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
2,354,908
Hansard contributions
1999–2026
Coverage span
Official Report

Search Hansard contributions

Showing 31 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
Dr Ewing: SNP Chamber
07 Oct 1999
Memorandum of Understanding and Concordats
I am so sorry.Is not it the case that, prior to today's debate, it was said, for instance by Mr McLeish when the European Parliament Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market visited Edinburgh, that if the Scottish interest dominated on a particular issue, for example...
Dr Ewing: SNP Chamber
28 Oct 1999
European Structural Funds
Not until I have finished my argument. The Highlands and Islands had objective 1 status because of its uniqueness. We have 90 inhabited islands, a figure with which only Greece can compete. Our gross domestic product was 76 per cent of the European Union average—1 per cent off...
Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): SNP Chamber
26 Apr 2000
Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundaries Order 1999
As the oldest member, I would like to say how glad I am to hear that Mr Dewar will be back in his place here tomorrow. He has caused us all a great deal of worry—and excitement, as the press made so much of it. I am sure that he will be well again tomorrow.The boundary issue i...
Dr Ewing: SNP Chamber
07 Dec 2000
Sea Fisheries
I am sorry. I will not give way until I have got further into my speech. The weakness of my voice is making things rather difficult.The Deputy Minister for Rural Development seemed to be taken aback by the SNP's disclosure of the fact that yesterday in Dublin, Frank Fahey—the ...
Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): SNP Chamber
18 Jan 2001
Fisheries
I, too, welcome the debate. For decades, we have spoken of crisis in the fishing industry, but there is no doubt that this is the worst. This is the bobby-dazzler crisis of them all. According to the industry, it puts half our fleet at risk. It raises bankruptcy as a reality o...
Dr Ewing: SNP Chamber
13 Dec 2001
Sea Fisheries
I congratulate the minister on a robust performance. I wish him every success in his negotiations. I liked the determined cut of his jaw, but I cannot see how its determination would be lessened if he were given the strength of being the lead minister. I simply cannot understa...
Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): SNP Chamber
31 Oct 2002
Fishing
In the decades over which I have fought for the Scottish fishermen, my heart has been broken many times. However, all that will fade into total insignificance if this ban is allowed to take place. I hope that I can give Mr Finnie a strong argument to take to Europe, in additio...
Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): SNP Chamber
28 Feb 2001
Sustainable Development
As Kent has been favourably mentioned, will Robin Harper also favourably mention Shetland, which has made great strides forward through internal arrangements?
Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): SNP Chamber
05 Dec 2002
Future of Europe Convention
A matter that concerned everyone on the European scene for many years was the secrecy of the European Council. Members of the European Parliament constantly tried to unveil the secrets and find out about major discussions. Sometimes we could find out, if we had a friend at cou...
Dr Ewing: SNP Chamber
05 Dec 2002
Future of Europe Convention
Is my time up already? I feel as though I have just got started.My view is that an internal legislative assembly should be able to have direct representation in Europe. I reject the myth that being in Europe as part of the UK gives us clout. In fact, we have the opposite of cl...
Dr Ewing: SNP Committee
07 Mar 2000
Scrutiny
I would like SP 779 to be referred to the Rural Affairs Committee, because what happens after 2002 is of fundamental importance for the whole sea-fishing industry. We should be given any documents that discuss that. There is alarming information about access to the North sea b...
Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): SNP Chamber
22 Jun 2000
Bail, Judicial Appointments etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I am full of admiration for all those who served on the Justice and Home Affairs Committee, when I see the amount of work that they have done and detail that they have had to apply their minds to. I congratulate them and the convener of the Justice and Home Affairs Committee, ...
Dr Ewing: SNP Committee
18 Aug 1999
Fisheries (Structural Assistance)
We have a crisis—a disease of the salmon—that will be known to any country with fishing areas. The European directive, under which the British directive was passed, provides for compensation, but for some reason ours does not. A case has just been raised in Europe to see if th...
Dr Ewing: SNP Committee
28 Sep 1999
Scrutiny
Will document 330 be referred to the Justice and Home Affairs Committee?
Dr Ewing: SNP Committee
28 Sep 1999
Scrutiny
Yes. The Sale of Goods Act 1893 is one of the most successful Scottish acts ever passed; it has worked well and has hardly ever been subject to legal challenge. This is a total change, which affects us all. It should go to the Justice and Home Affairs Committee as well.
Dr Ewing: SNP Committee
19 Oct 1999
Scrutiny
The Justice and Home Affairs Committee should see that.
Dr Ewing: SNP Committee
19 Oct 1999
Scrutiny
