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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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1999–2026
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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): Con Chamber
02 Mar 2006
Shirley McKie Case (Inquiry)
I congratulate Ken Macintosh on the way in which he defended his constituents: his was as good an argument as I have heard in support of Nicola Sturgeon's call for a public inquiry.Six years ago, in the Parliament and in the then Justice and Home Affairs Committee, I warned of...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
14 Mar 2006
Co-operation with Ireland Inquiry and Transposition and Implementation of European Directives Inquiry
I compliment Jim Wallace on what he is doing. We would certainly not want the inquiry to blossom out. Jim mentioned the registration of fish sellers and buyers. I acknowledge the difficulties that various port authorities have experienced with auction sites. Indeed, the Scotti...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
02 May 2000
Petitions
We have been round the houses with the Lord Advocate on the Dekker petition. He is stating that he is not prepared to allow the procurators to come clean about why they are not taking the issue forward. I suppose that—with reluctance—we shall have to accept that. However, the ...
Phil Gallie: Con Chamber
01 Dec 2004
Institutional Child Abuse
Okay. I picked up from the minister's comments that Quarriers had said that if people were abused, it would apologise, but I will read the Official Report tomorrow, as I have no doubt the minister will.I do not think that apologies cover all the issues. Robert Brown suggested ...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
03 Feb 2004
Promoting Scotland Worldwide Inquiry
I have already made a point to the clerk about the length of time involved, and about my concern that the inquiry will overlap with other activities, although it seems that there is no target for completion of the inquiry. I do not see that there is a particular rush, but it m...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
06 Jun 2006
Convener's Report
I am surprised that the Executive will not respond to the inquiry. In effect, Westminster is our voice on European issues and the inquiry is an important investigation. Irene Oldfather acknowledged that the House of Lords produces many interesting reports. It is a shame that t...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
11 Sep 2001
New Petitions
There would be more value in sending the petition to only one committee, as that would have a greater impact. However, I do not like the wording of the suggested request to be sent to the Executive, which asks for information on specifically how it proposes to address the anim...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
18 Mar 2003
Current Petitions
I do not know—I think that we could reply to the minister. He said that the project is a forerunner to a number of other projects. We are talking about a major landmark. Local authorities on both sides of the Solway firth and everyone in the area were up in arms over the proje...
Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): Con Chamber
13 Mar 2002
Legal Aid Inquiry
I congratulate the committee on the fact that the minister seems to have acted on some of its recommendations already. All members of the committee must feel pleased about that. However, the committee's final statement is that it considers this to be unfinished work—I agree, g...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
30 Mar 2004
Low-cost Carriers <br />(European Commission Decision)
To explain, a heck of a lot more work is involved in phase 2 than in phase 1. There will be a lot more contacts, and some costs might be involved. If nothing comes of phase 1 and committee members decide that we have enough information and it is not worth taking forward the in...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
22 Nov 2005
Transposition and Implementation of European Directives Inquiry
I am quite encouraged, having read the paper. Transposition is the sort of issue on which I would like a full inquiry; Jim Wallace's paper certainly gives me confidence that he will come up with something that could be of considerable use in the future.
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
20 Dec 2005
Structural Funds
The minister will recall that the committee conducted an inquiry into and produced a report on structural funding. At that time, I was the lone voice in support of the Government's budgetary ambitions. Somehow, the Government has fallen into a halfway house with the budget set...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
09 May 2006
Structural Funds 2007-13 Inquiry
Are EU structural funds still acquired on a universal merit basis? Is that part of the inquiry?
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
27 Mar 2001
Legal Aid Inquiry
Before we do that, and while we are still discussing legal aid, an e-mail from Duncan Shields has been circulated. It contained the reasonable suggestion that we should involve the Scottish family mediation services in this inquiry. Would that be possible? Could we take eviden...
Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): Con Committee
12 Feb 2002
New Petitions
Mr Burnett has called for an independent inquiry, but Scottish Natural Heritage recently set up an inquiry that involves others who are concerned about raptor expansion, such as the pigeon-fanciers and pigeon-fliers.
Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): Con Chamber
22 Jun 2000
Scottish Criminal Record Office
I identify with many of Mike Russell's comments and offer my congratulations—if that is in order—to Shirley McKie and her family, who have tenaciously pursued an issue that they considered to be a great injustice to Shirley. The verdict reached in the court, when the judge com...
Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): Con Chamber
16 Nov 2000
Question Time · Planning (Ayr)
Can the minister advise us of the overall cost of the planning inquiry into the Ayr United stadium and retail developments? Does he feel that he has received value for money from that planning inquiry, given his rejection of the reporter's findings? Does he feel that that is b...
Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): Con Chamber
13 Feb 2003
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
