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 12242 contributions
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Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
Points of Order
Meeting date: 29 September 2021
Alison Johnstone
I thank Stephen Kerr for his point of order.
Government-initiated questions are recognised as a mechanism through which the Government can make announcements. As I set out in June, all significant and substantial announcements should be made to Parliament, wherever that is possible. There will, of course, be instances in which it is not possible to make an announcement in the chamber.
In relation to question S6W-03408, I have noted that the GIQ mechanism has been used both in this session and the previous session to confirm extensions to the period for which the NHS will remain on an emergency footing. The guidance on announcements also notes that GIQ answers can be followed up with a debate. The member might wish to raise that at the next meeting of the Parliamentary Bureau, at which I will visit the issue that the member has raised.
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
Decision Time
Meeting date: 29 September 2021
Alison Johnstone
I remind members that, if the amendment in the name of Angela Constance is agreed to, the amendment in the name of Claire Baker will fall.
The question is, that amendment S6M-01416.3, in the name of Angela Constance, which seeks to amend motion S6M-01416, in the name of Sandesh Gulhane, on a legal right to recovery, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Members: No.
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
Decision Time
Meeting date: 29 September 2021
Alison Johnstone
There are seven questions to be put as a result of today’s business.
The first question is, that amendment S6M-01415.2, in the name of John Swinney, which seeks to amend motion S6M-01415, in the name of Douglas Ross, on halting the Covid-19 vaccine certification scheme, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Members: No.
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
Decision Time
Meeting date: 29 September 2021
Alison Johnstone
There will be a division.
The vote is now closed.
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
Decision Time
Meeting date: 29 September 2021
Alison Johnstone
The result of the vote on amendment S6M-01415.1 is: For 52, Against 67, Abstentions 0.
Amendment disagreed to.
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
Business Motion
Meeting date: 29 September 2021
Alison Johnstone
Thank you.
The question is, that motion S6M-01438, in the name of George Adam, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, setting out a business programme, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Members: No.
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
Business Motion
Meeting date: 29 September 2021
Alison Johnstone
The result of the division on business motion S6M-01438, in the name of George Adam, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, on a business programme, is: For 69, Against 52, Abstentions 0.
Motion agreed to,
That the Parliament agrees—
(a) the following programme of business—
Tuesday 5 October 2021
2.00 pm Time for Reflection
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Topical Questions (if selected)
followed by First Minister’s Statement: COVID-19 Update
followed by Ministerial Statement: Covid Recovery Strategy
followed by Scottish Government Debate: Legislative Consent to the Environment Bill
followed by Committee Announcements
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Wednesday 6 October 2021
2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions
2.00 pm Portfolio Questions:
Justice and Veterans;
Finance and the Economy
followed by Scottish Government Debate: Scotland in the World – Championing Progressive Values
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Thursday 7 October 2021
11.40 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions
11.40 am General Questions
12.00 pm First Minister’s Questions
followed by Members’ Business
2.30 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions
2.30 pm Portfolio Questions:
Education and Skills
followed by Ministerial Statement: Heat in Buildings Strategy
followed by Stage 3 Proceedings: Carer’s Allowance Supplement (Scotland) Bill
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
Tuesday 26 October 2021
2.00 pm Time for Reflection
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Topical Questions (if selected)
followed by First Minister’s Statement: COVID-19 Update
followed by Scottish Government Business
followed by Committee Announcements
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Wednesday 27 October 2021
2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions
2.00 pm Portfolio Questions:
Covid Recovery and Parliamentary
Business; Net Zero, Energy and Transport
followed by Scottish Government Business
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Thursday 28 October 2021
11.40 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions
11.40 am General Questions
12.00 pm First Minister’s Questions
followed by Members’ Business
2.30 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions
2.30 pm Portfolio Questions:
Rural Affairs and Islands
followed by Scottish Government Business
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
(b) that, for the purposes of Portfolio Questions in the week beginning 4 October 2021, in rule 13.7.3, after the word “except” the words “to the extent to which the Presiding Officer considers that the questions are on the same or similar subject matter or” are inserted.
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
Business Motion
Meeting date: 29 September 2021
Alison Johnstone
There will be a division.
There will be a short suspension to allow members to access the digital voting system.
17:30 Meeting suspended.17:35 On resuming—
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
Legal Right to Recovery
Meeting date: 29 September 2021
Alison Johnstone
We move to the winding up speeches.
16:58Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
Points of Order
Meeting date: 29 September 2021
Alison Johnstone
I believe that Mr Kerr’s point of order is next, after which I will return to Ms McNeill.
