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.
The web version of the Official Report has three different views:
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.
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.
There are two types of keyword search:
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.
It’s also possible to run basic Boolean searches. For example:
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:
If you search by an individual session, the list of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ and committees will automatically update to show only the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ and committees which were current during that session. For example, if you select Session 1 you will be show a list of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ and committees from Session 1.
If you add a custom date range which crosses more than one session of Parliament, the lists of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ 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.
Displaying 1311 contributions
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 1 June 2023
Jeremy Balfour
On a point of order, convener. Do we not have to go back and move the other amendments? We have not moved every other amendment yet, have we?
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 1 June 2023
Jeremy Balfour
I appreciate the comments that the cabinet secretary has made. Would she be open to negotiation before stage 3 about a later date? The principle of amendment 23 is that a review must take place before the current parliamentary session finishes, which is in three years’ time. Does she accept that principle? If so, would she be open to discussions before stage 3 about dates?
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 1 June 2023
Jeremy Balfour
I am grateful for the cabinet secretary’s remarks about amendment 22. In the light of her offer to work on something that would perhaps be better before stage 3, I will not press amendment 22.
Amendment 22, by agreement, withdrawn.
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 1 June 2023
Jeremy Balfour
Amendment 22 picks up something that came across in the evidence that we took at stage 1: third sector charities’ awareness of changes in the bill—if it becomes an act—and the effect that it will have on them. Concern was raised by some charities and, in particular, by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, that the communication between OSCR and them had not quite worked and that some charities were unaware of what was proposed in the consultation and in the bill. There was concern that, if the bill becomes an act, charities might not be aware.
Amendment 22 therefore puts a bit of gentle pressure on OSCR to do a bit more on communication, and it allows the Parliament to have the satisfaction of knowing that that has happened, so that the Parliament—perhaps, in particular, this committee—can review matters in two years’ time. I hope that that is helpful to OSCR and, more importantly, to the third sector.
When it comes to amendment 23, one of the striking things that came out in evidence was not what was in the bill but what was not in the bill. It would be fair to say that there was disappointment in certain sectors that the bill did not go further and faster. I understand that we had Covid and that the cabinet secretary has a lot on her plate, but there is an appetite in civic society generally for a more radical reform of charity law in Scotland.
I think that I am right in saying that, in the stage 1 debate, the cabinet secretary suggested that there would not be any further legislation in this area during this parliamentary session. Again, I understand that, but I am concerned that, once the bill becomes an act—before the summer recess, I hope—the issue will go off our agenda and may go off the Scottish Government’s agenda because other things are going on. Again, therefore, this is an opportunity for the Government to take forward what I know it wants to do, but at such a scale that this Parliament can at least see the direction that the Scottish Government is going in; then the next Parliament can take that forward, I hope, and bring forward more legislation. Amendment 23 represents an encouragement—a stick and a carrot, I hope—for the Scottish Government, which, I am sure, the cabinet secretary will welcome.
I move amendment 22.
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 1 June 2023
Jeremy Balfour
It was amendments 14, 16 and 20. Have they been moved yet?
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 25 May 2023
Jeremy Balfour
I want to pick up on the issue of more rural areas. On our visit to the Western Isles, we were told that only one childminder covered the whole island. In seeking this expansion, how do we ensure that we do not leave those who live in rural island communities behind? Can you point the committee towards any good models in that respect?
Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Meeting date: 23 May 2023
Jeremy Balfour
I am sorry, but I could not hear that.
Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Meeting date: 23 May 2023
Jeremy Balfour
I have a couple of questions, convener.
Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Meeting date: 23 May 2023
Jeremy Balfour
Chris Sheldon, just to absolutely nail that, is it your view that the bill should not contain a definition but should simply refer back to the one in the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 so that, if that definition changes at any point, we would not have to reopen the bill before us, as enacted?
Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Meeting date: 23 May 2023
Jeremy Balfour
That is helpful. Thank you.