MEETING OF THE PARLIAMENT Thursday 2 September 1999 Volume 2 No 2 £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 2 September 1999 Debates Col. MENTAL HEALTH (PUBLIC SAFETY AND APPEALS) (SCOTLAND) BILL ........................................... 71 Motions moved—[Mr Jim Wallace]—and agreed to. The Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice (Mr Jim Wallace) .................................... 71 Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP) .................................................................................. 75 David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con) ......................................................................................... 78 Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD) ................................................................. 83 Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) ............................................................ 85 Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West) ............................................................................................. 86 Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP) ...................................................................................... 88 Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab) ............................................................................................ 90 Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab) ................................................ 91 Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD) .................................................................................. 92 Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con) ..................................................................... 93 Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP) ................................................................................... 94 The Lord Advocate (Lord Hardie) .......................................................................................... 96 Mr Jim Wallace .................................................................................................................... 102 Roseanna Cunningham ....................................................................................................... 105 Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con) .................................................................................. 108 Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab)........................................................................ 110 Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD) ............................................................................................. 111 Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP) ...................................................................... 113 Dr Richard Simpson (Ochil) (Lab) ....................................................................................... 114 Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP).................................................................... 115 Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD) ............................................................... 116 Gordon Jackson (Glasgow Govan) (Lab) ............................................................................ 117 Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP) ................................................................................. 118 Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh (Central Scotland) (Con) ................................................................ 119 Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP) .................................................................................. 121 The Deputy Minister for Community Care (Iain Gray) ......................................................... 122 QUESTION TIME ........................................................................................................................ 126 OPEN QUESTION TIME .............................................................................................................. 140 NATIONAL CULTURAL SURVEY .................................................................................................. 146 Motion moved—[Mr Galbraith]—and agreed to. The Minister for Children and Education (Mr Sam Galbraith) ............................................. 146 Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP) ......................................................................... 149 Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) ................................................................ 153 Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab) ...................................................................................... 156 Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP) ................................................................. 157 Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab) .......................................................................... 159 Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con) ................................................................. 160 Ian Jenkins (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD) ....................................................... 161 Ian Welsh (Ayr) (Lab) .......................................................................................................... 163 Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP) ......................................................................... 164 Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green) ......................................................................................... 166 Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab) ................................................................... 166 David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con) ............................................................................ 168 Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD) ......................................... 170 Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab) .................................................................................. 171 Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab) ....................................................................................... 172 Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con) ................................................................ 173 Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP) ..................................................................... 175 The Deputy Minister for Culture and Sport (Rhona Brankin) .............................................. 177 DECISION TIME ......................................................................................................................... 181 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ................................................................................................................ 183 Motion debated—[Maureen Macmillan]. Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) ............................................................. 183 Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) ................................................................ 185 Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh (Central Scotland) (Con) ................................................................ 187 Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD) .............................................................................................. 187 Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP) ............................................................................... 188 Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab) .............................................. 190 Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP) ..................................................................... 191 Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab) ...................................................................................... 192 Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con) .................................................................................. 192 Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab) .................................................................................. 193 Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP) ..................................................................................... 194 Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab) ........................................................ 195 Ms Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab) ................................................................. 196 Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP) .................................................................... 196 Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab) .............................................................................. 197 The Deputy Minister for Communities (Jackie Baillie) ......................................................... 198 71 2 SEPTEMBER 1999 72 at all. There is a small group of patients in the Scottish Parliament state hospital whose release would give rise to serious and enduring concern for public safety. Thursday 2 September 1999 Noel Ruddle was in that category. [THE PRESIDING OFFICER opened the meeting at The facts of Noel Ruddle’s case are now well 09:30] known. He was convicted in 1992 of culpable homicide and sent to the state hospital on a combined hospital and restriction order. In March Mental Health (Public