James Kelly: ...the person with dignity. Although I do not disagree with the statistics, I fell that, in quoting recent statistics on the number of post mortems that have been requested, Adam Tomkins and Humza Yousaf tried to minimise something that is a significant issue for people who have been affected. Mr Paterson gave the example of his constituent. The Government’s reservations about the bill were...
James Kelly: ...be reasonable to accept the general principles of the bill at stage 1 in order to allow further consideration. We have heard contributions from a number of members, including Liam Kerr and Humza Yousaf, who said that they are sympathetic to the principles of the bill but do not want to take it forward. That is not good enough. The issue has been around for more than 15 years. It is a...
James Kelly: ...been an interesting debate. There is a lot of consensus around the bill and a lot of support for its general principles and the establishment of a biometrics commissioner. In their speeches, Humza Yousaf and Liam Kerr emphasised the need for public confidence in the role of the biometrics commissioner. That is a good test for some of the arguments that played out during the debate. There...
James Kelly: .... The Government’s response, as Rhoda Grant noted, has been particularly disappointing, and its amendment to the motion wanders around a whole lot of other issues. It is as if the minister, Humza Yousaf, is auditioning for a role at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, because he tells a number of stories rather than dealing with the issue that the Lib Dems have brought to the chamber....
James Kelly: I am delighted to take part in a debate that celebrates Scotland’s relationship with Malawi. Like other members, I welcome the new minister, Humza Yousaf, to his post, and I compliment him on his speech, which I am sure will be the first of many on the Government’s front bench. It is important that the Parliament comes together on Malawi. It is clear from the speeches across the chamber...
James Kelly: Thank you, Presiding Officer. The number of minutes is rising all the time. It has been an interesting debate. Humza Yousaf said that, having spent seven months as an MSP, he feels almost as if seven years have gone by. I hope that he does not feel that he has aged seven years as a result of spending seven months on the Parliament’s Justice Committee. He pinpointed that Lord Carloway’s...
James Kelly: I welcome the opportunity to take part in this evening’s members’ business debate, which I congratulate Paul Martin on securing. As Humza Yousaf said, these debates are important because they allow us to bring local issues to the floor of the Parliament. It is therefore regrettable that some SNP speakers have been diverted into launching political diatribes against the Labour Party,...
