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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.
Graeme Dey SNP Committee
30 May 2019
Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans (Evidence)
The issue in 2018 was very specific. The Presiding Officer had issued a certificate to the effect that the bill was not within the competence of the Parliament. The Lord Advocate expressed a different view, so he made a statement to Parliament to set out the basis on which min...
The Convener SNP Committee
17 Apr 2018
Scottish Water Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17
I want to let in Angus MacDonald on sewage floods, but I will ask Johanna Dow a question first. We have moved away from the original question to Business Stream. Do you record data at the level of the number of your agricultural customers in Scotland? I ask that question becau...
Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP) SNP Chamber
30 May 2018
People with Learning Disabilities (Housing)
I congratulate Joan McAlpine on bringing the debate to the chamber and, from my perspective, on her impeccable timing. The motion before us dropped into my inbox while I was in the throes of dealing with a perplexing situation in my constituency that relates to the motion’s su...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
21 Jan 2020
Veterans
I do not mean to deflect the question on the census in any way, but that is a matter for Parliament. The Government will bring that question to Parliament, and I am pretty confident that there will be support for a veterans question. However, Tom Mason has made an important p...
The Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans (Graeme Dey) SNP Chamber
28 Apr 2020
Business Motions
As you know all too well, Presiding Officer, the unprecedented times that we are in have, among other things, posed a serious of challenges for this Parliament on how it meets and how it finds ways to effectively scrutinise the Government. I hope—and I believe—that the majorit...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
02 Dec 2021
General Question Time · Modal Shift (Rail Journeys)
Presiding Officer, that question was at a bit of a tangent to the original question, but let me deal with it. We have encouraged both sides to resolve the initial dispute between the Caledonian sleeper operators and the RMT. As I understand it, the trade union concerned app...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
08 Dec 2021
East Kilbride Rail Line Dualling
I will respond to that in a moment, but I want first to explain the process that has been and is being undertaken across Scotland’s railways just now. We have identified projects—in order—that will be part of the decarbonisation agenda. Ground work is then carried out—indeed,...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
27 Feb 2025
Portfolio Question Time · University of Dundee
In his question, Liam Kerr did not mention Sir Peter Mathieson of the University of Edinburgh, who made a number of points about the challenges that his institution faces. He particularly highlighted the contribution that previous Tory United Kingdom Government policies and im...
The Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans (Graeme Dey) SNP Chamber
25 Feb 2026
Business Motion
In considering this request from the Conservatives, it is important that we reflect on the extent to which these matters have already been interrogated, including directly with the Lord Advocate. Any reasonable member—even on the Tory benches such creatures still exist—would s...
Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP) SNP Chamber
28 Jun 2012
Long Leases (Scotland) Bill
When I learned that I was to serve on the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee, I expected to expand my—at that stage—limited knowledge of farming, fishing and environmental issues. I am not sure that I expected to deal with a bill on long leases, and I am n...
Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP) SNP Chamber
17 Jan 2013
Biodiversity
There is a challenge facing anyone who sums up a committee debate that does not emanate from an inquiry or a report that has been produced by that committee. As the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee has not held face-to-face meetings with stakeholders or ...
Graeme Dey SNP Committee
11 Sep 2013
Crown Estate
This is not a trick question—after I asked the original question—but given the amount of travel that Crown Estate staff have done, has any thought been given to locating staff in other parts of the country, in order to reduce carbon footprint for example?
The Deputy Convener SNP Committee
05 Mar 2014
Common Agricultural Policy and Scotland Rural Development Programme 2014 to 2020 (Implementation)
I am the MSP for Angus South. As I have said, I will chair the meeting in the absence of the convener, Rob Gibson.I very much appreciate the witnesses coming along, and we look forward to hearing their views. In the interests of making progress, if witnesses do not have a spec...
Graeme Dey SNP Committee
26 Mar 2014
Common Agricultural Policy and Scotland Rural Development Programme 2014 to 2020 (Implementation)
You may have answered my question already, but it would be good to get it on the record. During the evidence sessions, a question was raised about whether the €70,000 grant would cover livestock acquisition as well as machinery, equipment and upgrading of buildings. Can you co...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
13 Aug 2014
Portfolio Question Time · Oil and Gas Discoveries
Does the minister agree that, on all the available evidence and given a consistent regulatory and fiscal regime of the kind that he touched on in answering Mark McDonald’s question, the long-term future of Scotland’s oil and gas sector will be extremely bright? Does he, like m...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
06 May 2015
General Question Time · Self-directed Support (Guidance)
What commonsense flexibility can be deployed in that regard? I ask that question in relation to a situation that a constituent of mine has found themselves in. They want to use SDS to fund a course of applied behaviour analysis therapy, in the hope that that will help their ch...
Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP) SNP Chamber
08 Dec 2015
Marischal Square
Like, I suspect, others who have contributed already, I rise to speak as much as an Aberdonian as an MSP. Even though I have lived longer in the constituency that I represent than I lived in the granite city, Aberdeen will in many respects always be home, so it pains me to say...
Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP) SNP Chamber
11 Feb 2016
Local Newspapers
I thank colleagues whose support for the motion has enabled us to have this debate today. The fact that 38 MSPs from across the political spectrum have supported it does, I suggest, endorse the motion’s title, “The Importance of Local Newspapers”. That expression of concern ov...
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Jan 2017
Wildlife Crime in Scotland (Annual Report 2015)
Recorded wildlife crime has increased by 11 per cent during the period in question. That leaves us considering whether there is enough of a deterrent against wildlife crime. This is a general question for the panel. Given that no action is taken in 23 per cent of cases—we ...
Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP) SNP Chamber
17 Jan 2017
Scotland’s Future Relationship with Europe
I wonder whether we could, for a moment, focus on the human aspect of all this: the people who are in the firing line of Brexit and those who could, if Scotland finds itself with no access to the single market, suffer directly from its consequences. I refer not only to the ove...
The Convener SNP Committee
17 Jan 2017
Deer Management
Everyone has said what they want to say, but before we move on I have an apology for Dr Halley. Claudia Beamish asked the question in good faith because that was what she had in front of her, and all the members have that as your evidence. It was clearly not the evidence that ...
The Convener SNP Committee
18 Apr 2017
Petition
My question is for Robbie Kernahan. SNH conducted the review, and it will have crossed your mind that a licensing regime might be brought forward. My question is perhaps slightly unfair, but I will ask it anyway. Having looked at what happens in the 14 countries, have you wond...
The Convener SNP Committee
30 May 2017
Subordinate Legislation
I have a tangential question, but before I ask it I want to make it clear that it is not a loaded question and that I am not casting aspersions against the profession. Everyone around the table today is coming at this from an animal welfare perspective, whatever side of the ar...
The Convener SNP Committee
07 Nov 2017
Air Quality
I will move on to cover the question whether targeted support for upgrading to Euro 6 commercial vehicles would improve uptake. Without a support scheme, how long would it take to convert Scotland’s commercial fleet? The question that sits alongside that is, when these vehic...
Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP) SNP Chamber
14 Nov 2017
Migration
I was attending the Royal Highland Show on the day that the outcome of the referendum on European Union membership emerged. As I drove home, I took a call from a prominent figure in Scotland’s soft fruit sector. He was utterly aghast at the result and was already processing it...
The Convener SNP Committee
21 Nov 2017
Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
Agenda item 8 is consideration of the Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (Scotland) Bill at stage 2. I again welcome the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform. I also welcome her officials from the Scottish Government, who are Andrew Voas, veterina...
Graeme Dey SNP Committee
18 Jan 2018
Cross-party Groups
That is a good question. I am aware of the issues with the previous CPG on autism; as you have said, the rules have changed, but it is also the case that some CPGs have a code of conduct for their operation, and I think that that might be an opportunity that we could consider....
The Convener SNP Committee
13 Mar 2018
Scottish Crown Estate Bill: Stage 1
Welcome back. The third item on the agenda is to take evidence on the Scottish Crown Estate Bill at stage 1, with a particular focus on the agricultural assets of Crown Estate Scotland (Interim Management). I welcome Gemma Cooper from the National Farmers Union Scotland, Tom C...
The Convener SNP Committee
27 Mar 2018
Committee on Climate Change (Annual Progress Report)
The target for peatland delivery has gone up, but the money that is being directed to it has gone down, so there is a question about the extent to which peatland will contribute. The question is not what it could contribute, but what it will contribute.
The Convener SNP Committee
27 Mar 2018
Scottish Crown Estate Bill: Stage 1
That moves us on to a question that Angus MacDonald wants to ask, but before that, Stewart Stevenson has a brief question.
The Convener SNP Committee
19 Jun 2018
Biodiversity Targets
Agenda item 3 is evidence on Scotland’s biodiversity targets. We are joined by Bridget Campbell, director of environment and forestry at the Scottish Government, and Sally Thomas, director of people and nature at Scottish Natural Heritage. I welcome you both and advise you, in...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
04 Dec 2018
Veterans
I warmly thank colleagues from across the chamber for their contributions. The debate has been relatively brief, but it has very much re-emphasised the cross-party nature of the Parliament’s commitment to do the best by our veterans and the wider armed forces community. I wil...
The Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans (Graeme Dey) SNP Chamber
30 Jan 2019
Portfolio Question Time · Healthcare (International Arrangements) Bill (Legislative Consent)
The legislative consent motion in question was lodged on Monday 14 January. It was moved by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport on Wednesday 16 January, when it was agreed unanimously by Parliament.
Graeme Dey SNP Committee
07 May 2019
Secondary Legislation Update
That is an interesting question. We have had to take a pragmatic approach to the situation in which we have found ourselves, which has informed the way in which we have taken it forward. Could you repeat your question and give more detail?
Graeme Dey SNP Committee
30 May 2019
Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans (Evidence)
An attempt to explain the situation might not be so short. I fully appreciate that the committee wants a further explanation of the role of the law officers in Parliament. The issue is not straightforward, but the key thing to bear in mind is the unique constitutional posit...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
13 Jun 2019
Portfolio Question Time · Referendums (Scotland) Bill
I think that Mr Bowman’s question is based on a slightly false premise. The idea that the Scottish Government decides upon something and that that is an end to it is simply not the case. In the first instance, the framework bill will be scrutinised by the Finance and Constit...
The Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans (Graeme Dey) SNP Chamber
18 Jun 2019
Unforgotten Forces Consortium
I congratulate Maurice Corry on bringing forward the motion for debate and other members on their input to the debate. As ever with deliberations on our armed forces and veterans community, the tone and approach have reflected the cross-party consensus that exists in the chamb...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
11 Sep 2019
Portfolio Question Time · Scottish Elections (Reform) Bill (Timescale)
With the greatest respect to Alexander Burnett, I say that I think that he presumes something in that question. It is for the Parliamentary Bureau to allocate a bill to whatever committee is relevant. However, I assure him that among the considerations that I, as Minister for...
Graeme Dey SNP Committee
17 Dec 2019
Consideration of the Committee’s Work in Parliamentary Year 2018-19
I find that question difficult to answer, because it is not a concern that has been raised with me before now. As I said, all our cabinet secretaries make a concerted effort to be as helpful as possible to committees. It is for the committee to decide when it will vote on evid...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
21 Jan 2020
Veterans
I thank Mark Griffin, too, for his constructive tone, and I agree with him that veterans are overwhelmingly an asset to our communities. I do not have to hand an exact answer to his question about how many local authorities and registered social landlords have amended their a...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
01 Apr 2020
Scottish Government Legislation Programme
I thank Liz Smith and all the parties’ business managers for their constructive contributions to our work. Liz Smith is right to mention the need to balance social distancing with the ability to hold the Government to account. I am open to suggestions—I have heard one today—a...
Graeme Dey SNP Committee
27 Aug 2020
Subordinate Legislation
That really is a granular question, but you are right to raise it. Those are the kind of nitty-gritty issues that could come into play. I do not recall us looking at that particular example, but our ERO colleagues are doing their own scenario planning, and I have asked that t...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
28 Oct 2020
Portfolio Question Time · Remembrance Sunday (Permitted Events)
Presiding Officer, I hope that you will allow me a bit more time to answer, because that is a terribly important question and I recognise a lot of interest in it out there. Following discussions with Legion Scotland and Poppy Scotland, the Scottish Government has advised all ...
The Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans (Graeme Dey) SNP Committee
19 Nov 2020
Scottish General Election (Coronavirus) Bill: Stage 1
That is a good question. It is best to look at elements of the bill as bits of a jigsaw. The postal vote element is part of that, as is polling day itself. The question is how, between the two approaches, we ensure that the election is conducted safely and appropriately. Ther...
Graeme Dey SNP Committee
17 Dec 2020
Scottish General Election (Coronavirus) Bill: Stage 2
The question whether and how additional days of polling should be arranged is difficult and that is reflected in the amendments that have been lodged. As with most aspects of the bill, many complex questions arise as to how we ensure the smooth running of the election, whateve...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
01 Sep 2021
Portfolio Question Time · ScotRail Service Reduction
That is exactly the kind of question that I would have expected from Mr Simpson. The direction of travel that has been set by this Government is clear: investment in rail, decarbonisation of rail and a great deal of support for rail. That is where we are going.
