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MEETING OF THE PARLIAMENT Thursday 30 September 1999 Volume 2 No 10 £5.00 Parliamentary copyright. Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body 2000. Applications for reproduction should be made in writing to the Copyright Unit, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich NR3 1BQ Fax 01603 723000, which is administering the copyright on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. Produced and published in Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body by The Stationery Office Ltd. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office is independent of and separate from the company now trading as The Stationery Office Ltd, which is responsible for printing and publishing Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body publications. CONTENTS Thursday 30 September 1999 Debates Col. NON-EXECUTIVE BUSINESS: EDUCATION ................................................................................... 876 Motion moved—[Nicola Sturgeon]. Amendment moved—[Mr Galbraith]. Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP) ....................................................................................... 876 The Minister for Children and Education (Mr Sam Galbraith) ............................................. 884 Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) ................................................................ 889 Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD) ......................................... 893 Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP) ............................................................................ 895 Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) ............................................................. 896 Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con) ......................................................................... 898 Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP) ............................................................................. 900 Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab) .................................................................................. 901 Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West) ........................................................................................... 903 Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP) ......................................................................... 905 Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab) ........................................................................................ 906 Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD) .............................................................................................. 908 Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP) ......................................................................... 909 Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green) ......................................................................................... 910 Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con)...................................................................... 912 Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab) ........................................................ 913 Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP) .............................................................................. 915 Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con) ................................................................................................. 916 Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab) ............................................................................ 918 Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP) ........................................................................... 921 Ian Jenkins (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD) ....................................................... 922 David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con) ............................................................................ 924 Nicola Sturgeon ................................................................................................................... 926 The Deputy Minister for Children and Education (Peter Peacock)...................................... 928 BUSINESS MOTION .................................................................................................................... 934 Motion moved—[Mr McCabe]—and agreed to. The Minister for Parliament (Mr Tom McCabe) ................................................................... 934 BEATTIE MEDIA ........................................................................................................................ 937 Statement—[Donald Dewar]. The First Minister (Donald Dewar) ...................................................................................... 937 QUESTION TIME ........................................................................................................................ 949 OPEN QUESTION TIME .............................................................................................................. 962 PUBLIC FINANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY (SCOTLAND) BILL ......................................................... 967 Motions moved—[Mr McConnell]—and agreed to. The Minister for Finance (Mr Jack McConnell).................................................................... 967 Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP) ............................................................................ 972 Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con) ................................................................... 975 Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD) ..................................................................... 978 Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab) ......................................................................... 980 Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP) ........................................................................................ 981 Mike Watson (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab) .............................................................................. 983 Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP) ........................................................................... 985 Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab)........................................................................ 987 Mr Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) ................................................................ 988 Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD) ............................................................... 990 Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP) ....................................................................... 991 Dr Richard Simpson (Ochil) (Lab) ....................................................................................... 993 Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP) ..................................................................................... 994 Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab)................................................................. 995 Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con) ................................................................................................. 996 Andrew Wilson ..................................................................................................................... 997 Mr McConnell ...................................................................................................................... 999 LEAD COMMITTEE ................................................................................................................... 1005 Motion moved—[Mr McCabe]—and agreed to. DECISION TIME ....................................................................................................................... 1006 MALLAIG ROAD ...................................................................................................................... 1012 Motion debated—[Fergus Ewing]. Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP) ............................................. 1012 Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)...................................................................... 1014 Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD) ............................................................................................. 1015 Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con) ........................................................... 1016 Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) .............................................................. 1017 Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) ........................................................... 1018 Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con).................................................................... 1019 Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD) ....................................... 1019 The Deputy Minister for Highlands and Islands and Gaelic (Mr Alasdair Morrison) ......... 1020 875 30 SEPTEMBER 1999 876 Non-Executive Business: Education Scottish Parliament The Presiding Officer (Sir David Steel): The Thursday 30 September 1999 first item of business this morning is a non- Executive debate on motion S1M-172, in the name [THE PRESIDING OFFICER opened the meeting at of Mr Alex Salmond, on education, and 09:31] amendments to that motion. Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): On a point of order. Presiding Officer, you are 09:32 aware that this is our third non-Executive day, and Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To begin, I that the Procedures Committee has been would like to say a word or two on why the discussing the issue of who should wind up on Scottish National party has chosen as the subject such days. On the first occasion, when allowing of our Opposition debate this morning the pay and the Executive to wind up, you said that you had conditions of teachers. I will talk about
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