My concern, as I have said already, is that the document talks about the justification for centralising the Fisheries Advisory Committee, but it does not say why it is advisable to centralise it. It worries me that it is to be centralised, unless our fishing associations are i...
Dr Ewing: SNP Committee
19 Oct 1999
Convener's Report
I met the minister responsible for foreign affairs. The Basque country is a remarkable part of the Spanish state, because it has more powers than Catalonia. In terms of its powers, the Basque country compares more closely with Scotland than Catalonia does. However, because of ...
Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): SNP Committee
23 Nov 1999
Priorities
I am impressed by the paper and the work that is being done in co-operation. I have always found COSLA a bit of a mystery, because I was only once invited to anything that it organised, despite my long political career—maybe that is because I am not acceptable politically. Tha...
Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): SNP Committee
03 Dec 1999
Agricultural Business Improvement Scheme
I know that I am not a member of this committee, but I am fascinated by this subject. Some of the farmers who believed that they were going to get grants will be disappointed. I would have thought that they could appeal to Europe—to the European ombudsman or to the European Co...
Dr Ewing: SNP Chamber
03 Jun 1999
Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundaries
I cannot give way because I have too much to say in too short a time. To bring in the European dimension for a moment, for 20 years I served on the European Fisheries Committee. At the moment, I am— technically, and will be for another month—the only UK vice-president of the F...
Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): SNP Chamber
07 Oct 1999
Open Question Time · Housing
Will the Presiding Officer give this Parliament any protection when a minister—the Deputy Minister for Rural Affairs—makes a misstatement of fact that is easily verifiable by all of us—
Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): SNP Chamber
04 Nov 1999
Agriculture and Rural Affairs
As we have had an anecdote from Ross and Cromarty, I will cite a remark by the Liberal member who was my sponsor, the late Alasdair Mackenzie—a most endearing man, whom everybody loved. On the possibility that members from Scotland would continue to go down to London after the...
Dr Ewing: SNP Chamber
04 Nov 1999
Agriculture and Rural Affairs
It is an improvement, but the problem is that a lot of discretion is left to the enforcers in different parts of Scotland. I conducted a survey in every common grazing in my area to get the measure of the situation. There are some hard cases. The common-grazing system of croft...
Dr Ewing: SNP Chamber
04 Nov 1999
Agriculture and Rural Affairs
I have another point. There are two RAF bases in Morayshire, where I am happy to live. They get beef supplied from Argentina and— sometimes—Nigeria. No one would suggest that those countries' farmers are enforcing rules in the way that our farmers are. The RAF does not want to...
Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): SNP Chamber
16 Feb 2000
British Sign Language
I thank all concerned for the opportunity to have the debate, and members for their cross- party support for the motion, which is now my motion conjoined with Cathie Craigie's. I also thank these brilliant signers, who are rare birds— there are only 32 in Scotland. Today, we i...
Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): SNP Chamber
07 Dec 2000
Sea Fisheries
I would like—in my hoarse voice—to add my congratulations to Rhona Brankin. I liked what seemed to me to be her sincere attitude. I wish her well at the fisheries council.However, I support the amendment in the name of my colleague, Mr Lochhead, on the question of the transfer...
Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): SNP Chamber
24 Jan 2001
Proposed Protection from Abuse Bill
On the question of legal aid, of which I had a lot of experience at one time, when the Scottish Legal Aid Board came before the Justice and Home Affairs Committee, did anyone suggest to it that it might solve the problem if in such cases it was required to give a decision with...
Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): SNP Chamber
28 Feb 2002
European Union Governance and the Future of Europe
I am a passionate European. That stems from my early days, when I was fortunate to study in The Hague and met a generation of lawyers of my age who were passionately in favour of creating the European institutions.In 24 years in Europe, my stance has not changed. I remember we...
Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): SNP Chamber
25 Apr 2002
Freshwater Fish and Fisheries
As other members have said, freshwater fishing is one of the things for which Scotland is rightly famous the world over, and I was pleased to note that more than 110,000 tourists come here for angling. It is vital to Scotland, and I welcome the minister's announcement. We need...
Dr Ewing: SNP Chamber
12 Dec 2002
Fisheries 2003
We agree with each other that the Spanish are behaving badly—they are pirates and have always behaved badly. They do not attempt to enforce and would not agree to sensible measures about the powers of our fisheries inspectors. At the European Parliament's Committee on Fisherie...
← Back to list
Chamber

Plenary, 07 Oct 1999

07 Oct 1999 · S1 · Plenary
Item of business
Memorandum of Understanding and Concordats
Ewing, Dr Winnie SNP Highlands and Islands Watch on SPTV
I am so sorry.