I make no bones about the fact that, when I entered the Parliament, I was not seen as a major advocate of the institution—indeed, I queried the whole basis on which it was structured and its necessity. However, perhaps one of the advantages that has resulted from its creation ...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
24 Jun 2003
Employment and Social Responsibility Inquiry<br />(Executive Response)
We have a lot on the agenda.
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
23 Sep 2003
Regional Development Funding
I might be looking at the matter totally the wrong way. However, as far as I can see the accession countries are looking forward to coming into the EU and one of the reasons for that is that they will get access to European structural funds. They cannot wait to benefit from th...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
23 Sep 2003
Regional Development Funding
I have a question on the completion date. We thought that there was a need for urgency, given the time limits on the previous consultation, but now we are talking about well into 2005, so we may not have to bring the inquiry to a conclusion so soon.
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
18 Nov 2003
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
I, too, read through all the papers and, as Margaret Ewing said, the message in each of them was the same. That comes as a surprise to me, given the fact that today the European Commission has yet again failed to have its books audited. I am not sure why everybody thinks that ...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
18 Nov 2003
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
My initial comment on the responses was that very similar views were expressed, although the three councils would provide views from a remote area, a city area and a semi-rural industrial area. I presume that that is one of the reasons why those three councils were suggested. ...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
18 Nov 2003
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
Aside from the selection of local authority areas, I wonder who Professor John Bachtler is and where his submission is.
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
18 Nov 2003
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
That satisfies me on that point. I am pleased to hear that there is a submission from the Scottish Chambers of Commerce. It seems to me that the public sector is well represented, but there is little or nothing from the private sector. If we are going to interview people, perh...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
18 Nov 2003
Promoting Scotland Worldwide Inquiry
I am amazed that Clan Cameron is doing so well in sending submissions from New South Wales and New Zealand. We must have consulted fairly far afield. I congratulate that organisation on beating everyone else to make its submissions.
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
18 Nov 2003
Promoting Scotland Worldwide Inquiry
No, we are connected with the Gunns.
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
18 Nov 2003
Promoting Scotland Worldwide Inquiry
The submissions were interesting.
Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): Con Committee
16 Dec 2003
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
I have three quick points. First, what will happen to the underspend? You have suggested that it may go into agriculture, but will any of it come back to the net-contributor nations? Secondly, if we were to go it alone and repatriate some of our contributions, would competitio...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
16 Dec 2003
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
Is it true that no parts of Scotland will qualify for objective 1 status after enlargement?
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
16 Dec 2003
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
You have mentioned the partnership approach, principally with respect to the Executive. However, in many cases chambers of commerce have a good relationship with local authorities. That, too, is a partnership.Local authorities have made submissions that seem to be strongly opp...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
16 Dec 2003
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
Alasdair Morrison mentioned Patricia Hewitt's guarantee; she said that the nations and regions of the UK will not lose out. Given what we have heard from the professor about a possible underspend in Europe and a return of funds to the chancellor's coffers, is that something th...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
16 Dec 2003
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
Thank you very much.
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
16 Dec 2003
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
I note Gordon Jackson's comments about displaying the European sign. The fact is that, whether we like it or not, the money comes from UK taxpayers and more of it goes elsewhere than into those projects. That is done in the spirit of the European Union and the cohesion that Ma...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
16 Dec 2003
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
Councillor Green, you mentioned your reluctance to have Scottish Enterprise interjected into any distribution of funds. You suggest that if we were to go for repatriation, the existing structures for distribution of funds should remain. Would that be possible under repatriatio...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
16 Dec 2003
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
I agree with Alasdair Morrison that there is more than one way to skin a cat. However, I am particularly disappointed that Patricia Hewitt is not prepared to come here. I would have thought that she would be keen to engage with us, especially as her document emphasises her com...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
16 Dec 2003
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
Could we find out whether the Scottish Affairs Select Committee is doing anything?
Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): Con Committee
20 Jan 2004
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
Almost everyone who has made submissions to us supports the present system. Why do you think that the chancellor and the DTI favour repatriation, given the almost unanimous stand against it? Everyone who has made submissions seems to take the view that, in effect, the structur...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
