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 1920 contributions
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Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Meeting date: 10 September 2024
Monica Lennon
It would be good to simplify this a bit more. We have talked about the proposed carbon budgets. I am keen to understand from each of our witnesses when and how the Scottish Government should publish its climate change plan or plans. We have touched on that a little.
Initially, however, I would like to pick up on some of the comments that you have made, David. We have heard from some of our witnesses about what is technically possible and on the table, and about what is fair and just—and what the public will accept. I am interested in that potential gap between the technical side and the policy solutions that will help us to get to a just transition. My question is about the when and the how. How do the proposals align with the work that the Government is doing around the just transition? That has not been mentioned today, but that is what people might have been alluding to. I am glad that the citizens assembly was mentioned.
If we can get a simple answer on when and how, that would be really helpful to the committee.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Meeting date: 10 September 2024
Monica Lennon
Before I move on to Professor Roy, do you have a view on what the frequency of the publishing of the climate change plan or plans should be? How could the Government achieve the aims that you have set out? What do you think would be the right form of practice?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Meeting date: 10 September 2024
Monica Lennon
I am trying to get a sense of when and how you think the climate change plan or plans should be published, because we want to be able to make recommendations to the Government on that. How could the way in which the Government manages that cycle help with budget alignment and with persuading people and bringing people with us?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Meeting date: 10 September 2024
Monica Lennon
Are there any additional comments on that?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Meeting date: 10 September 2024
Monica Lennon
It was emphasised that to try to manage some of the challenges, we need good co-ordination and effective working between Governments, including local government. We are in the early days of a new UK Government. There is a lot of risk there, but there is an opportunity for people at Government level to behave differently, although they might not. We just do not know yet.
Thinking about the governance arrangements, would you recommend anything else to us in relation to the bill that we are looking at?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Meeting date: 10 September 2024
Monica Lennon
A point was made that we need effective communication and co-ordination. I am interested to know how we can maximise the opportunity for that to happen, and whether there is scope in the bill to do that.
I do not know whether Professor Roy wants to add to his point. David Hawkey might also have something to say.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Meeting date: 10 September 2024
Monica Lennon
Thank you.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Meeting date: 10 September 2024
Monica Lennon
Thank you, convener. It is on the same issue that you asked about.
I understand that the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee recommended that a draft climate change plan be published alongside the proposed carbon budget before the carbon budget levels are put into law. That would aid scrutiny and transparency. I am keen to hear Dr Nurse’s view on whether that would be wise and sensible, as well as whether our colleagues around the table think that that is the right approach to take.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Meeting date: 10 September 2024
Monica Lennon
Are there any other views?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Meeting date: 10 September 2024
Monica Lennon
Before I come to Emily Nurse, I note that she was right to say that the Government has been working on the climate change plan for some time, but I am not aware that a draft has been published. Should the Government consider the option of putting on the table what it has been doing so far in order to give Parliament and the public a better understanding and provide transparency? There is huge public interest in this area and public anxiety about who will pay the price of many of the interventions that are required. Would it be helpful right now for the Government to think about putting a draft out, or could that be a distraction?
