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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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Official Report

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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

Everyone who has dealt with reports on community planning has experienced a degree of frustration, and those of us who have been local authority members know why such issues come out in reports. What Mr Sinclair said brings to mind paragraph 49 of the report, on dealing with l...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 22 Report

I think that the convener has asked quite a few of my questions. Only one is left to me, and it is in relation to Mr Leishman’s comments about the atmosphere of trust that permeated the organisation and its management. You have explained that, but it brings us to the competenc...

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

I am sorry to interrupt, convener. It is just that I should declare an interest as a member of the City of Edinburgh Council.

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

Barbara Hurst said that the recipients of care do not care much about who the supplier of the care is. One thing that came up in 2009 in a consultation in Edinburgh was that, actually, people care quite a lot about who provides the service. One of the problems that was raised ...

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

Colin Beattie has mentioned a lot of what I was going to say. I found fascinating the relationship between GPs and hospital specialists. There are issues around new entrants into the medical profession and where they are heading in their careers, and how that situation interac...

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Chamber

Drumbrae Library and Community Hub

Yesterday was a fantastic day: it was the culmination of 40 years of campaigning in Drumbrae, Clermiston and Parkgrove. During that time, the people in those areas were promised a library; it had been in a number of manifestos, but for whatever reason the plan had never come t...

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

First, I declare that I am an elected member of the City of Edinburgh Council—for the next few days, at least.My question is on the redesign of services, which Mr Welsh mentioned. Up to now, the main change in supply has been a movement from local authorities to the third sect...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

It was a general question.

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

I am not disputing that. I know that you spoke about quite a lot of that earlier. I am thinking about when there is duplication of a service and both service providers are from the third sector. How adaptable are such organisations to change? We are looking at the here and now...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

My question has been answered, convener.

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

I think that my colleagues have asked most of the questions that I was going to ask, so I will just ask for a bit of clarification. Perhaps you have answered this and I did not pick it up. Ms Diamond made a comment about a six-year gap. Who made the decision not to carry out t...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

I take it that that person would have known that gateway reviews are supposed to happen at a particular interval—whatever happens to be agreed. Does an officer in that position have the authority to not instigate such a review?

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

So, there was nothing in the rules to say that the review had to happen. The officer had every right to postpone it and had that authority.

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

Did that person have the relevant skills to identify that a gateway review would have been helpful and that postponing it has perhaps made things worse?

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

My question relates to paragraph 40 on page 17, which relates to heart disease patients at risk of stroke who do not always get the appropriate drugs. Have you identified why that variation is occurring across the various boards? Can we identify the boards in which such a diff...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

Do we know which areas come in for more criticism than others? Is there a breakdown of health boards in which there appear to be problems?

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

My question relates to paragraph 50 in the report, which is about the equal pay claims that may affect financial positions in the future. Obviously, that is a long-running saga and I note from the paragraph that the ending of it is still less than clear as regards what effect ...

Colin Keir SNP Chamber

Scottish Civil Justice Council and Criminal Legal Assistance Bill: Stage 1

Yes, of course. I have no objection to that at all. Over the years, I expect the composition of the council to change, especially after the court rules have been modernised, and more lay members will be involved—whether or not they are legally qualified. Some of the technical ...

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

My question is about overstocking, which might have been better as a supplementary question.Over the past couple of years we have had a few incidents of severe weather conditions. Any industry must take such incidences into consideration when considering deliveries from suppli...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

I asked my question because, for example, in some areas, roads were out of commission for the best part of a month, so I wonder whether such situations had been considered. My view differs from Ms Scanlon’s view, in that in such circumstances the ability to supply people who r...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

Good morning. I think that most of my questions have been asked. You are obviously in dialogue with Scottish Government agencies. I would like to clarify something in the report—although I am sure that you have probably done it in another way during your depositions. The findi...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

It seems that there has been a management breakdown—a severe one, if we are being perfectly honest.

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

That takes me back to some of the things that have been said, partly by the committee and partly in your evidence. If you are saying that the management deficiencies have been cleared and that there are clear lines of communication not just between the Scottish Government, ROS...

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

Like Sandra White, I am a member of the Justice Committee, although I will try not to make this sound like a subject question.Although there are critical issues, we have had decent results, with a 37-year low in crime and, I think, a 13-year low in reoffending. The report comm...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

I will pass, as my question has been answered.

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

My question has been answered for the most part. It was basically about the silo mentality and the culture, among the health boards in particular, of protecting what they have and not being willing to impart information easily. I say that because I have some experience in loca...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

Is the problem national? Is no one place worse than any other?

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

I have a quick and simple question as my colleagues have covered most of the technical stuff in their questions. Is it fair to say that the main problem that we have had is an old IT system that did not collect the facts and could not be interrogated? Perhaps some people are m...

