Official Report: search what was said in Parliament
The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
The Official Report search offers lots of different ways to find the information you’re looking for. The search is used as a professional tool by researchers and third-party organisations. It is also used by members of the public who may have less parliamentary awareness. This means it needs to provide the ability to run complex searches, and the ability to browse reports or perform a simple keyword search.
Searching by different views
The web version of the Official Report has three different views:
- Report: this is the whole Official Report for a particular meeting of a committee or Parliament
- Item of business: this is each individual agenda item in an Official Report. For example, Portfolio Questions would be the item of business in a Meeting of the Parliament report
- Contribution: this is each time someone has made a spoken contribution to a meeting.
Depending on the kind of search you want to do, one of these views will be the best option. The default view is to show the report for each meeting of Parliament or a committee. For a simple keyword search, the results will be shown by item of business.
Search by MSP
When you choose to search by a particular MSP, the results returned will show each spoken contribution in Parliament or a committee, ordered by date with the most recent contributions first. This will usually return a lot of results, but you can refine your search by keyword, date and/or by meeting (committee or Chamber business).
We’ve chosen to display the entirety of each MSP’s contribution in the search results. This is intended to reduce the number of times that users need to click into an actual report to get the information that they’re looking for, but in some cases it can lead to very short contributions (“Yes.”) or very long ones (Ministerial statements, for example.) We’ll keep this under review and get feedback from users on whether this approach best meets their needs.
Searching by keyword
There are two types of keyword search:
- A keyword search without quotation marks will look for every instance of each word used and rank the results by frequency and proximity. It will also include variants of the keywords using “porter stemming”. This is when the search looks for the “stem” of a word regardless of its ending. So, for example, a search for [salmon farm] will return each instance of “salmon” and each instance of “farm” as well as potentially including results for “farms”, “farmed” and “farming”.
- A keyword search with quotation marks will only return instances of that exact phrase used. So, for example, a search for “salmon farm” in quotation marks will only return instances of that exact phrase.
Combining search filters
If you select an MSP’s name from the dropdown menu, and add a phrase in quotation marks to the keyword field, then the search will return only examples of when the MSP said those exact words. You can further refine this search by adding a date range or selecting a particular committee or Meeting of the Parliament.
More complex keyword searches
It’s also possible to run basic Boolean searches. For example:
- a search for “salmon farm” AND “Loch Lomond” will return only results which include both exact phrases
- a search for “salmon farm” NOT “Loch Lomond” will return results for “salmon farm” but exclude results which also include “Loch Lomond”
- a search for “salmon farm” OR “Loch Lomond” will return all results for “salmon farm” and all results for “Loch Lomond” regardless of whether they appear together
Searching by date
There are two ways of searching by date.
You can either use the Start date and End date options to run a search across a particular date range. For example, you may know that a particular subject was discussed at some point in the last few weeks and choose a date range to reflect that.
Alternatively, you can use one of the pre-defined date ranges under “Select a time period”. These are:
- Current session (all Official Reports since the current sessions started)
- Last 6 months
- Last 12 months
- each of the previous sessions of Parliament. (Selecting the information icon above the “Select a time period” menu will give you the exact dates for each session.)
- All sessions
- You can also choose to select a custom date range, although adding a Start or End date will mean the search automatically defaults to this option.
If you search by an individual session, the list of łÉČËżěĘÖ and committees will automatically update to show only the łÉČËżěĘÖ and committees which were current during that session. For example, if you select Session 1 you will be show a list of łÉČËżěĘÖ and committees from Session 1.
If you add a custom date range which crosses more than one session of Parliament, the lists of łÉČËżěĘÖ and committees will update to show the information that was current at that time.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
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Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Instrument subject to Made Affirmative Procedure
Meeting date: 21 December 2021
Stuart McMillan
Thank you, Mr Simpson. I echo those comments, particularly regarding clarity for members of the public. Anyone who is a lawyer will be able to navigate their way around the situation, but I suggest that, in order to give clarity for members of the public in what is a fast-moving situation—we have seen a number of regulations in the area—the Scottish Government needs to improve. This is not a common occurrence by any manner of means. This is the first time that it has happened, as we will all acknowledge. However, I agree that we should write to the minister to highlight our concerns.
Does the committee also wish to note that the Scottish Government undertakes to clarify the anomaly in the instrument’s title in footnotes to subsequent amending instruments?
Other than the comments that have been made, no member has indicated that they are not content or that they wish to speak, so we are agreed on both points.
Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Instruments subject to Affirmative Procedure
Meeting date: 21 December 2021
Stuart McMillan
Is the committee content with the instruments?
