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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.
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
06 Nov 2014
Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland
I have two quick questions to ask, if you will allow me to do so, convener. First, I want to ask about the point that Mr Bruce has just made. The percentage of female board members is 35 per cent, although 51 per cent of the Scottish population are female. I am referring to t...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
17 Mar 2015
Seven-day Services
First, I wish to say that I think that the national health service in Scotland is excellent. I have always said that. I will touch on a point that Nanette Milne made, and I may offend people, too. I believe that we must change our working practices. I say this with the greate...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
11 Feb 2016
Subordinate Legislation
I have found the discussion interesting. Teeth were mentioned. I am sure that I have seen adverts, including on the television, in which people other than dentists offer teeth whitening services. Dennis Robertson touched on the issue that I want to raise. Healthcare Improveme...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
31 Jan 2017
Transplantation (Authorisation of Removal of Organs etc) (Scotland) Bill
I say with the greatest respect to members of the committee now, that I was on the Health and Sport Committee last session, and we basically went through this process then. I travelled with Duncan McNeil to Madrid to see the Spanish system. There were quite a lot of concerns a...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
21 Jan 2020
Protected Trust Deeds Inquiry
I am astounded. In the last couple of minutes I have heard Mr Menzies suggest that this situation is all Parliament’s fault. If that is the case, we will have to remedy it. Michelle Thorp’s view seems to be that everything is rosy and all is sweetness and light. With the great...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
16 Nov 2016
Crofting Law Reform
I worked for a bank for 10 years, so I know the problem—I will not name the bank. I am a lowlander, but I think that crofting is an integral part of Scotland and we have to help it. You have laid before us evidence that there is confusion all over the place. I respect the poi...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
13 Jan 2015
Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
With the greatest respect, you said earlier that it is homicide, not suicide. I do not want to go back over all that you have said this morning, but if people want to die, why should we not respect that? That is the question that I want answered.
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
28 Sep 2011
Subordinate Legislation
With the greatest respect, I asked whether you could give us an assurance that the RPP1 targets will be met.
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
25 Oct 2011
Draft Budget 2012-13 and Spending Review 2011
I am getting very concerned. I worked with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, and when we took away ring fencing and gave councils money they still went and did what they wanted to do. I think that you would be chasing the £500 million.Information gathering is good....
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
23 Nov 2011
Subordinate Legislation
I am sorry to keep on bringing it up, but again there is an issue with subordinate legislation. I note that the orders are not subject to parliamentary procedure, but I refer the committee to extracts from the Subordinate Legislation Committee report on SSI 2011/327:“Article 3...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
31 Jan 2012
Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
With the greatest respect to the Law Society and lawyers, the fact is that if I have 10 accountants, 10 lawyers or 10 whatever, I will get 10 different opinions.
Richard Lyle (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee
29 Feb 2012
Long Leases (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Good morning, gentlemen. Since the 1930s, we have had several changes in councils. In my area there were six district councils; we have had the regions; we went from burghs to districts; and now we have unitary authorities. Have we lost quite a lot of the knowledge about what ...
Richard Lyle (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee
28 Mar 2012
Subordinate Legislation
Good morning, gentlemen. Having served for 36 years as a councillor on a local authority, I know the problems that you face. We have 32 local councils, with 32 different ways of doing things. Some councils have a recycling rate of 20 per cent—although I say that with the great...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
11 Jun 2013
Welfare Reform (General Practitioner Services)
With the greatest respect, we have only about five minutes left, although I am sure that you could speak about Atos for the next two hours. However, so as not to alarm the convener, I will ask you to give a short answer, although I do not want to deny you the opportunity to co...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
15 May 2013
Crofting (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I am not a lawyer or a crofter. However, I know that in 1993, 2007 and 2010, and now in 2013, we have had to try to deal with this problem. I am sure that it is a very important issue for many crofters. With the greatest respect to Sir Crispin Agnew, however, I am sure we can ...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
20 Nov 2013
Deer Management
With the greatest respect, I think that Angus MacDonald made a very good point on licensing earlier. I am against putting in place a licence costing £5,000 or whatever, but perhaps people should require a licence to carry out their business. If people did not work with each ot...
