Chamber and committees

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.

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 MSPs and committees will automatically update to show only the MSPs and committees which were current during that session. For example, if you select Session 1 you will be show a list of MSPs and committees from Session 1.

If you add a custom date range which crosses more than one session of Parliament, the lists of MSPs and committees will update to show the information that was current at that time.

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Meeting of the Parliament

Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill

Meeting date: 20 May 2025

Siobhian Brown

I know that Tess White has become a member of the committee only recently. Throughout the bill’s passage, it has been incredibly difficult to find a balance between the legal profession and the consumer side, starting from day 1, when it was suggested—before my time as minister in charge of the bill—that there be an independent regulator, and we decided not to pursue that. We have engaged constructively with the legal profession, and—as Tess White will know—on some of the amendments that have been considered today, to strengthen the consumer side. I am not going to say that the process has been easy—it has been difficult to get the bill through and find that balance. However, I hope that, as we move forward today, we have achieved that.

The framework delivered by the bill aims to balance the interests of stakeholders—who, although they have differing views, all support this bill—and ensure that Scotland’s legal sector remains trusted, transparent and effective in meeting the needs of those that it serves.

I will briefly remind members of the bill’s key provisions. It will provide a more consumer-focused approach by introducing a more flexible and consumer-focused regulatory structure that ensures that individuals who seek legal services receive high standards of service and clarity on their redress options. For too long, consumers of legal services have struggled to understand the complexities of the complaints system. The bill aims to remedy that by establishing clearer processes for consumers to seek redress and hold legal providers accountable. The bill also strengthens the consumer voice by providing the consumer panel with a robust footing and a wider remit.

The bill will also ensure improved oversight and accountability. As the ultimate regulator of Scotland’s legal sector, the Lord President is empowered by the bill to oversee and improve the functions of legal services. For example, I lodged amendments at stage 2 in order to transfer to the Lord President the ability to review a regulator’s performance. I have also lodged amendments that would require the Lord President’s consent to be gained before any changes may be made to the regulatory category of a regulator.

Finally, the bill will increase access to justice, as it will introduce provisions to widen access to legal services. It will enable innovative service delivery models, including alternative business structures. This change will help to ensure that legal services are available in a way that meets the needs of a modern, diverse society. The bill also removes restrictions on third sector bodies, to allow them to employ solicitors and represent some of the most vulnerable in society.

Let me also reflect on the broader context within which this legislation has emerged. Scotland’s legal sector plays an integral role in maintaining the rule of law and upholding justice. From individuals who are seeking advice in family law matters to businesses that are navigating complex commercial disputes, the demand for accessible, efficient and accountable legal services is growing.

However, as we know, the landscape of legal services has changed dramatically over the past decade, and that change has accelerated in recent years. The rise of technology, the increase in diverse legal needs, and the challenges that consumers face have highlighted the need for reform.

The bill is a direct response to those challenges and a recognition that, although our legal services sector is one of the best in the world, it is not without areas for improvement.

Throughout the consultation process, many views were expressed on the idea of having a single independent regulator. We have taken great care to ensure that the regulatory framework that the bill provides is proportionate, balanced and sensitive to the autonomy of the legal profession while ensuring that the public interest remains at the heart of the regulatory process.

This bill is a vital piece of legislation that has the potential to reshape the legal services landscape in Scotland, which I am sure we all welcome.

Ultimately, the bill is about improving the everyday experience of people who need legal help and ensuring that legal services are delivered in a way that is fair, equitable and accessible for all. It is about empowering both consumers and professionals to build a stronger, more resilient legal system that reflects the values of our society and meets the expectations of our citizens.

I am confident that the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill can deliver a robust regulatory framework that serves both the interests of the legal profession and the people of Scotland, and I urge all members to support it.

I move,

That the Parliament agrees that the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill be passed.

17:28