The next item of business is consideration of five Parliamentary Bureau motions. I ask Joe FitzPatrick to move motions S4M-12497, S4M-12500, S4M-12502 and S4M-12505, on the approval of Scottish statutory instruments, and motion S4M-12506, on the draft Local Government Finance (Scotland) Amendment Order 2015.
Motions moved,
That the Parliament agrees that the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme (Consequential Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2015 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the National Health Service Pension Scheme (Consequential Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2015 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Police Pensions (Consequential Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2015 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (Consequential Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2015 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Local Government Finance (Scotland) Amendment Order 2015 [draft] be considered by the Parliament.—[Joe FitzPatrick.]
The questions on the motions will be put at decision time.
The next item of business is consideration of motion S4M-12504, in the name of Joe FitzPatrick, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, on the approval of a statutory instrument—a section 30 order on the franchise.
Motion moved,
That the Parliament agrees that the Scotland Act 1998 (Modification of Schedules 4 and 5 and Transfer of Functions to the Scottish Ministers etc.) Order 2015 [draft] be approved.—[Joe FitzPatrick.]
17:07
I am pleased to make a short speech as convener of the Devolution (Further Powers) Committee.
One hundred and ten thousand—that is the size of the population of citizens of Scotland who will have the chance to become enfranchised if, in the coming months, the Scottish Parliament passes the necessary legislation. I hope that the Parliament will tonight approve the draft order to transfer powers to the Scottish Parliament and allow that legislation to be brought forward once the Privy Council has given its approval.
I am delighted to report that all five political parties that are represented on my committee unanimously agreed to do just that and to recommend that we give our approval tonight at decision time. That will add Parliament’s approval to the agreement of both houses of the United Kingdom Parliament—although the agreement of one chamber there was given a little more reluctantly than that of the other.
For me, the prize—and what a prize—is another step towards creating a modern democracy, building on the historic reforms that delivered votes for the ordinary person, not just the rich and privileged few, and votes for women, which were reforms that characterised the previous century.
In the work that my committee has undertaken, we have felt the palpable desire of Scotland’s young people to be involved in the decisions that affect their lives. We have been to Fort William and Levenmouth as part of Parliament days, we have spoken to more than 200 16 to 17-year-olds and we have surveyed a further 1,000. The results of that activity can be summarised by saying simply that the overwhelming majority want and are ready for the change.
One comment from a young man from Fort William with whom we discussed voting in the recent referendum sticks in my mind. He said, “Why should an older generation get to decide our future when it’s our future you are all voting for?” I could not agree more with that.
I look forward to the work that comes next to scrutinise the bill that the Scottish Government is set to introduce. We will endeavour to carry out the detailed scrutiny that would be expected of us and allow the Parliament the chance to get the legislation on the statute book by the summer recess to ultimately give those 110,000 young people of Scotland the right that every other citizen of Scotland expects in a modern democracy: the right to vote.
17:09
We support and welcome the order for three reasons. First, it gives effect to part of the Smith agreement. Of course, the agreement belongs to all the parties that signed it, and all of them have supported the devolution of the power that the order confers. For our part, Scottish Labour is keen for the agreement to be delivered in accordance with last year’s timetable, and this early action more than delivers on that commitment.
Secondly, as Bruce Crawford made clear on the committee’s behalf, we welcome votes for 16 and 17-year-olds; that is Labour policy not just for the Scottish Parliament and local government but across the United Kingdom. Last year’s referendum engaged young voters on both sides of the argument on the basis of votes at 16. When Harold Wilson’s Government delivered votes at 18 in the 1960s, the move became, like every other extension to the franchise, irreversible as soon as it was made. The same will be true here, and we want the extension of the franchise to be followed by wider democratic and constitutional reform across the UK—not least the abolition of the House of Lords and the creation of a senate of the nations and regions of the UK.
Thirdly, passing the order will allow work on implementing votes at 16 to be taken forward in good time for next May’s Scottish Parliament elections. By then, many of those who voted as 16-year-olds last year and all the 17-year-olds who voted will be over 18, and a whole new cohort of young voters will have to be added to the electoral register. There is a job to be done in engaging those new voters and, if they are to be as fully informed and engaged as we want them to be, that job has to start as soon as possible.
For those reasons, we welcome the order, and we look forward to the introduction of a bill in the next few weeks to extend the franchise accordingly.
17:11
This section 30 order is historic and represents the first legislative change to be brought about following the Smith commission’s report. The order is the forerunner of a major package of powers being brought forward by the UK Government that will make this Parliament one of the most powerful devolved legislatures in the world.
In itself, the order powerfully refutes the proposition peddled by the yes campaign in last year’s referendum that no new powers would flow to the Parliament in the event of a no vote. Today, that bogus assertion has been laid bare; the new powers, which are based on cross-party consensus, have indeed begun to flow. The draft provisions for a new Scotland bill have been published, and the UK Government is focused on final revisions to them and on launching various strands of public engagement.
However, the order is more than a mere taster. Today, we have a devolved and developed proposal for a new power that is substantial in itself. The order proposes a significant change to the franchise in Scotland and it represents an important development for 16 and 17-year-olds that reflects the impressively high levels of interest, engagement and awareness that we witnessed from that age group during the referendum.
