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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Criminal Justice Committee, Health Social Care and Sport Committee, and Social Justice and Social Security Committee (Joint Meeting)
Tackling Drug Deaths and Drug Harm
Meeting date: 14 November 2024
Neil Gray
It is important to proceed as I have just set out. There are recommendations in the report on which we are already making progress. I accept those areas of challenge, including around local leadership, that need to be addressed.
I welcome the report in general; it recognises—as I said in my opening statement—the national leadership that has been provided and the progress that is being made, and the progress that has been made through the interventions from the Scottish Drug Deaths taskforce.
We will respond more formally in due course, but I do not think that the committees will see much challenge from us to the report, if I can put it that way. We will take seriously the recommendations that are in there.
Criminal Justice Committee, Health Social Care and Sport Committee, and Social Justice and Social Security Committee (Joint Meeting)
Tackling Drug Deaths and Drug Harm
Meeting date: 14 November 2024
Neil Gray
It is one aspect. The idea of getting it right for everyone is central not only to this policy area but to the wider health and social care policy work that we are taking forward. We must recognise that residential rehab will not work for everyone and that the abstinence route will not be the right route for everyone. Access to rehab is a central part of our national mission, as has been demonstrated by the investment we have made, but it is only one part. There are other elements, including the investment in the Corra Foundation to support community and voluntary elements.
Criminal Justice Committee, Health Social Care and Sport Committee, and Social Justice and Social Security Committee (Joint Meeting)
Tackling Drug Deaths and Drug Harm
Meeting date: 14 November 2024
Neil Gray
The convener is right that there is interaction with the UK Government because of the legislation that governs our ability to roll out the naloxone programme. I do not have a specific update on the UK Government’s latest thinking on that, but I am aware of the prevalence of naloxone—it is being used and carried across statutory services, including by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland, and it is available further afield for those who are involved in alcohol and drug treatment. In addition, I believe that more than 30,000 take-home naloxone kits have been distributed, and I think that 530 doses have been administered by the police service.
We can confidently say that a substantial number of lives have been saved as a result of the naloxone programme. I commend all those in the public sector—including those in Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, as well as health professionals and others—who carry naloxone and are helping to save lives as a result.
Criminal Justice Committee, Health Social Care and Sport Committee, and Social Justice and Social Security Committee (Joint Meeting)
Tackling Drug Deaths and Drug Harm
Meeting date: 14 November 2024
Neil Gray
There have been delays. Mr Balfour referenced that the facility was due to open in October. The Glasgow health and social care partnership is working with partners to ensure that it is operational as soon as possible. I am hopeful that that will happen before the end of the year.
Criminal Justice Committee, Health Social Care and Sport Committee, and Social Justice and Social Security Committee (Joint Meeting)
Tackling Drug Deaths and Drug Harm
Meeting date: 14 November 2024
Neil Gray
Mr Sweeney makes a good point. The work that we have been doing to support the health and social care partnership has been around ensuring that there is signposting and support available, so that those conversations can be had.
Maggie Page referenced the varying landscape in residential rehab in Scotland and what practices would be right for people. The Phoenix Futures centre, for instance, might not be appropriate for some people, so they might need to travel further afield. That is something for us to consider. As we look to increase the availability of residential rehab, we try to make sure that that is available as close to home as possible and that we have a variety of services available.
Mr Sweeney makes a cogent point about having services as close together as possible. That said, in some cases, we are reliant on others, particularly those from the community and voluntary sector, coming forward to deliver some of those services, particularly for residential rehab. Further work will be required if we are going to do that on a co-location basis.
Criminal Justice Committee, Health Social Care and Sport Committee, and Social Justice and Social Security Committee (Joint Meeting)
Tackling Drug Deaths and Drug Harm
Meeting date: 14 November 2024
Neil Gray
That is a matter for the Lord Advocate. She will determine when it is right and appropriate to do that. I do not have any further update on her thinking on that or on the timescales that are involved.
Criminal Justice Committee, Health Social Care and Sport Committee, and Social Justice and Social Security Committee (Joint Meeting)
Tackling Drug Deaths and Drug Harm
Meeting date: 14 November 2024
Neil Gray
As Mr Sweeney will understand, that is a matter for the health and social care partnership to consider. We already have a pretty lengthy opening period. I recognise his concern about what happens between 9 pm and 9 am, but this is a pilot and a test of change. It is an area for us to test and learn from. I fully anticipate that the health and social care partnership will look at whether availability could be increased, depending on what the demand looks like, but he will understand that that is a matter for the health and social care partnership to consider.
Criminal Justice Committee, Health Social Care and Sport Committee, and Social Justice and Social Security Committee (Joint Meeting)
Tackling Drug Deaths and Drug Harm
Meeting date: 14 November 2024
Neil Gray
It is clear that we have work to do to build on the foundations that have been put in place by the national mission. We are looking to provide systematic change in the availability of services and the types of interventions that we make. As has been demonstrated today through the lines of questioning, the Government is supporting a variety of interventions, from the implementation of the MAT standards to safer consumption facilities, and from drug-testing facilities to residential rehab. There is a broad range of interventions at play, and those take time to build up.
I recognise that there might be a feeling or a perception that there is a disconnect, but I believe that we are making progress. I say that because of the interactions that I have had with families, who say that progress is being made.
We have more work to do—that is clear, and the perception that Ms Dowey narrated demonstrates that. We need to ensure that we deliver demonstrable change that is felt at a local level and by individuals and their families. That is certainly what our collective effort is geared towards across the Government, in partnership with local authorities, health and social care partnerships and alcohol drug partnerships, with those in the community and voluntary sector who are involved in this area, and with families and advocacy organisations.
Criminal Justice Committee, Health Social Care and Sport Committee, and Social Justice and Social Security Committee (Joint Meeting)
Tackling Drug Deaths and Drug Harm
Meeting date: 14 November 2024
Neil Gray
I would be happy to provide that, convener.
Criminal Justice Committee, Health Social Care and Sport Committee, and Social Justice and Social Security Committee (Joint Meeting)
Tackling Drug Deaths and Drug Harm
Meeting date: 14 November 2024
Neil Gray
Ms Dowey touches on an important issue, which is the focus that is required. The Audit Scotland report recognises the national leadership and our consistency in setting out what we expect; it also recognises that there is more work to be done to provide that consistency at a local level.
I spoke earlier about the foundations that have been put in place through the national mission. Our work now is about building on that and ensuring that we are able to provide consistency.
We have provided record levels of funding to alcohol and drug partnerships, with £112 million this year; around £50 million in recurring funding; and the national mission funding. We want to ensure that there is consistency in that regard, but I also recognise the local decision making at ADP level. We will bring forward further recommendations on providing consistent standards—I will bring in Richard Foggo to provide greater clarity on that point.
