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 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.
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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Displaying 1562 contributions
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Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Trusts and Succession (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Meeting date: 6 June 2023
Siobhian Brown
I am willing to work with the committee on this issue. Under the Recognition of Trusts Act 1987, a truster may determine which law governs a trust that they set up. The proposed example power in the bill would make it clear that the truster may confer their power to determine the law that governs a trust on to a protector. That may be relevant when no applicable law has been chosen by the truster and would prevent the need to rely on the default statutory provisions that narrate how the law governing a trust is to be determined where there is no expense provision.
I have listened to the evidence on the issue, which appears to be causing the committee some concern, and I will work with the committee in the coming months try to reach agreement.
Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Trusts and Succession (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Meeting date: 6 June 2023
Siobhian Brown
Currently, it is usual for trustees to be personally liable for litigation expenses in order that successful opponents have the right of relief against the trust estate. Section 65 clarifies that the starting point is that a trustee does not incur personal liability and will only do so when certain grounds exist, as set out in sections 65(2) and 65(3) and the court exercises its discretion to make an order for expenses against the trustee personally on one of those grounds.
Section 65 achieves what the Law Society seemed to be asking for by making the default position that trustees are not personally liable for expenses. There are some exceptions to that default position, but they are subject to the court’s discretion, which is widely drawn. That ensures that trustees of underfunded trusts who unnecessarily litigate are not given an unfair advantage in litigation proceedings.
My officials might want to add something further.
11:00Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: 9 May 2023
Siobhian Brown
Thank you, convener, and good morning, committee.
This suite of two regulations will expand the functions of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland general regulatory chamber to include hearing appeals against decisions of a local authority to issue penalty charge notices in relation to the low-emission zone scheme, the workplace parking licensing scheme and the dropped-footway parking, double-parking and pavement-parking prohibitions. The regulations will also amend the chamber’s composition and procedure rules to include such appeals.
The Scottish tribunals structure was created by the Tribunals (Scotland) Act 2014, which introduced the new, simplified statutory framework for tribunals in Scotland. It consists of the First-tier Tribunal and the Upper Tribunal. The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 provides legislation that enables the creation of low-emission zones, workplace parking schemes and the new parking prohibitions. The act allows for the civil enforcement of all of those by local authorities. The route of appeal against local authority penalty charge notices for each of those is the First-tier Tribunal.
The First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Allocation of Functions to the General Regulatory Chamber) Regulations 2023 provide for the appeal functions that I have mentioned to be allocated to the First-tier Tribunal’s general regulatory chamber.
The First-tier Tribunal for Scotland General Regulatory Chamber and Upper Tribunal for Scotland (Composition and Rules of Procedure) (Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2023 amend existing regulations that make provision in relation to the rules of procedure of the general regulatory chamber when it hears parking and bus lane appeals. Those rules of procedure will apply, with modifications, to appeals against decisions of the local authority to issue penalty charge notices relating to the new low-emission zone scheme, workplace parking schemes and the new parking prohibitions. The rules will now refer to “Transport Appeals”, to include all new and existing appeals.
The regulations also amend the existing composition regulations for the general regulatory chamber in hearing parking and bus lane appeals. That provides for the new appeals to be heard by a legal member alone in the First-tier Tribunal, as is the case with the parking and bus lane appeals. The Scottish tribunals will be able to hear such appeals as of 1 June 2023.
The two instruments play a part in enabling the general regulatory chamber to hear such new appeals. I understand that the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee considered the regulations on 28 March and that no points were raised.
I will be happy to answer any questions, convener.
Criminal Justice Committee
Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: 3 May 2023
Siobhian Brown
Yes, because the compensation scheme relates to the restricted days. As the compensation regulation-making power is connected only to the restricted day of supply measure, which will be implemented in a future financial year—as you mentioned—it is not possible to advise when the compensation scheme for specialist fireworks will be launched.
Criminal Justice Committee
Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: 3 May 2023
Siobhian Brown
That is an operational matter for the police, so I do not want to comment on what would—
Criminal Justice Committee
Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: 3 May 2023
Siobhian Brown
We are keen to get data as we progress, especially on injuries. I do not think that there were any injuries that we can report from Sunday, but we are keen to find out and get reports as we move forward, and we are watching the situation closely.
I will bring in officials on the communication that we have had with football stadiums regarding people coming in.
Criminal Justice Committee
Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: 3 May 2023
Siobhian Brown
I am unable to answer that question. I do not have that detail. I can find out. However, my understanding is that the articles would be removed and that the people would not be able to go into the football game and would be charged with being in possession.
Criminal Justice Committee
Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: 3 May 2023
Siobhian Brown
I am open to having discussions on that, but we would have to discuss it with Police Scotland and the football clubs.
Criminal Justice Committee
Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: 3 May 2023
Siobhian Brown
At this stage, we are estimating that it will be in the financial year after 2024. However, as I said previously, we never anticipated, 18 months to two years ago, that we would be in the financial position that we are in now.
Criminal Justice Committee
Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: 3 May 2023
Siobhian Brown
I appreciate where you are coming from. The use of pyrotechnic fireworks at football games in the past several years has been escalating and they are dangerous. People have been injured, and a child died at a football game in Europe. They are dangerous and because their use has escalated, it is only a matter of time.
My understanding is that historically there has been engagement with football, but I am happy to bring in one of my officials who probably has more knowledge on the history.