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
22 Sep 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Railway Journey Times (South Scotland)
In his haste to jump up and ask a supplementary question, Finlay Carson was clearly not listening to my first answer, so I will repeat what I said. It is proposed that there will be an additional six Ayr to Stranraer services compared to the current timetable, and that service...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
30 Sep 2021
General Question Time · Electric Vehicle On-street Charging
As Monica Lennon will understand, any actions that South Lanarkshire Council has taken are for it to defend and explain. However, to answer her question about engagement with the Scottish Government, the Scottish Government is actively engaged with local authorities in seeking...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
30 Sep 2021
General Question Time · Local Authority Bus Services
I think that I answered that question and I would have thought that Mr Simpson, as an experienced parliamentarian, would have picked up on that. As he knows, we need to develop the secondary legislation, time will have to be found in the parliamentary timetable for its conside...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
30 Sep 2021
General Question Time · A96 (Dualling)
Maggie Chapman, like any other MSP, is entitled to her view. As a Government minister, I am committed to the review process, which will determine how we take the project forward. I will go back to the start of Tess White’s question. If she is implying that safety concerns alo...
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
27 Oct 2021
Portfolio Question Time · ScotRail (Discussions with Trade Unions)
I absolutely can confirm it, but I would have to direct to the RMT leadership in Scotland Mr Mason’s question about why the RMT’s members, unlike those of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association or Unite, will not be afforded that opportunity.
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
25 Nov 2021
General Question Time · Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 (Phase 2 Consultation)
I will write to Graham Simpson with details on the first part of that question. We are in detailed discussions with the freight sector about a variety of subjects, including the location of lorry parks and the appropriate charging infrastructure that might be needed for them.
Graeme Dey SNP Chamber
12 Jan 2022
Portfolio Question Time · Public Transport (Accessibility)
There is a lot to unpack in that question. Passenger assistance and provision of information were two of the 48 issues that were identified in the 2016 framework, and I acknowledge that there is still work to be done in that regard. Despite our best efforts, if we are coming...
Graeme Dey SNP Committee
01 Feb 2022
National Planning Framework 4
My first question is about the changing nature of national planning policy as a consequence of NPF4, where we see an increased focus on issues of place, liveability, wellbeing, and emissions reduction. I am interested in whether the witnesses think that the existing planning s...
Graeme Dey SNP Committee
22 Feb 2022
National Planning Framework 4
Thank you for that. I think that that answers the question. My second question is on the resource, both financial and human, for dealing with the undoubted increase in demand that NPF4 will place on planning authorities. We have heard about councils making resource cuts to pl...
Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP) SNP Committee
20 Apr 2022
Scottish Attainment Challenge Inquiry
The premise of PEF, as I recall it, was to empower headteachers and their staff because they are the best-placed individuals and groups to understand the needs of the school. I was therefore a bit concerned by Andrea Bradley’s comments about teachers being left out of the deci...
Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP) SNP Committee
29 Jun 2022
Bòrd na Gàidhlig
I will shrink them to one question and cut to the chase. My question follows on from Willie Rennie’s line of questioning. Mairi, you mentioned ferries. You will be aware, no doubt, that one of the many criticisms of the ferry delivery organisation is that none of the director...
Graeme Dey SNP Committee
29 Jun 2022
Bòrd na Gàidhlig
Perhaps I did not pitch my question sufficiently clearly. My question is about your organisation. I recognise that we are talking about a national plan to deliver the language across Scotland, but, for my understanding, what percentage of the individuals who are involved in th...
Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP) SNP Committee
28 Sep 2022
Universities
Good morning. I think that we have covered many of the questions that I wanted to ask, but I want to touch on this from a perspective that we have only fleetingly engaged with. I do not doubt the merits of the cases that both of you make on behalf of your members, nor do I que...
Graeme Dey SNP Committee
01 Feb 2023
Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Thank you. That leads me on to my second question. Everyone who has been involved in the discussions is looking for improved outcomes. That is what we are about. The issue is not about processes and legislation; it is about improved outcomes. One criticism that, rightly or wr...
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Committee

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee 30 May 2019

30 May 2019 · S5 · Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee
Item of business
Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans (Evidence)
Dey, Graeme SNP Angus South Watch on SPTV
The issue in 2018 was very specific. The Presiding Officer had issued a certificate to the effect that the bill was not within the competence of the Parliament. The Lord Advocate expressed a different view, so he made a statement to Parliament to set out the basis on which ministers had nevertheless concluded that the bill was within the competence of the Scottish Parliament. Our position is that that was an exceptional set of circumstances. They were different from the set of circumstances that we had with Mr Rumbles’s question. I read his comments to the committee and, with due respect, it is hard to believe that he was not seeking to tease out what the advice to the Government had been. They were two different sets of circumstances. On the other question, there is a collective responsibility element here. It is for any minister of the Government to answer a question. The set of questions that day sat in the portfolio that I am part of, so I answered that question.