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

I am glad that it has been accepted that the waiting time has come down substantially over the years.Before I ask my question, I wonder whether you will clarify something for me. The 2010 report has been mentioned but I note that the 2011 follow-up report, which I believe that...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

My real question is about IT. Over the years, there have been different forms of patient administration systems; indeed, I believe that, at one time, Glasgow had 11. How satisfied are you with the speed with which what we might call an improved TrakCare system is being put in ...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

Given the relatively recent information that we have, are there any concerns about the future management audit system that will be put in place? I know that you have made recommendations in the report, but where will the real difficulties arise in providing a robust audit on t...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

I have one more question, which relates to the first issue that I raised. I assume that the views in the 12-month internal impact report stand, and what is in the report was correct at the time. Why is there such a massive change between what you found then and what you are se...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

The fact is that the report recommended that there was no requirement for a follow-up.

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

A number of questions have been raised about victims and witnesses having the ability to “participate effectively”, which is one of the principles in section 1(3). What is meant by that principle?

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

Some of my questions have been answered in the responses to Mary Scanlon and James Dornan. There is something interesting that keeps springing up at me, however, and it is anecdotal, from my local authority days. It relates to paragraph 38, which is introduced by the comment:“...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

It is all very well for us to look for legislation but, as someone said earlier, if the present legislation is up to speed, our problem is that people are so into their own organisations that it is difficult for them to agree on how they wish to act. We are getting a little cl...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

I remember that, in years gone by, the word “secrecy” was used quite a lot. However, having spoken to some local authority colleagues, I believe that the process is definitely getting better.

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

With reference to the £500 million shortfall that was mentioned, I want to ask about the procedures and reporting practices that various Governments have used over the years. Has there been a misunderstanding of past and current practice, or has there been a change in procedur...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

I just want to find out whether there has been any change that might have confused those who made the claims.I turn to my next question. Are you absolutely sure that your procedures will keep expenditure below the ceiling of 5 per cent of the departmental expenditure limit?

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

Like some of my colleagues, I see some improvements in the report. I am happy with the likes of paragraph 34, on page 22, which says that better audit trails and better scrutiny have been identified.I will be a touch parochial, because my constituency lies within NHS Lothian’s...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

I was just asking about the continuing management. There has been a major problem, but there are many other problems, particularly centring on the royal infirmary and new assets that will have to be built at some point. However, I am comfortable as long as there is a mechanism...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

Has it been normal practice for officers who are unfit for front-line service to be asked to work in the back office while they are recuperating, rather than being sent home?

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

Okay. I was on the Justice Committee when the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill was going through, and I fully commend everybody who took part, simply because of the complexity and timescale involved. Considering that the act has been up and running for nine months, I am ...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

If Audit Scotland looks at the situation, will an easy reporting mechanism be used to explain it?

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

Will all the Auditor General’s recommendations be easy to comply with in the next few months?

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

You have mentioned the speed with which the reform was devised and implemented. At the beginning, an assessment was done that was based on budgetary constraints and how to keep the service moving. That is why ACPOS and the Scottish Police Federation were united in their desire...

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

I will leave the obvious discussion about the financial pluses and minuses because I think that we have had enough of that.NHS Lothian is mentioned in several parts of the report, including in respect of the problems with recruitment, which you have explained quite well and wh...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

Have you found any other weaknesses in NHS Lothian’s reporting mechanisms that have not been addressed? I feel as though I am picking on my local health service but, given the problems that NHS Lothian has had, it is important that we all feel confident in the new management r...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

You mean the Auditor General.

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

Good morning. As far as I can see from the report, it is a little bit early to tell how painful or difficult the process that you have gone through has been. What has been the most awkward thing in managing the merger of the colleges into regional entities? How flexible will t...

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Chamber

Tribunals (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

I am not terribly sure that I am delighted to be speaking here today, but it is my last hurrah as a member of the Justice Committee. There is an element of déjà vu about the debate. After the previous debate on the subject, my late colleague David McLetchie said to me on the w...

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

My questions are basically about the welfare reform that is currently taking place. You have made a couple of comments in paragraphs 54 and 55 of the report; there is also a comment somewhere that says that rent rises need to be considered. Is there anything aside from what yo...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

I will leave the next question that I was going to ask.11:45

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

That was an issue for me, too. What is being done at Hampden—the improvements to the ground, the installation of the track and all the rest of it—is key to the showpiece events of the games. As far as I am aware, however, the method that is being used has not been used before ...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

I am trying to fathom the issue that has been raised of the rather significant rise in the number of consultants over the past couple of years. Have any particular areas of concern been identified in which we have been unable to recruit consultants? If so, is the inability to ...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Reports

Are the recruitment problems the same Scotland-wide? Are the same consultants required Scotland-wide or does it vary around the country?

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

Thank you for that, convener. I think that what has happened since the inception of the idea of a single force—I will back up Willie Coffey on this one—has been absolutely remarkable. Having sat on the Justice Committee, I know that the process was incredibly complex. I comme...

Colin Keir SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

That takes me back to the issue of speed in moving from the legacy forces to the single force. The fact that we are just getting that information now helps to explain why the reform team might have been a bit reluctant to provide incomplete information at the time.

