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.
Filter your results Hide all filters
Displaying 2150 contributions
|
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
International Nurses Day
Meeting date: 12 May 2022
Emma Harper
The issues that Carol Mochan is highlighting are really important, and it is important that we debate them. However, it is kind of difficult to do that when we are allotted four minutes in which to speak. Is it worth reflecting on that?
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
Alcohol Services (LGBTQ+ People)
Meeting date: 11 May 2022
Emma Harper
I thank Jamie Greene for that intervention. I agree that we need to make it easier for LGBT people to identify others and to engage in whatever activity they want to do. We can support them. One of the things we talk about in the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee all the time is reducing and tackling stigma. It is a huge issue that we need to address.
We know that services can be harder to access in rural areas like Galloway and the Scottish Borders. It was interesting that Emma Roddick also mentioned rural issues. Here is what I ask of the minister: can the Government commit that rural Scotland will continue to be included when it is improving alcohol services for LGBTQ+ people?
Alcohol use has become deeply engrained in LGBTQ+ society as a result of history and we have spoken about alcohol providing an easy way to meet. When I lived in California, that was the way people met each other and it was acceptable: individuals felt safe in gay bars. Stonewall has stated that that is why excessive drinking has become normalised. It is important that we work to change that.
The SHAAP report shows that some alcohol service providers are, due to lack of training, uncomfortable discussing LGBTQ+ issues, particularly trans issues. As a former nurse educator, my final ask of the minister is this: what training is being provided to alcohol service providers on LGBTQ+ issues so that they can support people to achieve the best possible treatment outcomes?
18:08Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
Alcohol Services (LGBTQ+ People)
Meeting date: 11 May 2022
Emma Harper
First, I congratulate Emma Roddick on securing her first member’s debate. I must apologise because I will be leaving early, as I am sponsoring an event tonight in the Parliament.
The debate is important and timely. I am a member of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, which took evidence last week from the minister about our relationship with alcohol, in Scotland. I specifically raised the issue of LGBTQ+ persons’ experience of alcohol services at the evidence session, following the submission to the committee from Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems. I thank SHAAP and LGBT Scotland for their hugely helpful briefings, ahead of the debate. Different social groups are affected by alcohol problems in different ways, and people develop negative relationships with alcohol for a number of reasons. Emma Roddick highlighted that extremely well, for which I thank her.
It is important that we do not generalise about people who use alcohol to the detriment of their health. We need to recognise that harmful use is a complex issue that requires various responses. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.
The harm that is caused by alcohol is a very serious problem in the LGBTQ+ community. A study that was carried out by Alcohol Focus Scotland suggests that up to 25 per cent of the LGBTQ+ community has moderate alcohol dependency, compared with 5 per cent to 10 per cent of the general population. Additionally, 25 per cent of bi women reported heavy drinking.
Despite the many challenges, awareness of LGBTQ+ harm from alcohol is growing, and many treatment facilities now tailor programmes—or, at least, aspects of programmes—to meet the unique needs of LGBTQ+ individuals. That is welcome, but as SHAAP has pointed out, work must continue in order that we ensure that our alcohol services meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ community. It is particularly important that the work be carried out quickly, because SHAAP’s study reported
“service providers assuming that all patients were heterosexual”
and that services and peer-support groups tend not to provide “safe and welcoming” spaces.
In order to tailor services to the needs of individuals, it is important to look at why LGBTQ+ people have higher levels of alcohol dependency. One of the most important reasons is the bigotry that the LGBTQ+ community faces daily, with stigma, shaming and abuse. I echo what Emma Roddick said about people feeling abnormal, vulnerable and alone, especially during the pandemic.
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Audit Scotland Report: “NHS in Scotland 2021”
Meeting date: 10 May 2022
Emma Harper
Long Covid networking will take place virtually with clinicians and professionals. We are not necessarily talking about bricks and mortar clinics or spaces; we are also looking at virtual engagement, as is happening in England. Is that part of how we will support people?
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Audit Scotland Report: “NHS in Scotland 2021”
Meeting date: 10 May 2022
Emma Harper
Across the country, we have urban and rural and remote areas, as well as islands. We have a different geography so, when it comes to supporting people, we cannae just lift and shift a model that might be used elsewhere, although I suppose that we can learn from what is being done in France, Belgium and Germany as well.
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Audit Scotland Report: “NHS in Scotland 2021”
Meeting date: 10 May 2022
Emma Harper
When it comes to screening such as bowel cancer and cervical cancer screening, if we screen people early, we can diagnose early, which means that the treatment can be more efficient and beneficial. Cancer Research UK said in its briefing that statistics for Scotland have shown that, before Covid, the uptake of bowel cancer screening had increased.
I support continued consideration of how we can improve uptake of bowel cancer and cervical cancer screening, and I know that self-sampling for cervical cancer is in the pipeline.
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Audit Scotland Report: “NHS in Scotland 2021”
Meeting date: 10 May 2022
Emma Harper
I will be quick, convener. The Scottish graduate entry medicine—or ScotGEM—programme, which was launched in 2018, is unique to Scotland. We have just seen 54 graduates come out of it, and it is part of the way in which we are trying to address GP recruitment in rural areas. Can you comment quickly on how successful ScotGEM has been for Scotland?
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Audit Scotland Report: “NHS in Scotland 2021”
Meeting date: 10 May 2022
Emma Harper
Thank you.
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Audit Scotland Report: “NHS in Scotland 2021”
Meeting date: 10 May 2022
Emma Harper
I am interested in how we will support people who have post-Covid syndrome. Many different symptoms seem to be demonstrated, including neurovascular, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal ones. There is a wide range of symptoms. What are we doing in Scotland to support people with long Covid?
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Audit Scotland Report: “NHS in Scotland 2021”
Meeting date: 10 May 2022
Emma Harper
Good morning. As we come out of the pandemic, I am interested in the reform process and the use of technology that we have already. People have adopted the NHS Near Me service, which means that they can engage remotely with their doctor, whether that is a respiratory doctor, a GP or whomever. I assume that it will be part of the renewal and reform process to continue to use the technology and innovations that have already been developed, in order to support people to engage with their GP and their other doctors in the way that they choose.
