The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 1357 contributions
Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 10 December 2024
Michelle Thomson
Yes. The Scottish Parliament information centre made that comment in its assessment of the budget. Things have moved forward, but there is still further to go in terms of tracking actual spend.
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 December 2024
Michelle Thomson
Paul Lawrence, do you have any thoughts on that issue?
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 December 2024
Michelle Thomson
There is a book about that.
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 December 2024
Michelle Thomson
I will just quickly ask about that, as I do not want to deviate from Kevin Stewart’s questions. That final say is, in effect, about drawing down funds. Is it the other councils’ understanding that, in the face of what we all understand are critical issues with public sector funding recently, even though a decision might have been made by all the various governance bodies that you have got, ultimately, Government can say, “Well, no, we are putting a pause on it”? I just want that to be made clear.
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 December 2024
Michelle Thomson
Paul, I can see that you want to come in.
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 December 2024
Michelle Thomson
I do not want to veer away from Aberdeen. Stuart Bews made an interesting observation relating to papers being ready to be published. To that extent, is it the case that the funding is not really ring fenced? Is that the inference that you drew from that situation? Is that the case for the other councils on the panel?
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 December 2024
Michelle Thomson
I am targeting these questions at you both because of the breadth of your regions. What effect—positive or otherwise—has that had on the relationships between the multitude of key stakeholders with whom you engage? Was it slightly awkward at the start before there was the usual forming stuff? Have you noticed differences in the relationships and the collaboration across all your stakeholders?
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 December 2024
Michelle Thomson
What, then, is different in governance terms? That suggests to me that, because a pause could put in place, a pause was put in place. In other words, the Government scanned the horizon and looked at where it could do that. What was different about the two deals?
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 December 2024
Michelle Thomson
Susan Aitken, given the dispersity of the geography of your area, do you agree with that statement that the deals have brought a sharpness of focus?
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 December 2024
Michelle Thomson
My final question picks up on points that my colleague Kevin Stewart was making earlier, but I want to focus a bit more on communities. Stuart Bews highlighted that, as is the case everywhere, a lot of this is done in public, but that does not necessarily excite communities. How have you endeavoured to make sure that you are delivering through people and not to people in the work that you are doing? The question is for all the witnesses.