IAIN Gray delivered his final speech in the Scottish Parliament as East Lothian’s MSP on Thursday.

He was speaking at Holyrood during the stage three debate on the Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Bill.

Mr Gray, who is retiring as an MSP in May, expressed his support for the bill, adding that he was glad his last speech was “righting a wrong of the past”.

He went on to reflect on some of the main achievements of Parliament during his 14 years as East Lothian’s MSP and the four years he previously served in an Edinburgh constituency as one of the original intake of MSPs in 1999.

Mr Gray, of Gladsmuir, thanked those who had helped or worked with him over the years, reserving special praise for his family.

East Lothian is not only the best constituency at Holyrood, but also the best place to live or work in Scotland'

And in a tribute to his wife Gil, he said he would “never have been here without her encouragement, nor survived without her holding my hand through the ups and the downs”.

Mr Gray, who previously lived in Haddington, also used his final opportunity to speak in Parliament to reiterate his belief that East Lothian was the “best constituency, best county and best part of Scotland in which to live or work”.

Afterwards, he said: "I was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, serving as MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands from 1999-2003, and then for East Lothian from 2007.

“I will be retiring when the current parliamentary session ends for the election in May, so when I spoke yesterday it was my last parliamentary speech.

“I was participating in the final stage debate on the Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) Bill, which parliament went on to pass unanimously, but I took the chance to reflect on what the parliament has achieved in 22 years, what I think it should concentrate on, and to say a few thank yous.

READ MORE: Iain Gray to retire as county's MSP

“One of those reflections is that progress has in some ways stalled when it comes to using the powers of the parliament to tackle issues such as child poverty and drug deaths.

“As I said in the speech, it’s one of the most powerful devolved legislatures anywhere in the world and should be using every power it has to right the wrongs of poverty and injustice.

“It was also a last opportunity to restate what a privilege it has been to represent East Lothian and my belief that it is not only the best constituency at Holyrood, but also the best place to live or work in Scotland.

“While I will retire from Parliament in May, I will remain an East Lothian resident and continue to support and be an advocate for our county and everything it has to offer.”

To watch the speech in full, click here