Richard Lyle (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee
19 Nov 2013
Child Poverty
I find most of the comments very interesting, including the points that Jim McCormick, John Dickie and Jane Wood raised earlier. It all comes down to income and expenditure: the amount of income that is coming into the house and the expenditure that is going out. We could go t...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
04 Dec 2013
Proposed Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 2003 Remedial Order 2014
That really is no answer at all. Mediation is fine, but we know that, because of an act that the Scottish Parliament wrongly passed 10 years ago, people have been through stress and legal situations. With the greatest respect to the profession, lawyers do not cost very little;...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
07 Nov 2013
Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland (Annual Report)
I take it that Mr Bruce and Mr Allan are having discussions with the Scottish Government officials about guidance for revised diversity targets.Having previously sat on an appointments panel for Scotland’s fourth largest council, I must say that I totally agree with Mr Allan t...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
19 Dec 2013
Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I intend to press amendment 45. I am exercising my free speech in regard to the points that have been raised in committee today. With the greatest respect to the cabinet secretary, I believe that the Government has not fulfilled its pledge to ensure that the legislation is acc...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
18 Feb 2014
Community Sport Inquiry
I highlight to Mr Grevemberg my entry in the register of interests: I am the convener of the cross-party group on the Scottish Showmen’s Guild. I also compliment you on your work in ensuring that people are getting facilities locally.You need not give the idea away, but will t...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
27 Feb 2014
Lobbying
There are occasions when I email people back and ask whether they can send me their address or whatever, but across the broad spectrum, we get hundreds of emails on various issues. With the greatest respect, we do not have enough time. I am in Parliament from half past 8 in th...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
17 Jun 2014
Food (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Most of the questions that I was going to ask have already been asked. I am interested in the points that have been made by Mr Morton and Mr Martin. Last week, I divulged the fact that I was a grocer for nearly 20 years, and, with the greatest respect, I do not agree with the ...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
28 Jan 2015
Creative Industries (Economic Impact)
I hope that the convener will allow me one last question. With the greatest respect, when I worked in industry, we had, say, 17 balls in the air at the one time. Creative Scotland has Natalie Usher, and there may be others like her in the organisation. You have admitted that ...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
18 Mar 2015
Internationalising Scottish Business
Yes—Reggie Wu. With the greatest respect, he was suggesting that there were not enough staff like him around, trying to capture the market. You have a lot of people doing a lot of good work, but perhaps we should have more people located in some of the UKTI offices or the emba...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
24 Mar 2015
Fertility Treatment
I totally agree with you. It is a situation that I know very well. To my mind, it should be possible to have a third cycle on the NHS because the percentage of people who will want to go for it will not be high. If the convener allows me, I will come back to the point about t...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
31 Mar 2015
Fertility Treatment
This is where I do not get it. We need to go to three cycles, but you are saying that we have to look at the implications. On the implications, a person might want to go to three cycles and, as far as we are concerned, the committee, the health service and the Government want ...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
16 Jun 2015
Smoking Prohibition (Children in Motor Vehicles) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
With the greatest respect to Mr Auld, I note that most of the witnesses said that they can take part in enforcement. The police can issue tickets, and council officers can issue tickets for dog fouling. There is a successful campaign in Sauchiehall Street and other places in G...
Richard Lyle (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee
16 Jun 2015
NHS Boards Budget Scrutiny
A number of years ago, I wore glasses because I had cataracts. I then had cataract operations on both eyes over two weekends at a time when the number of people waiting for cataract operations was halved. With the greatest respect, I have to ask this question, because it is...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
08 Sep 2015
Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc and Care) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I turn to the topic of advertising, which I am sure that Guy Parker would like to comment on. Katherine Devlin said that, at the last count, there are more than 500 vaping products on sale in, as Charlie Cunningham-Reid said, thousands of premises. Many years ago, we stopped ...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
16 Sep 2015
Work, Wages and Wellbeing Inquiry
I would love to have your card, and I am sure that every other member here would like it, so that we can send you all the cases we have. I have been impressed by what you have said, but I say with the greatest respect that you are defending the indefensible. I totally agree wi...