20 Jan 2004
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
I do not think that I admitted to anything. However, if Irene Oldfather wants to have a political debate, that is another matter. I would rather hear from our experts.
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
20 Jan 2004
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
I ask Richard Robinson whether any structural funds are involved in the SNH move from Edinburgh to Inverness?
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
20 Jan 2004
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
You said that the Treasury ministers thought that it was "inappropriate" for them to give evidence. That is different from saying that they are not available. Will you expand on why they think that that would be inappropriate?
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
20 Jan 2004
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
That would be helpful.
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
02 Mar 2004
Promoting Scotland Worldwide Inquiry
Paragraph 17 of the Scottish Enterprise submission comments that Scotland is a small country. That builds on an earlier comment about the proliferation of contacts. Do SDI and all the other partner organisations feel comfortable with the situation as it is? SDI, the British Co...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
02 Mar 2004
Promoting Scotland Worldwide Inquiry
We asked about the accession countries. How will Scottish Enterprise, SDI and Highlands and Islands Enterprise work with Scotland Europa on that issue? What is Scotland Europa's role in that?
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
02 Mar 2004
Promoting Scotland Worldwide Inquiry
What barriers do you face in the task that is before you? What barriers could the committee help to lift that would allow you to do your job better?
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
02 Mar 2004
Promoting Scotland Worldwide Inquiry
Given that we have the gurus of economic development in Scotland before us, and that the committee deals with European matters as well as external relations, it would be wrong not to refer to the Lisbon strategy, which does not seem to be working well with respect to economic ...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
02 Mar 2004
Promoting Scotland Worldwide Inquiry
Perhaps Martin Togneri would like to answer it. Anybody else might like to chip in.
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
02 Mar 2004
Promoting Scotland Worldwide Inquiry
Allan Hogarth may want to come in.
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
02 Mar 2004
Promoting Scotland Worldwide Inquiry
I am slightly surprised that Martin Togneri did not dig into that question, but if he has not felt that effect, that is fair enough. Has SDI felt any such effect?
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
02 Mar 2004
Promoting Scotland Worldwide Inquiry
I have a somewhat jocular intervention for Alan Murray. We are talking about branding. Scotland has a good reputation for looking after the bawbees and turning them into pounds. Have you thought about that aspect? I do not really expect an answer; it is an observation.
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
02 Mar 2004
Promoting Scotland Worldwide Inquiry
Mr Murray has just referred to the issue that I was going to raise. We have heard today of the plethora of organisations in Scotland that exist to help companies to develop business abroad. It is clear that Standard Life has not required that service, but it seems to me that s...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
02 Mar 2004
Promoting Scotland Worldwide Inquiry
Your comment on the closed markets of Europe horrified me. The European Union is supposed to be based on a single market, but you say that there are restrictions that do not allow you to develop in Europe.
Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): Con Committee
16 Mar 2004
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
It is about our becoming bigger contributors.
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
16 Mar 2004
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
We have tended to concentrate on the loss of funding through structural funding changes and we note that the Scottish Executive is rightly in favour of the idea of supporting new members where their levels of income against gross domestic product across Europe are very low. Ho...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
16 Mar 2004
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
No. What I am saying is that, under the Commission's proposals, there will be a change in respect of the way in which structural funds are paid to Scotland—they will probably be withdrawn. I am asking whether that change will affect regions of Scotland in ways that the Governm...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
16 Mar 2004
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
Thank you. On the basis of the comments that you have just made and earlier comments, one of the objectives for Europe and the Scottish Executive is to have sustained economic growth, while accepting that things are changing in industry and business, with the provision of diff...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
16 Mar 2004
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
I have just one more question. I promise it will be short.
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
16 Mar 2004
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
All right.
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
16 Mar 2004
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
You referred to competitiveness, which, effectively, relates to objective 2 funding. Within that strand, reference is made to the targeting of the development fund on areas such as the environment and the prevention of risk. Given that Scotland is tied to a 20 per cent target ...
Phil Gallie: Con Committee
16 Mar 2004
Regional Development Funding Inquiry
I am interested in the underlying principle in respect of how we achieve our European objectives in accordance with world trade requirements on the reduction of emissions, for example. On the basis that the renewables target is a European objective, should it not be allowed for?
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Chamber

