart Stevenson mentioned the evidence that we took at stage 1, during which there was unanimous agreement among committee members and those who gave evidence and who had experienc...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
13 May 2004
Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
The criminal sanction would send important signals and have a salutary and deterrent effect, but a sanction that strikes directly at the landlord's income from rents is likely to be particularly effective. In some cases, that might be a greater deterrent than the possibility o...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
13 May 2004
Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I thank the convener for that and I will try to discipline myself.I thank everybody for their kind words. It was important to lodge the amendments not only because of the committee's experience of scrutinising the bill and of pre-legislative scrutiny exercises in which we visi...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
13 May 2004
Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
At the beginning, the HMO scheme was not mandatory—it used a progressive scale. I hope that we have learned from that. Sandra White and others who have spoken today have said that they support the concept that we are discussing. We should not miss the opportunity to take a ste...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab Committee
27 Apr 2005
Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
Members will recall that, at stage 1, concerns about the use of the term "satisfied", especially in section 34, were raised in oral and written evidence to the committee. The Charity Law Association commented that the bill would better fall into line with other legislation if,...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
24 May 2006
Petitions
We went into the issues in great detail during our evidence taking in preparation for our stage 1 report on the Planning etc (Scotland) Bill. As Patrick Harvie rightly said, the issues will arise in discussions at stage 2 and probably stage 3. I suggest that we write to the pe...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab Committee
27 Sep 2006
Planning etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I agree with Scott Barrie's points. I have been nudging him; perhaps he was looking over my shoulder at my notes.Unfortunately, some of the people who have been involved in the debate about a third-party right of appeal have failed to move on. Sandra White pointed out that she...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
10 Jun 2008
Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I accept that Margaret Smith's amendment 25 goes some way towards addressing the concerns that the committee raised at stage 1, but it does not go far enough to meet the recommendations in the committee's report. I am sure that the committee made a unanimous decision on the ma...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
10 Jun 2008
Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
The minister referred to party-political controversy in the context of the amendments that I lodged. It is not and never would be my intention to scrutinise proposed legislation in a party-political way. I lodged the amendments because I think that the constituents whom I repr...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
25 Nov 2008
Sexual Offences (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
You say that you are happy to listen and make changes. In the evidence that we have heard, children's organisations and church organisations strongly expressed the view that we should be consulting young people. This is perhaps the last chance we will get for a good number of ...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
25 May 2004
Bills (Timescales and Stages)
We have heard evidence about how tight the timescale was for getting the bill through. Everybody who was involved knows about that. Douglas Hamilton said that we wanted to get the bill through before the election, but in fact what we wanted was to get the bill through before t...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
21 Mar 2001
Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I will speak against amendments 1, 2, 17 and 18 together and then come back to amendment 3, because it presents different issues to the others. Amendments 1, 2, 17 and 18 propose to extend the rights of non-entitled spouses to non-entitled partners whether of the same or oppos...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
21 Mar 2001
Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
Amendment 10 proposes that the court should take account of whether the debtor has had the opportunity to obtain legal or financial advice before the court hearing. It would allow the court to consider whether the court process should continue before the debtor has obtained le...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
21 Mar 2001
Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I fully support amendment 38. I agree that it is crucial to ensure that a non-entitled spouse is made aware of his or her existing rights and the new rights under the bill. I should also say that, following our discussions on other amendments and my undertaking to consider the...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
25 Apr 2001
Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I ask the committee not to support any of the amendments. Whether they seek to remove a person immediately or to give them 24-hour notice, none of the amendments are acceptable for inclusion in the bill. The bill already makes provisions that will improve the situation of peop...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab Committee
01 May 2001
Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I support Executive amendment 56, and I am thankful that it has been lodged at this stage. The issue of common housing registers came up in the stage 1 debate and in consultation since the bill was published. All those who gave evidence to the committee said that common housin...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
02 Oct 2002
Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Bill: <br />Stage 2
If people with debts of more than £25,000 cannot access the debt arrangement scheme, they will find themselves sequestrated. The evidence that I get from people who work in the local money advice agencies is that people do not want to be sequestrated, as that can affect their ...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
