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 14368 contributions
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Meeting of the Parliament
Decision Time
Meeting date: 7 June 2023
Alison Johnstone
There will be a division.
The vote is closed.
Meeting of the Parliament
Decision Time
Meeting date: 7 June 2023
Alison Johnstone
The result of the division is: For 61, Against 47, Abstentions 0.
Motion, as amended, agreed to,
That the Parliament welcomes the role that Scotland’s world-class tourism offering plays in creating jobs, sustaining communities and enhancing appreciation of the outstanding natural environment and cultural assets right across the country; notes that there were an estimated 3.2 million overseas visits to Scotland in 2022, which is only 7% lower than in 2019, whereas the comparable figure for the rest of the UK remained 25% below 2019; further notes that the proposed legislation for a visitor levy will provide local authorities with the powers to raise additional revenue if they choose and that revenue will be invested in improving services, with benefit for both visitors and the wider community in their area, further strengthening Scotland’s tourism offer; considers that energy costs, the need to cut VAT, the impact of high inflation and the impact of Brexit on labour shortages are the key issues facing the Scottish tourism sector; calls on the UK Government to use its reserved powers in a manner that supports rather than hampers Scottish tourism, and notes that all the signs are that 2023 will be a successful year for Scotland’s tourism sector.
Meeting of the Parliament
Oil and Gas Industry
Meeting date: 7 June 2023
Alison Johnstone
You must conclude, Ms Boyack.
Meeting of the Parliament
Oil and Gas Industry
Meeting date: 7 June 2023
Alison Johnstone
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-09339, in the name of Liam Kerr, on a thriving future for Scotland’s oil and gas sector and its workers. I invite all members who wish to speak in the debate to press their request-to-speak buttons now.
15:22Meeting of the Parliament
Oil and Gas Industry
Meeting date: 7 June 2023
Alison Johnstone
Thank you, minister. I ask you to conclude on that point.
Meeting of the Parliament
Deposit Return Scheme
Meeting date: 7 June 2023
Alison Johnstone
Let us hear Ms Boyack.
Meeting of the Parliament
Deposit Return Scheme
Meeting date: 7 June 2023
Alison Johnstone
There is much interest in the subject, as members would expect. I would be grateful for concise questions and responses.
Meeting of the Parliament
Deposit Return Scheme
Meeting date: 7 June 2023
Alison Johnstone
Members! I remind you of the need to conduct business with courtesy and respect.
Meeting of the Parliament
Business Motions
Meeting date: 7 June 2023
Alison Johnstone
The next item of business is consideration of business motion S6M-09361, in the name of George Adam, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, setting out a business programme. I invite George Adam to move the motion.
Motion moved,
That the Parliament agrees—
(a) the following programme of business—
Tuesday 13 June 2023
2.00 pm Time for Reflection
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Topical Questions (if selected)
followed by Ministerial Statement: Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan - Annual Progress Report 2022-23
followed by Education, Children and Young People Committee Debate: College Regionalisation
followed by Committee Announcements
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Wednesday 14 June 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 15 June 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 Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Questions
2.15 pm Portfolio Questions:
Net Zero and Just Transition
followed by Ministerial Statement: Provisional Outturn
followed by Debate on the Scottish Parliament’s Gender Sensitive Audit
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
Tuesday 20 June 2023
2.00 pm Time for Reflection
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Topical Questions (if selected)
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 21 June 2023
2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions
2.00 pm Portfolio Questions:
Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands;
NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care
followed by Stage 3 Proceedings: Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Approval of SSIs (if required)
7.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Thursday 22 June 2023
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:
Social Justice
followed by Stage 1 Debate: Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill
followed by Stage 3 Debate: Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.25 pm Decision Time
(b) that, for the purposes of Portfolio Questions in the week beginning 12 June 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.—[George Adam]
Motion agreed to.
Meeting of the Parliament
Parliamentary Bureau Motion
Meeting date: 7 June 2023
Alison Johnstone
The next item of business is consideration of Parliamentary Bureau motion S6M-09363, on approval of a Scottish statutory instrument. I ask George Adam to move the motion on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau.
Motion moved,
That the Parliament agrees that the International Organisations (Immunities and Privileges) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2023 [draft] be approved.—[George Adam]
