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.
The web version of the Official Report has three different views:
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.
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.
There are two types of keyword search:
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.
It’s also possible to run basic Boolean searches. For example:
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:
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.
Displaying 788 contributions
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 13 June 2023
Jenni Minto
I have lodged amendment 1 in response to calls from stakeholders, and an emphasis by the committee in its stage 1 report, on the need for a co-operative approach to patient safety. I whole-heartedly agree with that principle, and therefore I am keen to clarify, with this amendment, that we expect such a co-operative spirit to extend to all public authorities that have functions relating to healthcare, as well as to healthcare providers.
I do not feel able to support Carol Mochan’s amendment 28, because, although we are all hopeful and expectant that a spirit of collegiate working to improve patient safety will extend as far as possible, I am mindful that we cannot propose to Parliament an amendment that is outside its competence. We are just not able to impose a duty on the Patient Safety Commissioner for England.
I move amendment 1.
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 13 June 2023
Jenni Minto
In respect of amendment 1, our aspiration for the patient safety commissioner is that they work in a co-operative way as much as possible. Although I am unable to support Carol Mochan’s amendment 28, due to its seeking to impose a duty that is outwith our competence, I do not disagree with the spirit in which it has, I think, been lodged. In the event that the member moves the amendment, though, I urge members not to support it, on account of the competence issues that it presents.
Amendment 1 agreed to.
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 13 June 2023
Jenni Minto
Although I have moved an amendment to drop section 4, recognising that there is existing legislative provision in the Equality Act 2010, I whole-heartedly encourage any steps by the commissioner to embrace the spirit of such communication in their public-facing activity.
Amendment 2 agreed to.
Section 5 agreed to.
Section 6—The planning process
Amendment 3 moved—[Jenni Minto]—and agreed to.
Section 7—Frequency of planning
Amendment 4 moved—[Jenni Minto]—and agreed to.
Section 7, as amended, agreed to.
After section 7
Amendment 5 moved—[Jenni Minto]—and agreed to.
Amendment 21 moved—[Sandesh Gulhane].
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 13 June 2023
Jenni Minto
I am not able to support the amendment. The committee, in its stage 1 report, called on the Government to confirm that the commissioner will be able to address matters arising at the intersection of health and social care. I am happy to confirm on the record today that the commissioner’s role is about safety in healthcare, and there is nothing in the bill that would prevent the commissioner from dealing with healthcare that is provided in a social care context or any other context.
I hope that Paul Sweeney will accept that confirmation and will not press amendment 33, which, rather than clarifying matters, might create some doubt about whether the bill’s reference to “health care” includes healthcare that is provided in contexts other than social care. I therefore ask Paul Sweeney not to press amendment 33.
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 13 June 2023
Jenni Minto
I lodged amendment 2 in response to the committee’s recommendation to remove section 4 of the bill as drafted on the basis that it is already provided for in the Equality Act 2010.
I move amendment 2.
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 13 June 2023
Jenni Minto
I do not support amendment 22, which would allow the commissioner to make a special report on any recommendations from a previous report that they felt had not been, or would not be, implemented. The bill expressly gives the commissioner power to publish information on the implementation, or not, of their recommendations. The amendment is therefore superfluous.
I am also concerned that requiring the commissioner to lay before Parliament a report about actions that they felt would not be implemented could leave them open to defamation actions, as it anticipates or speculates about wrongdoing by others.
I urge members not to vote for amendment 22.
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 16 May 2023
Jenni Minto
That question is along the same lines as that asked by your colleague Dr Gulhane. I have offered to send the committee the complex mesh surgical service pathway. I am aware of the evidence that you received on 2 May. I felt that Dr Mathers clarified in that meeting that an electronic referral from the health board to the service is required. As I said, we will send the complex mesh surgical service pathway to the committee so that you have sight of it.
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 16 May 2023
Jenni Minto
Dr Gulhane, that is what I said yesterday. I did the same thing. We have taken that away and will find out why that is happening.
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 16 May 2023
Jenni Minto
I was pleased to meet Professor Anna Glasier very early after she was appointed. Her skills and personality embed exactly what women would like to see in their health champion. As you indicated, we have prioritised the menopause and endometriosis. I will have further discussions with the women’s health team about how we can expand on those. It is important to say that, although Anna Glasier is the champion, we also have a group of officers who are working further on the plan. Greig Chalmers leads the group specifically on this.
We have a lot to do. In a meeting last week, I said that, until we can say “health” without having to put the word “women’s” before it, we have a long way to go. However, I am confident that, with Professor Glasier’s leadership and the wealth of groups of women who want to get involved in women’s health and to raise it to the headlines, that can only be welcomed.
I am afraid that I have no information on the incontinence plan. I apologise.
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 16 May 2023
Jenni Minto
I have read some of the reports from women who really struggled to explain to, and be listened to by, their GPs in the years leading up to 2015—when the issue was given front-page billing in media reports—and I can only imagine how frustrating that must have been for the women.
The work that has been done in Scotland and the cross-party work that Parliament has done has really improved everyone’s knowledge of the impact of vaginal mesh on women. As I indicated earlier, the fact that we have set up that specialist service and that specialist services are being set up in NHS England, too, with options to go abroad, is really helpful.
In an earlier answer to a supplementary question from Stephanie Callaghan, I indicated the training that NHS England has created for GPs and the importance of the work that Dr O’Kelly is doing to ensure that Scottish GPs can access that training, which is absolutely key to getting it right. I also refer back to the individuals in each of the health boards who are there to provide support.
Can you cover the point about medical records, Greig?