30 Oct 2002
Homelessness etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
The bill adopts a different approach to the expansion of priority need from that outlined by the task force in its final report. The task force recommended a second stage of expansion of the definition of priority need, which could have included "other vulnerable groups" or in...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
30 Oct 2002
Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Bill:<br />Stage 2
I feel that I have to come in to support the convener. I do not have much to add to the points that Robert Brown and Karen Whitefield made. If we were to accept Tommy Sheridan's argument, the processes that the Parliament has adopted for dealing with bills would have to be rec...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
04 Dec 2002
Homelessness etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
The committee is being asked to have faith in things to come. We know that more information will be available when new data are gathered and the local authorities prepare and present their homelessness strategy documents. However, the minister will understand that, ideally, th...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab Chamber
20 Jun 2001
Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
Amendment 1 extends to a non-entitled spouse the right to apply to the courts under the bill when they live in the property with the debtor or proprietor. The bill allows a non-entitled spouse—a term that derives from the Matrimonial Homes (Family Protection) (Scotland) Act 19...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab Chamber
19 Sep 2002
Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Bill:<br />Stage 1
I am happy to support the principles of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Bill. We are now well on our way to providing a workable legal framework that will distinguish between those people who cannot pay and those who will not pay.Thankfully, we are now in a peri...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Chamber
13 Nov 2002
Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Bill:<br />Stage 3
Members will be aware that section 47 was amended at stage 2, when the £50 threshold was increased to £100 and the 10 per cent threshold was retained. In agreeing to that amendment at stage 2, the committee gave further consideration to the content of section 47 and thought th...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab Chamber
18 Dec 2002
Homelessness etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Like other members of the Social Justice Committee, I thank the committee's team of clerks and the Scottish Parliament information centre for the support that they gave. I also put on record my thanks to all the organisations that contributed evidence to the committee, not onl...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab Chamber
17 Jun 2004
Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
I fear that members who have spoken in the debate—and even Barnardo's—do not understand the point that we are debating. Members will be aware—if they are not, they should be—that, under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, which roused great interest when it was debated in the Par...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Chamber
17 Jun 2004
Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
I support amendment 122 and I am grateful to members of the Communities Committee who raised the issue during stage 2. I have no personal experience of resident landlords who cause difficulties in Cumbernauld and Kilsyth. Probably the only resident landlord of whom I have any ...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab Chamber
17 May 2006
Planning etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Like other members of the Communities Committee, I thank all those who gave evidence to the committee and took part in the pre-legislative consultation, and the clerks for their support during the process.I have a passion for planning and make no excuses for that. I also have ...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab Chamber
24 Jan 2007
Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I am happy to have the opportunity to speak in support of the general principles of the Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Bill. Stage 1 consideration has been a comparatively short piece of work for the Communities Committee, as its convener mentioned earlier...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab Chamber
12 Feb 2009
Sexual Offences (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I thank the clerks to the Justice Committee and all the organisations that engaged with the committee as we considered the bill. Our report truly reflects the evidence that we received, and our conclusions and recommendations were agreed unanimously.I am happy to support the g...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab) Lab Chamber
06 Oct 2010
Legal Services (Scotland) (Bill): Stage 3
The answer to Mr Thompson’s question is that this is democracy and stage 3 consideration of the bill. Richard Baker is perfectly entitled to lodge amendments on any subject relating to the bill.I support amendment 46A, in the name of Richard Baker, and encourage members to do ...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
26 May 2004
Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
There has been some misinformation and misunderstanding in the debate on ASBOs and the ability of local authorities and RSLs to convert to the short Scottish secure tenancy. We need to get some sort of explanation of the position. As a result of amendment 168, which the commit...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
16 Mar 2005
Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
If external paintwork that is in disrepair is not dealt with by owners at an early stage, it can lead to serious disrepair. Is that the point that you are making? It might not seem like you are doing a lot when you give your building or your windows a lick of paint but, if peo...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
20 Apr 2005
Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
In the light of the minister's assurances, I will not move amendment 80. Between now and stage 3, I hope that I will have the opportunity of speaking to the minister in more detail on the matter.