Plenary, 02 Mar 2006

02 Mar 2006 · S2 · Plenary
Item of business
Shirley McKie Case (Inquiry)
Gallie, Phil Con South of Scotland Watch on SPTV
I congratulate Ken Macintosh on the way in which he defended his constituents: his was as good an argument as I have heard in support of Nicola Sturgeon's call for a public inquiry.

Six years ago, in the Parliament and in the then Justice and Home Affairs Committee, I warned of what was likely to happen if we did not achieve an open inquiry into the case. I spoke to Jim Wallace and Lord Hardie, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. Last week in the Parliament, I put it to the Lord Advocate that, in the spirit of the Executive's openness, we need to release the Mackay and McLeod reports. Sadly, that too fell on deaf ears and there was a blank refusal. This week's article in Scotland on Sunday, which claimed to leak the Mackay report, confirmed my long-held suspicions on the matter. However, I accept that the report has not been open to public scrutiny. In the interests of the SCRO officers, Marion Ross and the public at large, whose confidence has been dented by the episode, an inquiry is necessary.

I exclude from that the McKie family, simply because Shirley McKie has been exonerated by the court, as a result of which her family has no need to press further to demonstrate her innocence. However, the system's innocence must be demonstrated. Cathy Jamieson commented last week that only one out of 1,700 fingerprint identifications were found to be faulty. Why on earth did we need a further inquiry into that? There is no problem with people making mistakes, and one out of 1,700 is surely no big deal. However, the Executive and the Lord Advocate seem reluctant to concede that we need openness on the issue and an admission that that one mistake was made.

I have several questions based on the Scotland on Sunday article on the Mackay report. Does the report accuse the SCRO of "unbelievable … arrogance … and complacency"; of taking a "criminal course of action"; and of

"protecting reputations, regardless of the impact on others"?

Does it reveal early disagreement within the SCRO over the identification of the McKie fingerprint? Does it show that senior officers pressurised juniors to support their claim and that five SCRO officers refused to confirm that claim?

Jeremy Purvis mentioned the national fingerprint training centre. Is it true that the centre claimed that the McKie identification was incorrect? Does the report say that grave doubts over the conclusions by the SCRO were arrived at independently? Does it state that independent assessment is mandatory on all evidence that is submitted to the courts? On wrong identification, does the report say that an initial error was compounded by criminal action? Is the present Minister for Justice aware of the letter that Jim Wallace received from a senior SCRO officer, saying that he was concerned about institutionalised arrogance in the organisation and about the effect of that arrogance on the many excellent officers who served in the SCRO?