In the same item of business

The Convener SNP
Item 2 is evidence from Graeme Dey, Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans. I welcome Graeme Dey MSP; Jonathan Brown, from the parliamentary counse...
The Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans (Graeme Dey) SNP
I welcome the first opportunity to attend a meeting of this committee since I became Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans, which was 11 months ag...
The Convener SNP
Thank you very much, minister. We have a number of questions on areas that you will probably have an understanding of. Indeed, there has already been a bit o...
Gil Paterson (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) SNP
Good morning, minister. What impact have the preparations for Brexit had on the Government and on parliamentary resources?
Graeme Dey SNP
First, I would certainly stress that pressure has been put not only on the Government but on the Parliament, which has had to respond to the challenges that ...
Gil Paterson SNP
You seem to be comfortable with the resources that you have had available, although you have had to second other folk. Are you reasonably comfortable with th...
Graeme Dey SNP
I would say that we have coped, but the organisation has been working flat out and we have had no spare capacity. Indeed, we have had to second additional le...
Gil Paterson SNP
So you do not know what is coming, but you know what you have been through. What is the likelihood of your being overwhelmed by things, or is it just a case ...
Graeme Dey SNP
We will have to wait and see, but we should not underestimate the effect of the conversations that are taking place with the committees, particularly the con...
Steven Macgregor (Scottish Government)
It is difficult to say what to expect. What we are trying to do is what we have had to do for the past several months, which is to plan as far ahead as we ca...
Gil Paterson SNP
So there is another element to this, and that is Parliament and the committees and so on. How has all this additional load that we never expected impacted on...
Graeme Dey SNP
One example of how it has affected us is that, earlier this year, we had to pause six bills as well as the instruments that I referred to. That is probably t...
Gil Paterson SNP
I want to take you down a slightly different line. Why has the majority of regulation to prepare for the devolved statute book for Brexit been done at the UK...
Graeme Dey SNP
I used the word “pragmatic” earlier. We have shown pragmatism. Given the pressures that we were under, there was no point in duplicating work. If we could ag...
Gil Paterson SNP
The Parliament’s major function is to scrutinise the work of the Government. The fact is that the instruments that we are talking about never appeared in the...
Graeme Dey SNP
Do you want to talk about the process, Steven?
Steven Macgregor
The technical scrutiny of the statutory instruments was undertaken by the UK Parliament, but we put in place a protocol whereby, before those instruments wou...
Gil Paterson SNP
Now that you have had experience of that, are you satisfied that the scrutiny went the way that we expected it to go? I know that you have concerns about the...
Graeme Dey SNP
We do not live in an ideal world in which, of course, we would have a full scrutiny process. My judgment is that, by and large, and given the circumstances t...
Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Green
To follow up on that point, do you feel that, inevitably, because of the pragmatism that you have mentioned—which has been driven primarily by the situation ...
Graeme Dey SNP
Generally, the standard has been okay. I ask you to take it on trust that the Government would never go along with something that was not in Scotland’s best ...
Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Con
Good morning, minister. I recognise that parliamentarians and committees have stepped up to the additional workload. However, are you suggesting that the tim...
Graeme Dey SNP
As I said earlier, we had to pause six bills, which we are in the process of reintroducing. Undoubtedly, we will face further challenges as we move forward. ...
Jamie Halcro Johnston Con
I take your point, and it might be a question of prioritising the Parliament’s time. However, yesterday, the Government introduced the Referendums (Scotland)...
Graeme Dey SNP
I think that there is probably a political element to that question.
Jamie Halcro Johnston Con
The bill has been introduced, but you have suggested that there is already pressure and that prioritisation is taking place in relation to legislation, so I ...
Graeme Dey SNP
I accept that. The Government considers the bill to be important, and it is factored into our planning. As long as there are no impacts from Brexit, which wo...
The Convener SNP
In session 4, the committee conducted an inquiry into legislation in the Scottish Parliament. We have a few questions about the legislative process, particul...
Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con) Con
We have made some progress with documentation, in that a bill’s financial memorandum has been extracted from its explanatory notes. How have you improved doc...
Graeme Dey SNP
That issue has been a priority for me since I became a minister 11 months ago. As you will know, I was a committee convener in a previous life, so I entirely...