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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 6 July 2025
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Displaying 1182 contributions

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Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

First Minister’s Question Time

Meeting date: 28 October 2021

Willie Rennie

The subtle change of tone from the First Minister is mildly welcome, but I am afraid that she is not doing enough on this. It is about children’s rights and she does not seem to be that bothered about it.

The United Kingdom Information Commissioner’s Office has called a halt to the scheme in North Ayrshire, but it should never have got this far. The SNP Government previously opposed the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner having a role in health and education. If the First Minister will not intervene on facial recognition, will she support the expansion of the remit of the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner so that he can intervene?

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Education (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Report)

Meeting date: 27 October 2021

Willie Rennie

The cabinet secretary has been left to clean up John Swinney’s blunder over national testing. Having scrapped the national survey just a few years ago, the Government, this time with its tail between its legs, is now bringing it back. Why on earth is the cabinet secretary still clinging on to a national collection of local testing data, even though that leads to damaging school league tables?

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 27 October 2021

Willie Rennie

I am not sure that the minister’s increasingly aggressive language towards the RMT will resolve the issue. Could he answer Mr Bibby’s question? Was there a counter offer, and was it accepted or rejected by the minister?

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 27 October 2021

Willie Rennie

What does the Deputy First Minister have to say to many of my constituents who continue to experience, as they have done for some time, issues with incomplete vaccine records, which make it incredibly difficult for them to get access to the vaccine passport? Is that not just another example of the failed vaccine passport system? It is about time that he ditched it.

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Topical Question Time

Meeting date: 26 October 2021

Willie Rennie

It is important that we all stand up against spiking. On Wednesday, I will address a protest at the University of St Andrews, and I want to report to the protesters that the Scottish Parliament is taking action on spiking. A successful testing-strip promotion scheme is already in place in Lincolnshire that provides free test strips for all venues. Would the Scottish Government be prepared to roll out a similar scheme in Scotland, as well as fund it?

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage

Meeting date: 26 October 2021

Willie Rennie

After years and years of delay, during which carbon capture was on, then off, then on again, the biggest loser has been the planet. I support the Scottish Government’s call for the decision to be reversed, but does the minister agree that what is most important is that the project actually happens this time?

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Retail Sector

Meeting date: 26 October 2021

Willie Rennie

If the Scotland Loves Local gift card is to have a meaningful economic impact on retail, it needs to operate at scale; otherwise, it will just be tokenistic. How many businesses have made bulk purchases of the card for their employees, and how many cards has the Government bought for its employees?

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 7 October 2021

Willie Rennie

National assessments were originally introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s Government, before they were scrapped by the Liberal Democrat-Labour Government here, because they resulted in crude league tables. The recent OECD report criticised the use of the Scottish Government’s assessments for national monitoring purposes, and now we have crude league tables once again. Why is the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills more persuaded by the logic of Margaret Thatcher than that of the OECD?

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Carer’s Allowance Supplement (Scotland) Bill

Meeting date: 7 October 2021

Willie Rennie

If they had not done so before, the value of and the need for unpaid carers have shone brightly throughout the pandemic. The bill is our commitment that recognises their commitment. It does not cover every carer—it falls far short of doing that—but those it does cover will receive an essential supplement to their income. It is an essential supplement, but we should never kid ourselves that it will be enough for most. We know the financial struggles that carers endure week in, week out, which is why we must return to the issue when we consider shaping the new benefit—Scottish carers assistance.

I had hoped that the Government would end the uncertainty about next year, at least by committing to the supplement for next year. However, unpaid carers now face the prospect of a cut next year, just like the universal credit cut, because the trauma of the pandemic has not ended. In fact, the costs continue to rise for carers just as they do for everyone else.

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 7 October 2021

Willie Rennie

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it plans to implement the recommendations made by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on Scottish national standardised assessments in its report, “Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence: Into the Future”. (S6O-00252)