Procedures Committee, 07 Sep 1999

Meeting date: Tuesday, September 7, 1999

Official Report 135KB pdf

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Debating Time

Will I read through the paper?

Take it for granted that members have read it.

We are not asking the Conservative party or the SNP to give up any of their share of parliamentary half-days. We acknowledge that they have a minimum amount of time. We feel that Parliament might find time for a day and a half—or some allocation of time—for us. This is an important principle. The five-member group qualification for a half-day is artificial and it works against the principle of the Scottish Parliament, which is to encourage individuals and smaller parties to stand and gain seats. We plead that the committee give the proposal careful consideration, as at the moment we do not get parliamentary half-days and have no prospect of getting one over the next four years.

The appropriate response is to ask members of the Procedures Committee team to produce a paper on that for consideration at a subsequent meeting. That will give them the opportunity to examine the thinking in the consultative steering group report that led to the rule setting a minimum of five members that is laid down in the standing orders. It will also give them an opportunity to consult the Parliamentary Bureau on its views, as it has to timetable the Parliament's business. The paper that they produce will enable us to address the issue properly at a subsequent meeting. Are all members happy with that arrangement?

I am happy with that. I have spoken to Robin, Dennis Canavan and a representative on earth of Tommy Sheridan—not to the great man himself—about the matter.

We must be careful about one of the points in the paper. A distinction should be drawn between the parties in the Parliament—the Green party and the Scottish Socialist party—and the independents. We do not want to allocate half-days to members by name, so we must allocate time to parties and any independents in the Parliament. The paper indicates that Dennis Canavan might get a half-day because he is Dennis Canavan. We have to be clear about what we are asking the clerks to do in drawing up a paper.

I should be happy for that to be amended.

Are members happy to proceed on that basis?

Members indicated agreement.

Thank you, Robin. Robin will have finished his correspondence by lunchtime, when we will still be sitting here.