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Committee

Public Audit Committee 03 December 2014

03 Dec 2014 · S4 · Public Audit Committee

Item of business

Section 23 Report

“Community planning: Turning ambition into action”

Keir, Colin SNP Edinburgh Western Watch on SPTV

Everyone who has dealt with reports on community planning has experienced a degree of frustration, and those of us who have been local authority members know why such issues come out in reports. What Mr Sinclair said brings to mind paragraph 49 of the report, on dealing with local councillors. It states: “Local councillors have a democratic community leadership role”. They are put there by the people democratically and are used to making decisions on budgets for local authorities. Although people can become members of NHS boards, such boards are not seen as easy to get attached to. Councillors have a democratic right to make decisions and NHS board members have a right to deal with their budgets—I am just using those as examples of people who have a right to deal with their budgets in the way that they see fit. There are obviously strains between boards when we start to talk about integrating health and social care. 10:30 You made quite a lot of councillors’ democratic role in that paragraph, but the CPPs do not look terribly democratic across the board—only over a particular section. How democratic are they when we start to bring in third sector partners or the police? This is not an easy nut to crack—I can see why from paragraph 49 and, perhaps, the one after. There is a small, identifiable cause of friction. Central Government can say that something must be done to make things better—it can give a diktat, if you like—but we need to reconcile that at the sharp end of where decisions are made. Do you agree that we have quite a bit more work to do there than at the more centralised end?

In the same item of business

The Convener Lab

Our third item concerns a section 23 report, “Community planning: Turning ambition into action”. This is a joint report by the Auditor General for Scotland a...

Caroline Gardner (Auditor General for Scotland)

I will introduce the report and, as always, we will jointly answer any questions that members have. Some of you might remember that, in March 2013, the cha...

The Convener Lab

Okay. Thank you for that. I seem to remember discussions about community planning when I was a council leader in the mid-1990s and Douglas Sinclair was the ...

Douglas Sinclair (Accounts Commission)

Absolutely, convener. Community planning dates from 2003—the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 brought it into being. To some extent, it had a fallow per...

The Convener Lab

You talk about enthusiasm and commitment increasing, but it appears from the report that community planning is having little practical impact across Scotland...

Douglas Sinclair

Perhaps I can kick off on that question; Caroline Gardner can then come in. The argument for community planning is as strong now as it was in 2003. Essentia...

The Convener Lab

My criticism is not of the people who produced the report. My concern is about what you found at the local level. You make the point that the case for comm...

Caroline Gardner

Your point about confusion around roles is at the heart of the questions that you have been asking. The statement of ambition and last year’s refocusing on t...

The Convener Lab

Before I bring in Mary Scanlon, I have a final question. Which is the key organisation in starting to make happen what you say is necessary? Whose responsibi...

Caroline Gardner

The Scottish Government has the overall responsibility for setting policy, on which it has been working very closely with COSLA and the wider national commun...

Douglas Sinclair

We do not want to lose the ambition in the statement of ambition, but, if anything, the statement of ambition was overambitious. It talked about the boards b...

Mary Scanlon Con

I will turn back the clock 18 months to when we looked at Audit Scotland’s 2013 report “Improving community planning in Scotland”, which says: “ten years af...

Caroline Gardner

You have summarised the concerns that we reported—not always in the language that we would use, but in the right direction.

Mary Scanlon Con

I quoted the report.

Caroline Gardner

You are absolutely right; those are the areas that we have raised concerns about. Equally, we have this time reported on progress on the partnerships working...

Mary Scanlon Con

The fact that there are financial pressures is not an excuse for not working together.

Caroline Gardner

Mary Scanlon Con

That is the basis for more advantage and more positive outcomes from working together. How can bodies agree shared priorities but not work them through? I do...

Caroline Gardner

I shall kick off on that, and I can see that Douglas Sinclair wants to add something. In a sense, agreeing the shared priorities is the easy bit.

Mary Scanlon Con

But bodies are not delivering them.

Caroline Gardner

Once the priorities have been established, the hard bit is deciding who will do what, which people, buildings and other resources will be put behind that eff...

Mary Scanlon Con

I know that Douglas Sinclair wants to speak, but I have a final question. Ten years after community planning began, it scores only one out of 10. Eighteen mo...

The Convener Lab

The frustration is not with the people who have produced the report; it is with the failure of those who are responsible for implementation.

Mary Scanlon Con

Caroline Gardner

We understand that. We have seen progress since our previous report 18 months ago, but further progress on the scale that we all think is needed will require...

Douglas Sinclair

I understand Mary Scanlon’s frustration. The report is slightly different from our earlier one, in that the recommendations are not targeted at community pla...

Mary Scanlon Con

Does the leadership need to come from national Government?

Douglas Sinclair

Yes—all parts of Government need to be involved. We need leadership from national Government, and we have made recommendations on the need to develop a syste...

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP) SNP

Everyone who has dealt with reports on community planning has experienced a degree of frustration, and those of us who have been local authority members know...

Douglas Sinclair

The challenge for CPPs is to understand accountability. As you rightly say, each partner has its own accountability—the council is accountable to the local e...