If the minister cannot stand up and refute the claims that have been made in the national press, we need a full and open public inquiry, so that the claims can either be found to be justified, or dealt with fully.

In the same item of business

The Presiding Officer (Mr George Reid): NPA
Good morning. The first item of business is a debate on motion S2M-4039, in the name of Nicola Sturgeon, on the Shirley McKie case.Before the debate, I remin...
Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): SNP
I thank the Presiding Officer for those opening comments.In some ways, this debate is unique. The leaders of three parties have united to raise a matter not ...
The Minister for Justice (Cathy Jamieson): Lab
This morning, I will repeat much of what I said last week in my statement to Parliament on the Shirley McKie case. It is important to remind Parliament of th...
Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): SNP
Will the minister take an intervention?
Cathy Jamieson: Lab
The Lord Advocate announced that all current and future cases in which fingerprint evidence was led would be subject to independent external checks. Last wee...
Nicola Sturgeon: SNP
Will the minister take an intervention?
Cathy Jamieson: Lab
On 6 July 2001, the Lord Advocate announced to Parliament that during the previous 13 months, more than 1,700 cases that had been examined by the SCRO's fing...
Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): SNP
Will the minister give way?
Cathy Jamieson: Lab
External verification was no longer necessary. Presiding Officer, these are important points that I believe must be on the record.In the five years since the...
Alex Neil rose— SNP
Cathy Jamieson: Lab
May I just put several matters on the record? I listened with interest and courtesy to Ms Sturgeon's speech, so I hope that Parliament will accord me the sam...
Members:
Hear, hear.
Cathy Jamieson: Lab
Last week, I described in detail the progress that has been made in improving our fingerprint service, and the further measures we plan to implement. The Lor...
Alex Neil rose— SNP
Cathy Jamieson: Lab
Presiding Officer, I am well aware of the need to continue to report to Parliament on progress. Parliament must have an opportunity to scrutinise our plans f...
Nicola Sturgeon rose— SNP
Cathy Jamieson: Lab
I believe that that is the appropriate way forward. We must look to the future to ensure that Parliament is able to satisfy itself that our fingerprint servi...
Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): SSP
The large out-of-court payment of £750,000 by the Scottish Executive to Shirley McKie leaves us with more questions than answers. Issues that refuse to go aw...
Alex Neil: SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Colin Fox: SSP
Give me a minute, Alex.What if Shirley McKie's fingerprint was identified but not found at Marion Ross's house? What if it was put there by somebody else? Wi...
Alex Neil: SNP
I thank Colin Fox who, unlike the minister, has graciously given way.I draw Colin Fox's attention to the fact that there was not just one misidentification o...
Colin Fox: SSP
I am grateful to Alex Neil for that intervention—it was exactly on cue.The second issue concerns the reliability of fingerprint evidence, which has been call...
Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): Con
I thank the deputy leader of the Scottish National Party and her party for using their time this morning to allow Parliament to consider the escalating conce...
Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): LD
I am sure that Lord Mackay will be pleased, as I am, that the Justice 1 Committee has begun an inquiry into the concerns that have been expressed about the o...
Nicola Sturgeon: SNP
We all accept that there have been welcome reforms to the SCRO. Does Jeremy Purvis accept that we will not be in a position to judge whether those reforms ar...
Jeremy Purvis: LD
I have heard Ms Sturgeon say that before. I have also heard her say that the integrity of our justice system is "on the line". I do not agree: confidence in ...
Alex Neil: SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Jeremy Purvis: LD
I will not.Ms Sturgeon asked whether we can assess the adequacy of the reforms before we know what went wrong. She suggests that we cannot know whether we ha...
Nicola Sturgeon: SNP
Will the member give way?
Jeremy Purvis: LD
I will not. I would have done so if I had had more than four minutes for my speech.Are the SNP and the Conservatives saying that Scottish fingerprint evidenc...