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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 24 November 2024
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Displaying 575 contributions

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Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Child Poverty and Parental Employment Inquiry

Meeting date: 8 June 2023

Gordon MacDonald

Is that achievable if we get the funding model correct and the staffing levels right?

Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Child Poverty and Parental Employment Inquiry

Meeting date: 8 June 2023

Gordon MacDonald

Absolutely. Does anybody else want to come in?

Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Child Poverty and Parental Employment Inquiry

Meeting date: 8 June 2023

Gordon MacDonald

Just moving on—[Interruption.] Sorry, Kirsty, do you have more to say? You dropped out.

Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Child Poverty and Parental Employment

Meeting date: 25 May 2023

Gordon MacDonald

Just to expand on what Paul O’Kane was talking about earlier, I am keen to understand whether the focus in the policy is correct. The policy’s main aims are to improve children’s outcomes, to close the poverty-related attainment gap and to support parents into work, study or training. We are looking at extending the hours to one and two-year-olds and to school-age children outwith school hours, and we are also looking at single parents and, indeed, all families, working families and so on. Is the focus correct? If not, where should the policy focus initially?

Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Child Poverty and Parental Employment

Meeting date: 25 May 2023

Gordon MacDonald

You have made a lot of really good points. I was particularly struck by Jonathan Broadbery’s comment about child development and how we need to get this right for children in their first few years. The Scottish Government has said that it would like a partnership approach to expanding ELC, but are your organisations happy with their involvement in the development of the childcare policy?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Consumer Scotland

Meeting date: 24 May 2023

Gordon MacDonald

The other area that I want to ask you about is the duty that you have to establish and operate a publicly available database of recalled products. I was struck by the figures in your work programme for 2023-24, which states:

“Between April 2020 and April 2021, 69 per cent of consumers in the UK experienced consumer detriment. 36 million consumers experienced at least one problem with a product … they bought or used in that period”.

What has happened with your duty to produce a database for recalled goods?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Consumer Scotland

Meeting date: 24 May 2023

Gordon MacDonald

I want to ask about a couple of issues. The first one is about investigations. David Wilson, you mentioned that you are continuing to develop the investigation function. Can you tell us where we are with that? Have any investigations begun?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Consumer Scotland

Meeting date: 24 May 2023

Gordon MacDonald

You have not carried out any investigations yet, but you are about to consider one. What triggers an investigation? Can the number of consumer complaints to partner organisations trigger one? Is there an area that you are pencilling in for investigation later this year?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Consumer Scotland

Meeting date: 24 May 2023

Gordon MacDonald

I am asking whether there is a number.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Consumer Scotland

Meeting date: 24 May 2023

Gordon MacDonald

You have highlighted that you are a research organisation, so you have data-gathering powers. What have you done with those since the organisation was established?