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
20 Apr 2005
Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
The minister is probably right that section 7(2) covers a variety of charitable purposes and gives a clear picture of the sector. However, we return to the word "analogous". I am scared to speak when we have so many English scholars at the table and I was grateful for Donald G...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab Committee
04 May 2005
Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
Amendments 109 and 110, in my name, have the support of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. Donald Gorrie highlighted the fact that we have been contacted by a number of organisations that have concerns about this aspect of the bill. There was unanimous agreement...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
11 May 2005
Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I am sure that we can follow that up with the Deputy Minister for Communities when she comes before the committee.We have touched on the cost of implementing the bill's provisions and how that might affect levels of rent or the market. We took some evidence from housing profes...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
18 May 2005
Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
In evidence to the committee and in briefings that the committee had with interested bodies throughout Scotland when we were preparing for this stage of the bill, local authorities—particularly city local authorities—advised us to be cautious that we do not set standards in th...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
21 Sep 2005
Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I could argue some of those points with the minister, but I am heartened by her final comment in which she offered to discuss the matter further. The aim of amendment 19 is to ensure that local authorities can intervene to help communities in which problems are occurring. I ac...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
21 Sep 2005
Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
The scheme of assistance is clearly one of the main delivery mechanisms for improving quality in the private housing sector. I listened to what the minister said and I am pleased that she is willing to discuss the matter further between now and stage 3. My goal is to ensure th...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
21 Sep 2005
Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I thank the minister for her response. It is welcome. I appreciate that she wants to accept the principle, but I understand the difficulties that are involved. I will seek leave to withdraw the amendment and I look forward to hearing about the Executive's work between now and ...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
28 Sep 2005
Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I agree with the minister that the issue is important, and I welcome her commitment to examine it between now and stage 3. I also want to get things right and, if we can find a better way of addressing the issue, I am happy to withdraw amendment 36.
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
28 Sep 2005
Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I very much welcome the introduction of the private rented housing panel. As the minister said, the only avenue that was previously open to people who were involved in a dispute was the sheriff court. The introduction of the panel is, therefore, welcome.Amendment 37 would exte...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab Committee
05 Oct 2005
Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I agree entirely with the views that Scott Barrie expressed. It is important that we introduce the single seller survey. I speak from experience of representing people who relied on the first stage survey to buy property only to find, a few months down the road, that their pro...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
02 Nov 2005
Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I thank the minister for her response. I appreciate that she takes the situation seriously and I accept that we are probably talking about a minority of landlords who flout the law or use loopholes to evade registration. The pictures that I passed to the minister today show th...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
02 Nov 2005
Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I thank the minister for highlighting my reasons for lodging amendment 205 and for outlining the amendment's purpose and effect. As she pointed out, sections of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 have been used by local authorities in the past. For example, in the year to 2005, t...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
25 Jan 2006
Planning etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
We discussed that issue in some detail last week with the witnesses from the universities, and I am sure that we will spend more time discussing it before we produce our stage 1 report. In answer to my question about other agencies, Richard Hartland raised the issue of the lif...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
08 Feb 2006
Planning etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I accept that, and that is why it is important to have a system that makes it clear to people exactly where they can go. Do you agree with involving people at an early stage in the planning process so that they see that the plan for their community will touch them every day, a...
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
22 Feb 2006
Planning etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Will the fact that key agencies are to be involved at an early stage help the business community when it is dealing with problems regarding infrastructure for major developments, for example?
Cathie Craigie: Lab Committee
01 Mar 2006
Planning etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I am not sure whether other members of the committee are fully briefed on suspensive conditions. Perhaps we can follow that up at a later stage. Is there room for compromise?
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): Lab Committee
08 Mar 2006
Planning etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
The event that was held in the chamber was hosted by the Communities Committee. We would like to hear witnesses' opinion of the Scottish Executive's consultation in the run-up to the publication of the bill and about whether communities were involved at that stage.
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Committee

Procedures Committee, 09 May 2006

09 May 2006 · S2 · Procedures Committee
Item of business
Parliamentary Time
Craigie, Cathie Lab Cumbernauld and Kilsyth Watch on SPTV
We can approach the business managers for additional time only if we know that an issue will attract an awful lot of amendments at stage 3. How the Parliament and the committees handle their legislative role has changed and the debate on whether there is enough time to discuss amendments at stage 3 has moved on. In the previous session, hundreds of amendments were lodged at stage 3 but, judging by how we have dealt with legislation during the current session, I think that the number of amendments that are now lodged at stage 3 has decreased because we are becoming more experienced parliamentarians and are able to deal with the issues at stage 2. Like Karen Gillon, I do not know whether the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill will attract an awful lot of stage 3 amendments. We cannot arbitrarily pick a bill for a trial over a day and a half. A decision must be made as we deal with a bill.I thought that business managers had agreed that if many amendments had been lodged to a bill and an issue had attracted a lot of attention from members and the public, they would be flexible about extending the time for stage 3. We must ensure that we have that commitment from business managers, rather than asking for an experiment when we do not know whether it is needed.