Richard Lyle (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee
10 Nov 2015
Alcohol (Licensing, Public Health and Criminal Justice) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Perhaps Newcastle has problems that we do not have. Crime is at an all-time low in Scotland. Perhaps the Government has concerns about the bill. I also have concerns about it and am sure that other members do. I will keep my comments to container marking and off-sales. With ...
Richard Lyle (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee
25 Nov 2015
Oil and Gas Industry
Most of the questions that I was going to ask have been asked and answered. As Jake Molloy said, Britain has been a seafaring nation for hundreds of years but the British merchant navy is sadly on a downturn. I agree with what you say on that. With the greatest respect to Mr ...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
01 Dec 2015
Transplantation (Authorisation of Removal of Organs etc) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
One of the things that struck me on the visit to Spain was the fact that the percentage of British expatriates living in Spain who donate organs is higher than the rate for people living in Great Britain. Do we encourage or educate people to say that their organs can go on to ...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
01 Dec 2015
Transplantation (Authorisation of Removal of Organs etc) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
With the greatest respect, it would be very hard for you if a clinician has had a discussion with the family and they have said no, because they are distressed. Would it not be very hard for you to try to get them back into the room to rediscuss?
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
15 Dec 2015
Draft Budget Scrutiny 2016-17
Julie White and Jim Forrest talked about GPs, as did Elaine Mead. It is about having fewer beds in hospitals. Most people are telling us that we need more beds, but we need to ensure that people can stay at home, with their bed at home basically becoming a hospital bed. The Sc...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
15 Dec 2015
Draft Budget Scrutiny 2016-17
We have had an out-of-hours review, the outcome of which we will see soon. With the greatest of respect to doctors, they do not get the living wage or the minimum wage—they get between £80 and £120 an hour, although I know that they are worth it. However, they work during the ...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
09 Feb 2016
Penrose Inquiry
Professor Goldberg, you mentioned 200 undiagnosed people and said that more than 100,000 people who were transfused prior to 1991 might be at risk. If I had been in a car accident in that period, had been in a coma and did not know that I had received a blood transfusion, how ...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
10 Feb 2016
Creative Industries (Economic Impact)
That is the point. That is where the frustration comes from. You cannot tell us the location and, with the greatest respect to both of your organisations, the people who write to us do not believe that the development is happening. We will wait and see. Thank you.
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
23 Feb 2016
Subordinate Legislation
There are adverts on the television inviting people to send away for such kits. Anyway, I will leave that to one side and I will come on to my main question. Regarding fees, I am all for regulation and picking up people who are outside the system. We must ensure that, for ins...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
06 Sep 2016
Delayed Discharges
One of my concerns is that some of the integration joint boards are now saying that they did not get enough money and that they do not have enough money. I, too, was a councillor many years ago, and I know that you in the health board get your budget, you in the council get yo...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
06 Sep 2016
Delayed Discharges
With the greatest respect, you have reduced delayed discharge in your area by 70 per cent, so where has that money gone?
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
13 Sep 2016
Social and Community Care Workforce
Dr Macaskill has just touched on the point that I was going to make. I apologise to anyone who may take offence at my question, but it has not been asked yet. All care was previously done by councils—by council staff and the people who ran council homes. It has all been privat...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
27 Sep 2016
General Practitioner Recruitment
Yes; basically, we have to start now to train the doctors that we will need to resolve the problem. With the greatest respect, we have to look at each and every situation. Throughout the country, we have doctors who work in surgeries that they own, doctors who work in health c...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
28 Sep 2016
European Union Reporter
I made the point earlier—I mean no disrespect to anyone—that two people can work together in order to go forward. I am a joint EU reporter, with a Tory member, for the Health and Sport Committee. With the greatest of respect, Mr Rumbles, do not take it personally, and do not t...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
28 Sep 2016
European Union Reporter
With the greatest respect—
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
04 Oct 2016
Health and Social Care Integration Budgets
One reason why the Government introduced the legislation was to reduce bed blocking to make things better for patients and to deliver savings. Edinburgh has not yet finalised its budget for 2016-17, although we are six months down the road and we should now be looking at 2017-...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
01 Nov 2016
National Health Service Recruitment and Retention
I do not want to hamstring anyone or tie them down, but if a country gives you an opportunity to train to be something, you should at least give something back to that country. With the greatest respect, if you do not like it, then go and train somewhere else.