Is not it the case that, prior to today's debate, it was said, for instance by Mr McLeish when the European Parliament Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market visited Edinburgh, that if the Scottish interest dominated on a particular issue, for example, on fishing, the Scottish minister attending negotiations would have priority? Has that position changed?

In the same item of business

The Presiding Officer (Sir David Steel): NPA
Our business this morning is a debate on a motion on the memorandum of understanding and an amendment lodged by the Scottish National party.
Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): SNP
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. This morning, we are being asked to consider a motion lodged by the First Minister that asks the Parliament to endors...
The Presiding Officer: NPA
I thank Mr Swinney for the notice, albeit short, that he courteously gave me of this point of order. Does any member of the Executive wish to respond to Mr S...
The First Minister (Donald Dewar): Lab
In fact, I did not get any notice of the point of order. The matter has just been drawn to my attention in the past two minutes. Mr Swinney has half a good p...
Mr Swinney: SNP
On a point of order. I thank the First Minister for his comments and for acknowledging the problems that have been created for the Parliament by this omissio...
The Presiding Officer: NPA
First of all, I want to say that it is a pleasure to deal for a change with a genuine point of order, however difficult. Laughter. I think that the common-se...
The First Minister (Donald Dewar): Lab
I was entertained by that exercise in barrack-room lawyers' skills. I say that as a compliment to Mr Swinney—I have never sneered at able barrack- room lawye...
Mr Swinney: SNP
The First Minister made a comment on whether the documents are legally binding. I refer him to an exchange in the House of Commons on 12 May 1998 between Mr ...
The First Minister: Lab
I am not aware of that quotation. I accept, though, from John Swinney, that that was said. I will take advice on this in the course of this morning, but my u...
Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): Con
To follow on from the previous point, how might this Parliament scrutinise the working of the concordats? It appears that the Public Administration Committee...
The First Minister: Lab
One of the features of this Parliament is a range of committees that are probably more powerful than any parliamentary committees that I have seen. They have...
Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): SNP
Opening.
Mr Swinney: SNP
Opening: it is just coming.
The First Minister: Lab
Opening—worse still. Do not give me all the bad news at once. I am sorry to see this: I thought that John Swinney was here to substitute for Alex Salmond, bu...
Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP) rose— SNP
The First Minister: Lab
I put it to Margaret Ewing, who rises, that that is proper and is what should be expected. There is therefore no cause for trying to set up a series of false...
Mrs Ewing: SNP
I make no pretence, as Donald Dewar knows, about my strong and long-standing commitment to independence. I am concerned that the documents seem solely to rel...
The First Minister: Lab
Where is its role? We are actually discussing the documents at the moment. It seems slightly perverse for Margaret Ewing to ask, "What is our role?" when we ...
Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): Lab
Will the First Minister give way?
Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): SNP
Will the First Minister give way?
The First Minister: Lab
I will give way briefly.
The Presiding Officer: NPA
I call Mr Henry.
Hugh Henry: Lab
Alex Neil commented that the concordats are defective because they have been drafted in secret in London, and that they are heavily weighted towards London's...
The First Minister: Lab
Of course they have. I have made the point that before 1 July, when I was still Scottish secretary, officials from the Scottish Office were involved in the b...
Alex Neil: SNP
Will the First Minister give way?
The First Minister: Lab
I was asked to speak for only 15 minutes, so I am getting alarmed at the number of interventions. I will let Alex Neil in once, but then I must make some pro...
Alex Neil: SNP
Are the First Minister and Hugh Henry trying to kid us on that the concordats were reached jointly? In an answer that I received from the First Minister on 1...
The First Minister: Lab
That is a tremendously clever point, but it shows a total misunderstanding of the constitutional position. The drafts were prepared, against the backdrop of ...
Mr Swinney: SNP
That is the point that I was making.
The First Minister: Lab
No. You missed out the fact that the concordats are not intended to be legally binding. Mr McLeish was clearly referring to the possibility of judicial revie...