In the same item of business

The Convener: LD
There are two papers that relate to the review of parliamentary time. One is a general summary of evidence received. The other was prepared by the clerk and ...
Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): Lab
To which paper are you referring, convener?
The Convener: LD
The second paper, on the selection of speakers and speaking times. On page 6, the clerk has set out in bold type some of the points that arise.
Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): SNP
Andrew Mylne has set out the current position. Current practice varies widely from the rules for the Presiding Officers on ensuring balance and the order in ...
The Convener: LD
That is helpful. There is obviously a conflict between allowing flexibility in the number of speakers and in the length of speeches, and having set voting ti...
Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): Lab
We have to address the issue of Opposition time that is split into two different debates, which causes real pressure. The only times that I recall being give...
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): Con
On behalf of the Opposition parties, I have to say that it is essential that it is left to Opposition parties to decide how to use the small amount of time t...
Karen Gillon: Lab
It depends whether one thinks that the time belongs to the Opposition or to the Parliament and whether its purpose is to allow an issue to be debated or to g...
Cathie Craigie: Lab
We need to discuss the issue. When we fell into the habit of holding split debates towards the end of the first session of Parliament, some of the larger par...
Mr McFee: SNP
What has been said underlines my point. I accept what Karen Gillon said about Opposition parties cramming in two debates on complex subjects in the same morn...
Karen Gillon: Lab
I am slightly confused about why we are considering speaking times first. We are starting at the back rather than at the front. We need to begin with a funda...
Alex Johnstone: Con
To play devil's advocate, the fundamental issue that we must address at the beginning is whether the principle of family-friendly hours is sacrosanct or whet...
The Convener: LD
I accept the substance of what seems to be the committee's feeling. Without getting too heavily involved, I think that there are some points on which we coul...
Mr McFee: SNP
Those would all be good points if the final decision is that we adhere to a pretty strict timetable, but we have not taken that decision yet. Many of those i...
The Convener: LD
The general view seems to be that we will park paper PR/S2/06/8/3, which is helpful, until we consider a paper on parliamentary hours and so on, into which t...
Karen Gillon: Lab
I am interested in having a discussion with the Executive on interpellations, which are an interesting concept. I am interested in hearing the Executive's vi...
Alex Johnstone: Con
Would the best option not be to prepare the paper and then ask for comments from the Executive?
Mr McFee: SNP
Yes.
Karen Gillon: Lab
I do not care how we do it.
Mr McFee: SNP
We have to engage individual members on this as well as the Executive. It might be useful to suggest a possible structure.
The Convener: LD
Some time ago, we wrote to the Executive saying that we thought that there should be an experiment whereby the two parts of stage 3 were separated, so that t...
Karen Gillon: Lab
My recollection is not the same as yours, convener. As I recall, we suggested that the Executive should look to have the whole of the stage 3 proceedings acr...
The Convener: LD
Well, so long as there is more time. Are you suggesting that there should be a day and a half for amendments? What would we offer?
Karen Gillon: Lab
It is hard to tell. If the committees say that there are not enough amendments to sustain the debate, it would be difficult for us to say that we should have...
Cathie Craigie: Lab
We can approach the business managers for additional time only if we know that an issue will attract an awful lot of amendments at stage 3. How the Parliamen...
Mr McFee: SNP
In some circumstances, there is a case for taking a day and a half or even two days to complete stage 3. That has been amply demonstrated. With hindsight at ...
Alex Johnstone: Con
That hits the nail on the head about stage 3. Timetabling at stage 3 is our single biggest problem. In the past year, we have seen several examples of bad de...
The Convener: LD
In the short term, is it reasonable to pursue Cathie Craigie's suggestion that we should write to tell the Minister for Parliamentary Business that we cannot...
The Convener: LD
As Bruce McFee and Alex Johnstone said, a longer-term issue agitates many of us. We will try to pursue that but, for the moment, we will keep the ball in play.