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
09 Nov 2016
Crofting Law Reform
With the greatest respect, convener, Murray McCheyne was suggesting that a crofter who worked on the land and who then bought the croft should no longer be considered to be a crofter. Do you agree or disagree with that, Mr Flyn?
Richard Lyle (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) SNP Committee
15 Nov 2016
Targets
My question has been partly answered. I have the greatest respect for Sir Harry Burns and I am sure that he will do a good job. My question is for Geoff Huggins. Boards are diverting resources to meet targets. Disproportionate amounts of money have been spent to manipulate tar...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
16 Nov 2016
Crofting Law Reform
With the greatest respect, we are going down a road that is going to confuse people—the tentacles seem to be growing every five seconds—although the situation is simple. The person is an owner-occupier: they were a crofter, they bought their land and now own it, so they can do...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
24 Jan 2017
Scottish Health Council
One of the problems in my area is that NHS Lanarkshire does not correctly get across to the public what it is doing. Basically, it does not publicise it enough. With the greatest respect to Ivan McKee, I say that I have also attended meetings at which I have been totally aghas...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
15 Mar 2017
Implications of European Union Referendum (Fisheries)
Thank you, convener. Most of the questions that I was going to ask have already been answered—or answers have been suggested. I am old enough to remember the cod wars and the British navy facing other countries. With the greatest respect, some of us think that the Scottish fi...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
15 Mar 2017
Seat Belts on School Transport (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Good morning. If I take my grandkids to school, I have got to have two seats in the back with seat belts, and I have got to ensure that my grandkids are well fastened in. There are 32 councils, of which 18 already require all dedicated transport to be fitted with seat belts; 1...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
10 May 2017
Common Agricultural Policy Payments
With the greatest respect, Ms Mitchell, using the words “official”, “sensitive” or “commercial” is not good enough. I could skim over that quite easily. However, if there was a big stamp on it that said “Not for publication”—
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
10 May 2017
Common Agricultural Policy Payments
At the end of the day, we assume that we are fixing the problem and it is going to be fixed. From now on, with the greatest respect to you, cabinet secretary, you should not need to go back to the Cabinet to ask for further loans. I take your point that that is a standby syste...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
28 Jun 2017
Seat Belts on School Transport (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I do not accept amendment 7. Over a number of years when I was a councillor, my council tried to bring in seat belts on school transport. I can see where Peter Chapman is coming from, but the Scottish Government had extensive stakeholder engagement during the process, and the ...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
23 Jan 2018
European Union Withdrawal (Environmental Implications)
With the greatest respect to lawyers, I suggest that will we have some of them going about saying, “We’re not in the EU now, so that law disnae count, your honour—we can go back to the law that was passed in 1948.”
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
24 Jan 2018
Major Transport Infrastructure Projects (Update)
Before the AWPR, the bundle of road projects on the M8, M73 and M74 was one of the biggest projects in Scotland. It was in my area and many members of the committee were fed up with me continually asking questions about it. I have to say that, during the time that Mr Brannen, ...
Richard Lyle SNP Committee
30 Jan 2018
Salmon Farming Environmental Impacts Inquiry
So, with the greatest of respect, what is the answer? Is it to allow GM crops? A colleague pointed out earlier that 2 million salmon have been lost to escape and 25 per cent have been culled, but they still had to be fed. Does the industry need to get better at being sustainab...
