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 12039 contributions
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Meeting of the Parliament
Business Motions
Meeting date: 8 November 2023
Alison Johnstone
Let us hear the minister.
Meeting of the Parliament
Business Motions
Meeting date: 8 November 2023
Alison Johnstone
The result of the division is: For 64, Against 30, Abstentions 19.
Motion agreed to,
That the Parliament agrees—
(a) the following programme of business—
Tuesday 14 November 2023
2.00 pm Time for Reflection
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Topical Questions (if selected)
followed by Ministerial Statement: Ferguson Marine
followed by Scottish Government Debate: Building a New Scotland: Migration to Scotland after Independence
followed by Committee Announcements
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Wednesday 15 November 2023
2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions
2.00 pm Portfolio Questions:
Constitution, External Affairs and Culture;
Justice and Home Affairs
followed by Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Business
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Approval of SSIs (if required)
5.10 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Thursday 16 November 2023
11.40 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions
11.40 am General Questions
12.00 pm First Minister’s Questions
followed by Members’ Business
2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions
2.00 pm Portfolio Questions:
Education and Skills
followed by Ministerial Statement: Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service Contract
followed by Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee Debate: Culture in Communities: The Challenges and Opportunities in Delivering a Place-based Approach
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
Tuesday 21 November 2023
2.00 pm Time for Reflection
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Topical Questions (if selected)
followed by Health, Social Care and Sport Committee Debate: Female Participation in Sport and Physical Activity
followed by Committee Announcements
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Wednesday 22 November 2023
2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions
2.00 pm Portfolio Questions:
Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy;
Finance and Parliamentary Business
followed by Scottish Labour Party Business
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Approval of SSIs (if required)
5.10 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Thursday 23 November 2023
11.40 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions
11.40 am General Questions
12.00 pm First Minister’s Questions
followed by Members’ Business
2.15 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions
2.15 pm Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Questions
2.30 pm Portfolio Questions:
Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition
followed by Stage 1 Debate: Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
(b) that, for the purposes of Portfolio Questions in the week beginning 13 November 2023, 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
Business Motions
Meeting date: 8 November 2023
Alison Johnstone
The next item of business is consideration of business motions S6M-11144, on a stage 1 timetable, and S6M-11145, on a stage 1 extension. I call George Adam, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, to move the motions.
Motions moved,
That the Parliament agrees that consideration of the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill at stage 1 be completed by 3 May 2024.
That the Parliament agrees that consideration of the Bankruptcy and Diligence (Scotland) Bill at stage 1 be extended to 23 February 2024.—[George Adam]
Motions agreed to.
Meeting of the Parliament
Decision Time
Meeting date: 8 November 2023
Alison Johnstone
The question is, that motions S6M-11146, on approval of a Scottish statutory instrument; S6M-11147 and S6M-11148, on designations of lead committee; S6M-11149, on committee membership; and S6M-11150, on the office of the clerk, in the name of George Adam, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, be agreed to.
Motions agreed to,
That the Parliament agrees that the Disability Assistance (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee be designated as the lead committee in consideration of the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Bill at stage 1.
That the Parliament agrees that the Social Justice and Social Security Committee be designated as the lead committee in consideration of the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill at stage 1.
That the Parliament agrees that the following changes to committee membership will apply from close of business on Thursday 9 November 2023—
Evelyn Tweed be appointed as a member of the Economy and Fair Work Committee;
Bob Doris be appointed as a member of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee; and
Ruth Maguire be appointed to replace Evelyn Tweed as a member of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
That the Parliament agrees that the Office of the Clerk be closed on Wednesday 27, Thursday 28 and Friday 29 December 2023.
Meeting of the Parliament
Business Motions
Meeting date: 8 November 2023
Alison Johnstone
Let us hear Mr Findlay.
Meeting of the Parliament
Business Motions
Meeting date: 8 November 2023
Alison Johnstone
I call Martin Whitfield to speak to and move amendment S6M-11143.1.
17:03Meeting of the Parliament
Business Motions
Meeting date: 8 November 2023
Alison Johnstone
Members, let us hear Mr Whitfield.
Meeting of the Parliament
Business Motions
Meeting date: 8 November 2023
Alison Johnstone
I remind members that, if the amendment in the name of Russell Findlay is agreed to, the amendment in the name of Martin Whitfield will fall.
The first question is, that amendment S6M-11143.2, in the name of Russell Findlay, which seeks to amend motion S6M-11143, 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
Business Motions
Meeting date: 8 November 2023
Alison Johnstone
There will be a division. There will be a short suspension to allow members to access digital voting.
17:11 Meeting suspended.17:13 On resuming—
