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 760 contributions
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Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Budget 2025-26
Meeting date: 25 February 2025
Dr Pam Gosal MBE
I thank the minister and her official for that response.
Minister, you have said that 43 out of 48 organisations are smaller, advocacy ones. Are you saying that 43 organisations are not the larger ones—that they are more niche in those areas? We know that some organisations deliver on helping people from BAME backgrounds but that it sometimes does not come to light—they must prove that by giving their figures and statistics to the Government because their data is not collected. I know that because my domestic abuse bill was looking at the matter of certain data not being collected. The information on data is kind of bottom up rather than top down. How much does that affect your decisions, and are you saying that 43 out of the 48 organisations that are being funded are smaller ones and that there are five larger ones?
Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Budget 2025-26
Meeting date: 25 February 2025
Dr Pam Gosal MBE
Thank you, minister.
Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee [Draft]
Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
Meeting date: 21 January 2025
Dr Pam Gosal MBE
Okay. In the light of what the minister said about discussing the matter with us before stage 3, I am happy to not move amendment 549. However, I wanted to put on the record those important points, which have not been clarified through amendments.
Amendment 549 not moved.
Amendments 550 to 552 not moved.
Amendment 273 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Amendments 553 and 554 not moved.
Amendments 642 and 274 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Amendment 555 not moved.
Amendment 275 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 39, as amended, agreed to.
Section 40—Offence of pretending to be an authorised legal business
Amendments 276 and 277 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 40, as amended, agreed to.
Section 41—Rules for authorised legal businesses
Amendment 278 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Amendment 556 not moved.
Amendments 279 to 287 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 41, as amended, agreed to.
Section 42—Authorisation rules
Amendments 288 to 295 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 42, as amended, agreed to.
Section 43—Appeals in relation to authorisation decisions
Amendments 296 to 299 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 43, as amended, agreed to.
Section 44—Practice rules
Amendment 300 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 44, as amended, agreed to.
Section 45—Financial sanctions
Amendments 301 to 304 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 45, as amended, agreed to.
Section 46—Reconciling different rules
Amendment 305 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 46, as amended, agreed to.
Section 47—Monitoring of performance of authorised legal businesses
Amendments 306 and 307 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 47, as amended, agreed to.
Section 48—Law Society of Scotland
Amendment 308 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 48, as amended, agreed to.
Schedule 1
Amendments 5 to 26 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
Meeting date: 21 January 2025
Dr Pam Gosal MBE
My stage 2 amendments to the bill are centred on the definition of legal businesses and how that definition is affected by the bill. When I spoke to representatives from the Law Society, they expressed concerns that the bill would make it difficult for certain businesses to operate in Scotland. The bill defines
“a legal business”
as being
“wholly owned by”
either
“solicitors, or ... qualifying ... individuals”,
but not a mixture.
The language in the bill makes no provision for any share of ownership being held by any registered foreign lawyer, which includes a lawyer who can practise law elsewhere in the United Kingdom. That is why my amendments 549, 551, 552 and 554 would clarify that registered foreign lawyers can participate in, and own, a legal business “in combination with” solicitors.
Other amendments in the group also seek to improve the definition of legal businesses, which, as currently drafted, is not wide enough to cover ownership and employment outwith Scotland. Amendments 553, 555 and 641, in the name of Paul O’Kane, would build on my amendments by specifying that a law firm can be owned by a “combination of ... persons.” I am happy to support those amendments. I am also happy to support amendment 556, which would add to the list of what authorised legal business rules should contain.
I am happy to support Scottish Government amendments 271, 272 and 274 to 309, which will significantly remove powers of Scottish Government ministers to regulate the legal sector, and which offer clarity where needed.
11:45Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
Meeting date: 21 January 2025
Dr Pam Gosal MBE
I thank the minister for her engagement on the bill and for our meeting last week, and I acknowledge the amendments that she has lodged. However, after speaking to the Law Society, I believe that my amendments sufficiently clarify some nuances when it comes to the ownership of legal businesses. For example, amendment 549 clarifies that a “solicitor” could include a foreign solicitor. Section 39 does not make that clear, and nor does any of the other amendments.
Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
Meeting date: 21 January 2025
Dr Pam Gosal MBE
Okay. In the light of what the minister said about discussing the matter with us before stage 3, I am happy to not move amendment 549. However, I wanted to put on the record those important points, which have not been clarified through amendments.
Amendment 549 not moved.
Amendments 550 to 552 not moved.
Amendment 273 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Amendments 553 and 554 not moved.
Amendments 642 and 274 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Amendment 555 not moved.
Amendment 275 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 39, as amended, agreed to.
Section 40—Offence of pretending to be an authorised legal business
Amendments 276 and 277 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 40, as amended, agreed to.
Section 41—Rules for authorised legal businesses
Amendment 278 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Amendment 556 not moved.
Amendments 279 to 287 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 41, as amended, agreed to.
Section 42—Authorisation rules
Amendments 288 to 295 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 42, as amended, agreed to.
Section 43—Appeals in relation to authorisation decisions
Amendments 296 to 299 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 43, as amended, agreed to.
Section 44—Practice rules
Amendment 300 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 44, as amended, agreed to.
Section 45—Financial sanctions
Amendments 301 to 304 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 45, as amended, agreed to.
Section 46—Reconciling different rules
Amendment 305 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 46, as amended, agreed to.
Section 47—Monitoring of performance of authorised legal businesses
Amendments 306 and 307 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 47, as amended, agreed to.
Section 48—Law Society of Scotland
Amendment 308 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Section 48, as amended, agreed to.
Schedule 1
Amendments 5 to 26 moved—[Siobhian Brown]—and agreed to.
Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Scottish Human Rights Commission
Meeting date: 14 January 2025
Dr Pam Gosal MBE
Jan, do you have anything to add?
Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Scottish Human Rights Commission
Meeting date: 14 January 2025
Dr Pam Gosal MBE
Good morning. Thank you for your opening statements and for all the information that you have provided so far.
I want to move on from my colleague Paul O’Kane’s questions. The state of the nation report provides an assessment of how civil and political rights are met in Scotland. In fact, the commission found that human rights failings occur across Scotland, specifically in places of detention and across rural communities. Extensive barriers were also reported in justice, which you have mentioned—you have talked about the monitoring. How has that report been received? What feeling do you get that the Scottish Government and public authorities are going to address those failings? You have mentioned the monitoring, but will they address those failings?
Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Scottish Human Rights Commission
Meeting date: 14 January 2025
Dr Pam Gosal MBE
Thank you. I have a supplementary, and then I will ask one more question.
Even to this day, women are still at a disadvantage compared with men, and that is especially true of women in custody. Two years ago, a male double rapist was briefly put into a women’s prison simply because he had claimed that he was a woman. That put many vulnerable women at risk. Do you recognise the importance of single-sex spaces and services, especially when it comes to vulnerable women such as women in custody or in rape crisis centres?
Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Scottish Human Rights Commission
Meeting date: 14 January 2025
Dr Pam Gosal MBE
Thank you. Angela O’Hagan, you said that you spoke to the First Minister. You may not want to divulge what was said, but were your recommendations and your considerations well received? As you say, it is good that there was a debate on the report, but was it received well?
