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 6747 contributions
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Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Appointment of the Scottish Land Commissioners and the Tenant Farming Commissioner
Meeting date: 12 November 2024
Edward Mountain
Usually, I say that if people do not look away fast enough, I will nominate them. Calum, you can start off, and I think that Lucy will get a chance after that.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Interests
Meeting date: 12 November 2024
Edward Mountain
Thank you. That was very simple.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Decision on Taking Business in Private
Meeting date: 12 November 2024
Edward Mountain
Our second item of business is a decision on taking items 7 and 8 in private. Item 7 is consideration of the evidence that we will hear on the appointment of the Scottish land commissioners and the tenant farming commissioner, and item 8 is consideration of the committee’s work programme. Do we agree to take those items in private?
Members indicated agreement.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: 12 November 2024
Edward Mountain
“Clear as mud,” is the expression, I am sure, Douglas. Monica Lennon wants to come in.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: 12 November 2024
Edward Mountain
It is always the short ones that cause the problem when it comes to legislation. I think that I am right in saying that, basically, the Scottish Government is reserving its right to use EIAs if the UK goes with EORs, that there is no intention of dumbing down the process or making it easier, and that the standards will remain the same. That is what I take away from what you have said. Have I got that right?
10:15Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: 12 November 2024
Edward Mountain
Okay. I will not dwell on that any more. However, the matter is quite complex and intricate, and I am not sure that I would have used the words “concurrently” and “after consultation” to make it easier to understand. I have made my point.
The next item on the agenda is a debate on motion S6M-15261, which calls on the committee to recommend the approval of the draft order. I remind the committee that only the cabinet secretary and members may speak in the debate.
Deputy First Minister, I invite you to move the motion and to speak further to it if you feel that you would like to.
Motion moved,
That the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee recommends that the Scotland Act 1998 (Transfer of Functions to the Scottish Ministers etc.) Order 2025 be approved.—[Kate Forbes]
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: 12 November 2024
Edward Mountain
We move to item 5, which is consideration of two negative instruments.
The purpose of the two SSIs is to jointly introduce a decriminalised parking regime in the West Dunbartonshire council area. They are laid under the negative procedure, which means that they could come into force unless the Parliament agrees to a motion to annul them. No motions to annul have been lodged, and the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee had no comment on either of those instruments in its report.
No member has any comments on either instrument. I note that the policy note that goes with the instruments could have been simpler and easier to read.
I invite the committee to agree that it does not wish to make any recommendations in relation to the Road Traffic (Permitted Parking Area and Special Parking Area) (West Dunbartonshire Council) Designation Order 2024 (SSI 2024/270). Are we agreed?
Members indicated agreement.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Appointment of the Scottish Land Commissioners and the Tenant Farming Commissioner
Meeting date: 12 November 2024
Edward Mountain
Thank you. I would say that the agricultural law in Scotland is quite cluttered with numerous acts that have been amended. Some of those acts still relate to old-style tenancies, for lack of a better description, while others relate to newer-style tenancies and reviewed tenancies—and some will relate to even newer newer-style tenancies, if the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill goes through.
Can you tell me a little bit about your experience in that regard? Do you feel comfortable working under the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 1991 and the Agriculture (Scotland) Act 1948, and subsequent acts? It is quite a role, which involves not quite mediation, but working between landlords and tenants.
10:30Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Interests
Meeting date: 12 November 2024
Edward Mountain
Good morning, and welcome to the 33rd meeting in 2024 of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee. I welcome our new member of the committee, Kevin Stewart, who replaces Jackie Dunbar. Jackie was one of the original members of the committee—she has been on it since it was formed in this parliamentary session. I know that all committee members would like me to put on the record our thanks for the way in which she has worked to help us to achieve our aim. As convener, I found her advice and her ability to work across parties extremely helpful.
As this is Kevin Stewart’s first time at the committee, I invite him to declare any relevant interests.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: 12 November 2024
Edward Mountain
Item 3 is consideration of a draft statutory instrument, on which the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee has made no comment in its report. I welcome Kate Forbes, the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, and the Scottish Government officials who join her: Michael McLeod, head of the marine nature enhancement programme and the joint environmental accelerator programme—that is a long title; and Stewart Cunningham, a solicitor in the marine planning and natural resources division of the legal directorate.
The draft instrument has been laid under the affirmative procedure, which means that it cannot come into force unless the Parliament approves it. Following the evidence session, the committee will be invited to consider the motion to recommend that the instrument be approved. I remind everyone that Scottish Government officials can speak under this item, but not under the next one.
I invite the Deputy First Minister to make a short opening statement.
