Plenary,

Meeting date: Wednesday, May 12, 1999

Official Report 317KB pdf

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Presiding Officer

The voting period for the election of the Presiding Officer is now open. The following valid nominations for the position of Presiding Officer have been received:

Mr George Reid
Sir David Steel

Will each of the candidates, in order, please stand up to identify themselves.

Mr George Reid (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP) stood.

Sir David Steel (Lothians) (LD) stood.

The election shall proceed in accordance with rule 11.9 of the standing orders of the Parliament. Members should wait in their seats until a clerk indicates to them that they should collect their ballot paper from the back of the chamber. Two tables have been set up for this purpose. The table on my left-hand side should be used by members with surnames beginning with the letters A to M—but not Mc or Mac—while the table on my right-hand side should be used by members whose surnames begin with Mc, Mac or the letters N to Z. Members should give their names to the clerk, who will hand them a ballot paper. Members should then proceed to one of the four voting booths, where they should vote by marking an X on the ballot paper. Members should then put the folded ballot paper in the ballot box, which is situated in the well of the chamber, before returning to their seats.

Each candidate can nominate one scrutineer to monitor the counting of votes. Will candidates ensure that the name of their scrutineer is notified to the clerks at the tables at the back of the chamber at the time that they collect their ballot paper. I shall announce the names of the scrutineers and invite them to the vote counting table in the well of the chamber at the end of the voting period.

The clerks have assured me that this vote is absolutely untraceable and the votes will be counted openly on the table in front of me.

On a point of order, Dr Ewing. Will you give us guidance on whether we can have an open, recorded vote rather than a secret ballot? We have waited for our first Scottish Parliament for nearly 300 years— indeed, this is our first ever democratically elected Scottish Parliament—and the Parliament was supposed to herald a new era of open democracy, but our first vote is to be a secret one. That seems rather strange. Surely we should behave like an open democracy, rather than a secret society.

I realise that we are operating under draft standing orders, which were handed to us by a statutory instrument of the House of Commons. As I understand it, there was little, if any, debate on that statutory instrument in the House of Commons. I have been critical of the way in which things are done there, but even in the House of Commons there is an open, recorded vote on every occasion, including the election of the Speaker. Would you be prepared to accept, from me, a motion that we have an open recorded vote rather than a secret ballot on this important, historic, first vote of our first ever democratically elected Scottish Parliament?

My heart is with you, but the standing orders are against you. At the moment, I will obey the standing orders. If there is any other person who wants to say that we should not obey the standing orders, perhaps they should enter the discussion now.

There is no one else so, Dennis, while my heart is with you, the standing orders have to settle the matter for now. Perhaps in future we can reform ourselves.

Members voted by secret ballot.

There is one minute remaining in which members can vote.

The voting in this round is now closed.

Please will the following members come to the well of the chamber to scrutinise the counting of the ballot papers: Mr Colin Campbell for Mr George Reid, and Margaret Smith for Sir David Steel.

In the election for the position of Presiding Officer, the total number of votes that were cast for each candidate was:

Mr George Reid 44
Sir David Steel 82
Abstentions 3

[Applause.]

Accordingly, as Sir David Steel received more votes than the total number of votes received by all other candidates, and since more than 25 per cent of the members voted, Sir David Steel is elected as the first Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament.

Before I invite Sir David to take the chair, Mr Reid would like to say a few words of congratulation.

I congratulate Sir David. I have known him personally for 44 years. I am pleased by the appointment and I am sure that Sir David will ensure that the Parliament is open, accessible, accountable, strong on equal opportunities and works in partnership with civic Scotland.

I thank members for the honour and the responsibility which I have been given. I undertake to set aside party affiliation and to be the servant of the whole Parliament.

Last week, William McIlvanney, in a poem, talked about the Scottish lion becoming a kitten again, which must be cherished. We must cherish this Parliament. This is the start of a new sang.

The elections for the positions of Deputy Presiding Officer will take place in the chamber at

3:40 pm. Members who wish to make nominations for either or both positions of Deputy Presiding Officer should pick up nomination papers from the clerk in my office on the first floor of the Assembly Hall. Nomination papers must be signed by the nominee, the member nominating and the seconder. Completed papers must be handed to one of the clerks in my office not later than 15 minutes before the time I have set for the vote. In other words, there can be no nominating within 15 minutes of the vote. Members may nominate from

3:10 pm. Dr Ewing: I move, That the meeting of the Parliament be adjourned until 3:40 pm.

I thank members for the honour and the responsibility which I have been given. I undertake to set aside party affiliation and to be the servant of the whole Parliament.

Last week, William McIlvanney, in a poem, talked about the Scottish lion becoming a kitten again, which must be cherished. We must cherish this Parliament. This is the start of a new sang.

The elections for the positions of Deputy Presiding Officer will take place in the chamber at

3:40 pm. Members who wish to make nominations for either or both positions of Deputy Presiding Officer should pick up nomination papers from the clerk in my office on the first floor of the Assembly Hall. Nomination papers must be signed by the nominee, the member nominating and the seconder. Completed papers must be handed to one of the clerks in my office not later than 15 minutes before the time I have set for the vote. In other words, there can be no nominating within 15 minutes of the vote. Members may nominate from

3:10 pm. Dr Ewing: I move, That the meeting of the Parliament be adjourned until 3:40 pm.

Question agreed to.

Meeting adjourned at 15:00.

On resuming—