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Committee

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee 06 November 2014

06 Nov 2014 · S4 · Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee
Item of business
Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland
Lyle, Richard SNP Central Scotland Watch on SPTV
I have two quick questions to ask, if you will allow me to do so, convener. First, I want to ask about the point that Mr Bruce has just made. The percentage of female board members is 35 per cent, although 51 per cent of the Scottish population are female. I am referring to table 25 of the annual report. Does the answer lie in the question that I asked a few minutes ago? Some 54.3 per cent of the Scottish population are aged 49 or under, but only 17.4 per cent of board members are aged 49 or under. With the greatest respect to all of us, are we not looking at the wrong age range? Perhaps if we looked at those under 49, that could bring women on. I agree with and support that to encourage them to come along. There are more younger women councillors now in Scotland than there have ever been, because all parties have encouraged women to stand. Are we not advertising in the wrong papers? What papers are we advertising in? With the greatest respect to The Scotsman, The Herald or whatever fashionable paper you read, most of the population do not read those newspapers.

In the same item of business

The Convener SNP
Item 3 is an evidence-taking session on the 2013-14 annual report of the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland. I welcome the commiss...
Bill Thomson (Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland)
I do not want to say too much by way of introduction. As you are aware, the report covers 2013-14, which was the last year in office of my predecessor, Stuar...
The Convener SNP
Members have a number of questions. The answers might lead us to other questions of which we have yet to think.
Margaret McDougall (West Scotland) (Lab) Lab
The report states that the commissioner received 21 complaints about MSPs during the reporting year. Of those, 18 were found to be inadmissible and three wer...
Bill Thomson
I hope that the committee is not disappointed by those circumstances. I think that it is a good outcome. A lot of complaints cover conduct that is perceived...
Margaret McDougall Lab
It would be useful if you could send us that information, thank you.
Bill Thomson
Certainly. I do not mind doing that.
The Convener SNP
You referred to there having been 311 complaints about councillors. It might be useful to say that there are many more councillors than MSPs.
Bill Thomson
Absolutely.
The Convener SNP
A quick, back-of-an-envelope calculation suggests that there have been complaints about 25 per cent of councillors and 15 per cent of MSPs. I think that thos...
Bill Thomson
Indeed. There are over 2,000 councillors.
The Convener SNP
There are over 2,000?
Bill Thomson
Sorry—there are 1,200. I beg your pardon. There are about 10 times as many councillors as MSPs.
The Convener SNP
I am glad that we agree on that. I calculated that there are 1,222.
Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lab
I have a supplementary question on that point. Mr Thomson, you said that a lot of those complaints did not come to us because they were outwith your remit. D...
Bill Thomson
I do, but I cannot envisage a situation in which the Parliament would agree to a code that would cover all the complaints that come to my office and I am not...
Mark Griffin Lab
Okay. Thanks.
Cameron Buchanan (Lothian) (Con) Con
Good morning. In 2013, you produced a revised code of practice, which we scrutinised and on which we took evidence, including from the previous commissioner....
Bill Thomson
I do not think that any of us wants to increase bureaucracy—I agree with you on that. In the period that is covered by the report, the number of appointment...
Cameron Buchanan Con
Perhaps one would be of interest. Can you give me one example?
Bill Thomson
I refer to Ian Bruce for that.
Ian Bruce (Office of the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland)
A few appointment rounds have tried new approaches to the appointment process, which is one of the things that the committee and other stakeholders encourage...
Cameron Buchanan Con
You have given an example, which is enough. Thank you very much.
Ian Bruce
Not at all.
Cameron Buchanan Con
I have no further questions, convener.
The Convener SNP
In that case, I invite Mark Griffin to speak.
Mark Griffin Lab
You have probably answered part of this, but will you outline how the reduction in scrutiny, particularly the changes to the role of the assessor under the r...
Bill Thomson
I am not sure whether you are asking me to respond to that in terms of outcomes—I do not imagine that you are suggesting that the reduction in scrutiny will ...
Mark Griffin Lab
My question was a follow-on from Mr Buchanan’s question about reducing bureaucracy while ensuring that the assessor has an appropriate role and that the role...
Bill Thomson
At the moment, I am. There are two caveats. A measure of satisfaction—this is not the only one—is whether I receive complaints. There were no complaints unde...