Good morning and welcome to the fourth meeting this year of the Procedures Committee. Paul Martin apologises for being late—doubtless the transport system is creaking slightly again today.
I am here to report back to the Procedures Committee following its approval of our review examining the procedures that were in place when we last elected the Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officers. Our review also ascertained whether those procedures were fit for purpose. We considered several things and concluded that the procedures were satisfactory last time, and we are thankful that the Parliamentary Bureau agreed. We are happy to take comments from the Procedures Committee.
Do members wish to make any comments on that Panglossian recommendation?
The procedure is so successful that other Parliaments, including Westminster, are copying it. That is an endorsement.
With reference to the recommendation that each of the candidates gets 10 minutes—
That recommendation refers to the nomination of the First Minister.
I am sorry. I started on the wrong section.
The committee is very dedicated.
I thought that I would hurry it up a bit.
I am happy with the secret paper ballot and with counting votes in the hall and so on. We should hold the ballot as late as the law allows so that people can consider the issue for as long as possible.
That is more of an operational decision than a decision about the rules. The rules specify a time period within which it must be done.
Rule 3.2.1 says:
Is that in the Scotland Act 1998?
It is in the standing orders of the Parliament.
If it is not in the act, we can change the rule.
I am not sure whether it is in the act. I will have to check that.
It might be worth holding back the meeting at which we swear ourselves in. I do not know whether that counts as a meeting.
That would be fixed in relation to the meeting to elect a Presiding Officer, which would probably be arranged in order to aggregate in two or three days all of the key decisions, including the election of a Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and, presumably, the swearing in of a First Minister, if possible. Essentially, those are juggling arrangements that take place within the framework of rules that are laid down. It would be possible to change the rules, but you would need to consult and have pretty good reasons for doing that. I do not think that we have the time to do that.
I simply feel that we should not rush into things. Apart from that issue, I am content with the report.
Do we agree to note the proposals?