No member has indicated that they are not content or that they wish to speak, so we are agreed.
Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Instruments subject to Negative Procedure
Meeting date: 21 December 2021
Stuart McMillan
Under agenda item 3, we are considering instruments subject to the negative procedure. An issue has been raised on the following instrument.
Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Instruments not subject to Parliamentary Procedure
Meeting date: 21 December 2021
Stuart McMillan
Is the committee content with the instrument?
No member has indicated that they are not content or that they wish to speak, so we are agreed.
The committee’s next meeting will take place on Tuesday 11 January 2022. It will include an evidence session with the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery, John Swinney MSP, as part of the committee’s inquiry into the use of the made affirmative procedure during the pandemic.
Before I close the meeting, I would like to wish all colleagues on the committee, all our committee staff and anyone who is watching a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. I hope that you all stay safe over the festive period. I look forward to working with colleagues again in 2022. It has certainly been a pleasure working with you since I became the convener after the election this year. Thank you for all of our work together.
Meeting closed at 10:13.Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Instrument subject to Made Affirmative Procedure
Meeting date: 21 December 2021
Stuart McMillan
Welcome to the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee’s 15th meeting in session 6, which is taking place fully online. As we are meeting online, it will be more challenging for members to indicate agreement to the items that are discussed. I therefore ask members to raise your hand if you are not content with a question that is put or if you wish to speak about an instrument.
The first item of business is consideration of an instrument subject to the made affirmative procedure, on which an issue has been raised.
Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Instruments subject to Negative Procedure
Meeting date: 21 December 2021
Stuart McMillan
The instrument revokes and replaces the Red Rocks and Longay Urgent Marine Conservation Order 2021 (SSI 2021/131), due to the extension of the boundary of the designated Red Rocks and Longay area of the inner sound of Skye marine protected area. The instrument is to be brought into force urgently to further the stated conservation objectives for the marine protected area to protect flapper skate and their eggs.
The instrument was made and laid before the Parliament on 9 December 2021 and came into force on 16 December 2021. Accordingly, it does not respect the requirement in section 28(2) of the Interpretation and Legislative Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 that at least 28 days should elapse between the laying of an instrument that is subject to the negative procedure and the coming into force of that instrument.
In its letter to the Presiding Officer explaining the reason why the 28-day rule has not been complied with, the Scottish Government outlined that, following advice from NatureScot, the extended marine protected area has been redesignated urgently and section 28(2) has been breached to remove the risk of further impacts on the flapper skate nursery area as soon as possible.
Does the committee agree to report the instrument on reporting ground (j), on the basis that there has been a failure to lay the instrument in accordance with laying requirements under the Interpretation and Legislative Reform (Scotland) Act 2010? Also, is the committee content with the Scottish Government’s explanation provided for the failure to comply with the laying requirements?
No member has indicated that they are not content or that they wish to speak, so we are agreed.
Also under this agenda item, no points have been raised on the following instruments.
Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Instrument subject to Made Affirmative Procedure
Meeting date: 21 December 2021
Stuart McMillan
The instrument is one of a series of instruments that amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (International Travel and Operator Liability) Regulations 2021. Usual drafting practice requires that each amending instrument in a series should reflect the title of the principal regulations that it amends and should include a number indicating the number of Scottish statutory instruments amending the principal instrument in that year. However, when referring to the principal regulations, the title of this instrument refers to “Public Health” rather than “Health Protection”. The Scottish Government has confirmed that that was an error.
The next correctly designated instrument amending the consolidated international travel regulations is also numbered 13. The number in the title of further amending instruments will therefore not accurately reflect the number of instruments that have amended the international travel regulations in 2021. The Scottish Government confirmed that it does not propose to amend the citation provision in regulation 1 of the instrument, because that could cause further confusion. Instead, it will draw users’ attention to the instrument in footnotes in subsequent instruments, where appropriate.
Does the committee agree to report the instrument on the general reporting ground, in respect of a failure to follow proper drafting practice in the title of the instrument?
Mr Simpson wishes to comment.
Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Instruments subject to Affirmative Procedure
Meeting date: 21 December 2021
Stuart McMillan
Under agenda item 2, we are considering instruments subject to the affirmative procedure. No points have been raised on the following draft instruments.
Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Instruments subject to Negative Procedure
Meeting date: 21 December 2021
Stuart McMillan
Is the committee content with the instruments?
No member has indicated that they are not content or that they wish to speak, so we are agreed.
Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Instruments not subject to Parliamentary Procedure
Meeting date: 21 December 2021
Stuart McMillan
Finally, under agenda item 4, we are considering instruments not subject to parliamentary procedure. An issue has been raised on the following instrument.
