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 916 contributions
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Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
General Question Time
Meeting date: 10 February 2022
Meghan Gallacher
Pupils who receive a study guide will need access to a laptop or device in order to fully prepare for their exams. The Scottish Government promised internet connectivity, which is vital to pupils accessing the online revision platform. Last week, I raised in the chamber the issue that 80 per cent of school pupils still do not have a digital device. I ask the cabinet secretary again: when will pupils finally receive a digital device? Will that be before the revision support is published, in March?
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
General Question Time
Meeting date: 10 February 2022
Meghan Gallacher
To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons school pupils taking examinations in some subjects, such as business or geography, will reportedly receive advance notice of what content will or will not be assessed, while those taking other subjects, such as chemistry, will receive no advance notice. (S6O-00749)
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Scottish Attainment Challenge Inquiry
Meeting date: 9 February 2022
Meghan Gallacher
Professor Ainscow mentioned that tools are needed to measure progress in education and in closing the attainment gap. Kaukab Stewart talked about best practice and sharing information between local authorities. What other benchmarks could be used to measure progress at school level, local authority level or national level?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Scottish Attainment Challenge Inquiry
Meeting date: 9 February 2022
Meghan Gallacher
Emma Congreve wants to come in, too, convener.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Scottish Attainment Challenge Inquiry
Meeting date: 9 February 2022
Meghan Gallacher
I have one more brief supplementary. Local government benchmarking makes comparison quite hard, particularly in relation to its family sets and especially with regard to education and looking at the attainment gap. Local authorities not only implement national policy but introduce locally led initiatives and policies to benefit their own areas, so how can best practice be shared, particularly at a time when local government budgets are quite stretched? Obviously I am concerned about resources and funds for implementing best practice and good policies to close the attainment gap.
Perhaps I can ask Becky Francis that question. [Interruption.]
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Commemoration
Meeting date: 9 February 2022
Meghan Gallacher
I thank my colleague Stephen Kerr for bringing the debate to the chamber so that we can all join together in celebrating the remarkable achievement of Her Majesty the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
Her Majesty has become the first British monarch to have reigned for 70 years. In that time, there have been many extraordinary firsts. On 23 May 1953, Everest was conquered for the first time by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. News of that incredible achievement would reach the United Kingdom on the morning of Her Majesty’s official coronation on 2 June 1953.
In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon. On 9 November 1989, the Berlin wall came crashing down in a resounding victory for freedom and democracy that was rejoiced the world over. There have also been advancements in technology, medicine, human rights, international trade and global travel.
The selfless dedication to duty and a commitment to upholding the values of freedom and democracy are a testament to everything that Her Majesty seeks to achieve in her daily life. The list of titles and responsibilities that are invested in Her Majesty could fill the chamber 10 times over, so, given the time that is available, I will pick out one or two.
As head of the British armed forces, Her Majesty has overseen the finest military men and women the world has ever seen. Our military personnel hold a very special place in the heart of the nation, and throughout the past 70 years, those traditions have been expertly handled by Her Majesty in her role as commander-in-chief of the British armed forces.
For many, trooping the colour has always been a special highlight of the British summer, but the event that is clearest in my memory is watching Her Majesty lead the nation in remembrance day services at the cenotaph.
Her Majesty has a close and personal connection to Scotland, where she is known as the chief of chiefs. It is always a pleasure to see the Royal Company of Archers, resplendent in their uniform of green velvet, providing an official bodyguard on state visits such as the opening of the Scottish Parliament, which we all attended a few months ago.
However, it is not official state visits that are most clear in my memory. What stands out is the footage of Her Majesty, Prince Philip and their young family at Balmoral, enjoying many happy days at home in the Scottish Highlands. The love and affection that Her Majesty holds for Scotland are unrivalled. We have always held a special place in her heart. It is important that we always remember Her Majesty’s words. She said:
“I have spoken before of my deep and abiding affection for this wonderful country, and of the many happy memories Prince Philip and I always held of our time here. It is often said that it is the people that make a place, and there are few places where this is truer than in Scotland, as we have seen in recent times.”
I echo the words of David Cameron, who, as Prime Minister, eloquently led the House of Commons on the occasion of Her Majesty’s diamond jubilee celebration. He said:
“On her first address to the nation as Queen, Her Majesty pledged that throughout all her life, and with all her heart, she would strive to be worthy of the people’s trust: this she has achieved beyond question. The nation holds her in its heart, not just as the figurehead of an institution but as an individual who has served this country with unerring grace, dignity and decency.”—[Official Report, House of Commons, 7 March 2012; Vol 541, c 849.]
I think that we can all agree that there is no finer tribute to Her Majesty on her platinum jubilee.
God save the Queen!
17:51Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
National Planning Framework 4
Meeting date: 8 February 2022
Meghan Gallacher
Good morning. I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests: I am still a serving councillor on North Lanarkshire Council.
I want to ask about 20-minute neighbourhoods, as they are a significant feature that runs through all sections of NPF4. How can they be delivered in practice, particularly in rural areas? A couple of you have indicated that that might be problematic.
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
National Planning Framework 4
Meeting date: 1 February 2022
Meghan Gallacher
I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests: I am a serving councillor on North Lanarkshire Council.
Good morning, panel. We have talked about the wording of the national planning policy on 20-minute neighbourhoods; I want to discuss the implementation of such neighbourhoods in practice. A couple of panel members talked about the need to meet community needs. Will the policies in the draft NPF4 direct appropriate development in our cities, towns and local centres, or will we continue to see approvals of out-of-town developments? That is for Tony Aitken, in the first instance.
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
National Planning Framework 4
Meeting date: 1 February 2022
Meghan Gallacher
Thank you—
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
National Planning Framework 4
Meeting date: 1 February 2022
Meghan Gallacher
Thank you, Tony. Thank you, convener. I will hand back to you as I am conscious of time.