In 1928, women were given suffrage on an equal status to men; in 1969, the franchise was lowered from 21 to 18; and today we see a further exciting development. We in the Conservative Party welcome this first piece of post-Smith agreement UK legislation. It is a significant step in the process of delivering to the Parliament the new powers to which all the parties in the chamber have agreed. I support the motion.
17:13
I should start by saying that I misheard Lewis Macdonald. I thought that he said that he wanted to demolish the House of Lords, by which I thought he meant the building rather than anything else.
We, too, support the order before Parliament for a couple of reasons—not least the fact that it gives effect to the Smith agreement. I thank Bruce Crawford for his careful handling of the committee proceedings—although this issue is rather easier than some that the committee is dealing with—and the cabinet secretary for dealing with ministerial aspects. I am sure that the Government will recognise that the Secretary of State for Scotland moved the matter on very quickly to fulfil the overwhelming desire expressed in politics in Scotland for the measure to come into effect in time for the Scottish general election in 2016.
As others have said, this is about young people. Two weeks ago, I visited a junior high school in my constituency with two members of the Scottish Youth Parliament, who told the class that was cross-examining us that having votes at 16 was one of the campaigns that got them into politics. Sometimes this place is all noise and not enough action; today, we will take action that will really make a difference to people.
17:14
I am delighted to take part in this short debate and to speak in favour of the order to devolve the power to extend the franchise to 16 and 17-year-olds, which will deliver the Scottish Green Party’s long-standing policy at least in Scottish Parliament and local government elections.
Many individuals and organisations, such as the National Union of Students, the Scottish Trades Union Congress, Barnardo’s and Unison, have campaigned on the issue. The Scottish Youth Parliament campaigned diligently on it, and it proved, as all young Scots who took part in the referendum did, that young people are indeed ready, motivated and totally qualified to vote.
Enabling our young people to vote takes us a step closer to the kind of Scotland that we want Scotland to become: an inclusive Scotland that empowers its citizens by fully involving them in the decision-making process. That is not just about voting, of course, but a vote helps young people to ensure that local government and national Government listen to what they have to say.
During the referendum campaign, we all took part in debates in school and church halls across the land. The questions that we received from our youngest voters were wholly relevant to the debate, and the interest of our youngest voters was intense. Their contribution to the debate broadened it, and their involvement made it more meaningful to more of our citizens.
Patrick Harvie’s members’ business debate two weeks ago explored how beginning to vote from the age of 16 can help to develop a habit and can help to involve people in politics throughout their lives.
I look forward to future local and national Government elections in which 16 and 17-year-olds will continue to contribute in the articulate, challenging and thought-provoking way in which they were able to contribute in the referendum.
17:16
I thank members of all political parties for their comments in this short debate. I also thank Mr Crawford and the Devolution (Further Powers) Committee for their scrutiny of the order, which is now before Parliament for approval.
It is not beyond exaggeration to say that one of the triumphs of the referendum campaign was the decision that the Parliament took to attach a priority to enabling 16 and 17-year-olds to participate in the referendum last September. It was a measure of the capacity and capability of the young people of Scotland that they exercised that responsibility in such an effective and dignified way in every part of the country and seized the opportunity to take part in shaping the future of our country.
The fact that the Scottish Government and the United Kingdom Government have been able to recognise that and to co-operate to bring forward the order that is before us pays due respect to the capability and strength of the young people in Scotland who were able to make that contribution in the referendum. By our actions today and the further scrutiny that will take place when the Government introduces the necessary legislation to Parliament very shortly, we will ensure that 16 and 17-year-olds in Scotland are able to participate in the Scottish Parliament elections in 2016 and the local authority elections in 2017.
There is, of course, a great deal more agreement in the chamber today than when the question of 16 and 17-year-olds being able to vote was first brought forward. I am delighted that the Conservatives have reached the position of supporting the right of 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in elections. We will work very hard to persuade the Conservatives of other ways in which they can change their position to support the Scottish Government’s arguments in the years to come.
Annabel Goldie made one of her usual creative contributions to the debate with her reflections on the referendum. I say to her as one of her fellow members of the Smith commission that, although there are welcome enhancements to the powers of the Scottish Parliament as a result of the Smith commission, the Scottish Government does not believe that that addresses the democratic deficit of our country. We will continue to work to secure the further powers that will enable us to deliver on the future of our country.
I simply say to Lewis Macdonald that members of the Labour Party would be slightly more credible on the question of House of Lords abolition if they were not so enthusiastic about trying to get into the institution in the first place. We look forward to the Labour Party’s decisions in that respect in the years to come.
Will the Deputy First Minister take an intervention?
If this is an application, then certainly.
Clearly, there are no sinecures that I can offer Mr Swinney or he can offer me, but will he offer me today the support of his party for Labour’s proposal for a senate of the nations and regions in place of the House of Lords?
I say to Mr Macdonald that there will be no more enthusiastic supporters of the abolition of the House of Lords than the members of the Scottish National Party. I close by adding that there will be no more enthusiastic supporters of the abolition of the House of Commons—and, into the bargain, the establishment of the full range of independent powers that this Parliament should have—than the Scottish National Party.
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