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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 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 14 March 2025
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Displaying 2095 contributions

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Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee

Cladding Remediation Programme

Meeting date: 10 December 2024

Willie Coffey

Is that access available for people now?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

Meeting date: 10 December 2024

Willie Coffey

Thank you.

On the expertise that you have with which to conduct an inquiry and investigation, do you have the breadth of experience that is needed to look at healthcare? We have talked about that this morning. From where do you draw expertise to conduct a thorough, proper and balanced investigation? We know that public bodies will have all the expertise to hand to answer you, but often the complainer will not have that same depth and breadth of awareness, so how do you make sure the process is balanced? How do you make sure that you have the expertise that you need to conduct an investigation?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

City Region and Regional Growth Deals

Meeting date: 4 December 2024

Willie Coffey

My next question is about digital projects that you may have been delivering. Could you give us a wee flavour of some of the projects that you have been developing that go beyond establishing more connectivity and extending the reaching 100 per cent programme and so on? I am thinking of things such as community wi-fi zones in railway and bus stations and in places where people congregate, rather than in buildings. It could be town centres, the transport network and even our many stadiums across Scotland.

I am sure that, if you have been in any of those places where large numbers of people gather, you will know that the wi-fi is still pretty poor in those areas. Can you give us examples of what you have done in your areas to advance and develop the ability for the public to engage in the communications network when in spaces and places rather than in buildings?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

City Region and Regional Growth Deals

Meeting date: 4 December 2024

Willie Coffey

If Matt could come in as well, that would be great.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

City Region and Regional Growth Deals

Meeting date: 4 December 2024

Willie Coffey

Thanks very much convener. Good morning—[Inaudible.]—that discussion that we had with Murdo Fraser’s questions.

I am interested in how the growth deals have kept pace with changing political objectives at Scottish or UK Government level. I am thinking about things such as the national strategy for economic transformation and national planning framework 4, which as you know has themes at the heart of it such as community and place, local living, 20-minute neighbourhoods, nature and biodiversity and so on. Can you give a flavour of how the growth deals have developed in more recent years to embrace and incorporate those wider changes in both Governments’ policies?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

City Region and Regional Growth Deals

Meeting date: 4 December 2024

Willie Coffey

Can I come back in, convener?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

City Region and Regional Growth Deals

Meeting date: 4 December 2024

Willie Coffey

Okay.

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee

Scottish Housing Regulator

Meeting date: 3 December 2024

Willie Coffey

Thank you for your answers. The committee has received a few submissions that suggest that the regulatory framework is a wee bit bureaucratic and slanted towards self-assessment—marking your own report card, in a sense—and therefore possibly open to manipulation. Do the witnesses have any views on that to share with us?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee

Scottish Housing Regulator

Meeting date: 3 December 2024

Willie Coffey

I need to come back to Patrick Gilbride.

You mentioned figures of £500,000 and £142,000. Are those costs not capped in any way? Is the sky the limit in terms of the costs that can be racked up? Who does value-for-money assessments on that, and what was the outcome of the whole thing?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee

Scottish Housing Regulator

Meeting date: 3 December 2024

Willie Coffey

Good morning. [Inaudible.]—tenants, homeless people, Gypsy Travellers and so on are fully aware of and understand what the regulator’s role is? It would be unusual to see a procession of complaints to the regulator from, say, homeless people or even Gypsy Travellers. Do we need to do something to close that gap a wee bit? Will you share your views with the committee, please?