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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 4 May 2021
  6. Current session: 13 May 2021 to 9 March 2026
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Displaying 920 contributions

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Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee [Draft]

BBC Scotland

Meeting date: 15 May 2025

Alexander Stewart

You are calling for the budget to be ring fenced in order to support and save drama production. How likely do you think that is from the communications that you have had with the BBC? We have had the BBC here and, as you have said, there is a lot of smoke and mirrors when it indicates what it is trying to achieve or what its proposals are. When you scrape below the surface, things are not quite as rosy or as pleasant as it is trying to portray. If you were to have that funding in some capacity, do you believe that that would give you opportunities to develop and progress?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee [Draft]

BBC Scotland

Meeting date: 15 May 2025

Alexander Stewart

Good morning. Thank you for your briefing note, and for your frankness and honesty so far in this session. You have already identified the crux of the matter: culture in Scotland is being eroded, or it appears to be being eroded, and this situation is another step in that process.

The broader picture is ensuring that BBC Scotland recognises that it has a public broadcasting duty to fulfil, as you have explained already. I think that most of us around the table get that and understand where you are coming from, but the issue is how to take that message further. You have identified the potential loss of opportunities for young people, including training and apprenticeships, in all parts of the process. The issue is how we ensure that we keep those opportunities—I think that that is where we are all coming from. That might be by showing how detrimental the loss of that would be to the sector.

My initial question is, how should we galvanise as a Parliament to provide support? We can bring people here, ask questions and probe—we can do all that—but, at the end of the day, if there is a campaign or a process to be carried out, where do we take that? How do we manage that to ensure that we achieve success? If we lose “River City”, what is next to be lost and what will be lost after that?

08:45  

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee

Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Meeting date: 13 May 2025

Alexander Stewart

You have touched on the vitally important issue of consistency of data, but you have also highlighted some of the practicalities that some of the amendments that you are discussing would give rise to, and the issue of whether local authorities would be able to cope with some of the extra work that would be required to manage the process. I am encouraged by your comments, because I think that the extra burden that would be put on local authorities might mean that the information that was received would not be as consistent as one would expect.

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee [Draft]

UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 8 May 2025

Alexander Stewart

You indicated in response to Mr Kerr’s question that the zones will be set up. We understand the situation around that. Is it Glasgow City Council that will have the power of enforcement and the obligation to ensure that it is acted on? You touched on what will happen to existing traders and any exemptions that they will be entitled to. How will those exemptions be managed and policed to ensure compliance?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Meeting date: 6 May 2025

Alexander Stewart

You are making a very valid point about the necessity for local authorities to have flexibility and for rural areas, as you have already identified, to be given the opportunity to be flexible, because they will potentially be marginalised, as we have heard. The points that you make about ensuring that we have consistency and robust timescales are very valid.

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Meeting date: 6 May 2025

Alexander Stewart

Will the member take an intervention?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

Building Safety and Maintenance

Meeting date: 22 April 2025

Alexander Stewart

Good morning. Minister, in your answers to Mr Griffin, you touched on the guidance on RAAC in non-domestic buildings. The committee has heard that the Scottish Government should be developing RAAC surveys and remediation guidance that are focused on domestic properties. As I have indicated, the guidance that you already have is based largely on non-domestic buildings. Can you give a commitment that you will develop such guidance for buildings that are not classified as non-domestic buildings?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

Building Safety and Maintenance

Meeting date: 22 April 2025

Alexander Stewart

If that is the case, that will give more confidence to the sector, and I look forward to hearing what comes from that work.

The committee has heard concerns about the legislative gap that prevents local authorities from mandating repairs to shared elements of terraced homes and housing. The concerns relate to RAAC panels that extend across two or more homes in one terrace, when the homes are owned by different parties. Are you aware of that issue, and are you looking at any developments—or, indeed, solutions—that might require primary legislation? If any solution might require such legislation to be put in place, it would be good to get your views on that.

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

Building Safety and Maintenance

Meeting date: 22 April 2025

Alexander Stewart

Written evidence that we have received has suggested that the Scottish Housing Regulator be mandated, or a new independent body be established, to protect and advise ex-council home owners who are impacted by RAAC and ensure that they receive support and representation. That has been a big issue. You have said that you will be visiting Aberdeen in the coming weeks, which might be because of the situation and the calls for support and representation. Do you agree with the suggestion that the Scottish Housing Regulator must be mandated to do that or that a new independent body should be established?

10:15  

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee [Draft]

United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 (Consultation and Review)

Meeting date: 27 March 2025

Alexander Stewart

Do you feel that there is a good, close working relationship between business and governments, or is that relationship still fractured?