Business Motions
The next item of business is consideration of business motion S2M-3228, in the name of Margaret Curran, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, setting out a business programme.
Motion moved,
That the Parliament agrees the following programme of business—
Wednesday 14 September 2005
2.30 pm Time for Reflection
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Executive Debate: Clyde and Hebrides Lifeline Ferry Services
followed by Finance Committee Motions: The Budget Process (Written Agreements)
followed by Business Motion
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members' Business
Thursday 15 September 2005
9.15 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Stage 1 Debate: Family Law (Scotland) Bill
followed by Financial Resolution in respect of the Family Law (Scotland) Bill
11.40 am General Question Time
12 noon First Minister's Question Time
2.15 pm Themed Question Time—Education and Young People, Tourism, Culture and Sport;
Finance and Public Services and Communities
2.55 pm Executive Debate: Improving Scottish Schools
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members' Business
Wednesday 21 September 2005
2.30 pm Time for Reflection
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Environment and Rural Development Committee Debate: 5th Report, 2005, Inquiry into Climate Change
followed by Standards and Public Appointments Committee Debate: Draft Consultation on the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies in Scotland
followed by Business Motion
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members' Business
Thursday 22 September 2005
9.15 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Scottish Green Party Business
11.40 am General Question Time
12 noon First Minister's Question Time
2.15 pm Themed Question Time—Environment and Rural Development;
Health and Community Care
2.55 pm Executive Business
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members' Business.—[Ms Margaret Curran.]
My reason for opposing the business motion is the scheduling on Wednesday 14 September of an Executive debate on the Clyde and Hebrides lifeline ferry services. Members will recall that we had a debate on the issue last December and that the Executive's motion on its proposals for tendering most of the ferry services was finally defeated by one vote.
I am not arguing that the Executive does not have the right to bring its business back to the Parliament at some stage. I am arguing that, on the basis of other on-going events, it is premature to have the debate next week. There are two reasons for that. First, the Scottish Trades Union Congress, which is admittedly against the tendering proposals per se, has a meeting scheduled for 27 September with Jacques Barrot, who is the European Commission's vice-president with responsibility for transport. The STUC intends to explore some of the complexities of the issue with him—no one would deny that it is a complex and legalistic issue. Secondly, since the debate, I understand that the Local Government and Transport Committee has had witness sessions with various experts but has yet to publish its conclusions.
Does Alasdair Morgan agree that the debate is particularly premature given that the Minister for Transport and Telecommunications has met the European commissioner but has not yet reported to the Local Government and Transport Committee to allow us to finish our inquiry? That is another reason why the debate should be delayed.
It is a good point that the committee should be able not only to listen to experts but to have the minister's response to the representations that have been made before it produces a considered report, which can hardly be done in time for next week's debate.
In the interests of democracy, of good governance, of those whom the ferries serve and of those who work with Caledonian MacBrayne, the proposed debate should be postponed—not indefinitely, but at least until the STUC has had its meeting and until the committee has produced its conclusions for members to examine. We have much experience of ministers having fairly elastic timescales when that suits them, so I simply ask for their timescale to be a little more elastic in this case.
If the Executive does not accept that argument, it runs the risk that others who are less charitable than me—I am always very charitable to the Executive—will conclude that the debate's timing next week perhaps owes more to the absence this month of four Scottish Socialist Party members than it does to any other necessity.
I am happy to respond to Alasdair Morgan's points. I reassure him and all members that the business has been timetabled in that way for good reason. Ministers have undertaken all that they committed to do. I reassure Parliament that all options were addressed. The timetable honours the then Minister for Transport's commitment to return to Parliament at the earliest opportunity. I would have thought that it was in Parliament's interests that ministers should—as we are often asked to—treat Parliament as the primary organisation to report to.
I appreciate that some members take a different view and I acknowledge that they want to put off the matter for ever and a day in the mistaken belief that the harsh realities of hard decision making will go away, but that is not the case. I am in an odd position today. Normally, I face complaints from the Opposition about not timetabling debates; now, the problem is that I am timetabling one and that we are honouring absolutely the commitment that we made to Parliament.
I ask members, in making their decision, not to be distracted by the flimsy arguments that they have heard. The Executive is honouring its commitment. I can give guarantees that we are bringing forward the business on the basis of thorough and complete preparation. I therefore ask members to support the business motion.
The question is, that motion S2M-3228, in the name of Margaret Curran, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
No.
There will be a division.
For
Aitken, Bill (Glasgow) (Con)
Alexander, Ms Wendy (Paisley North) (Lab)
Arbuckle, Mr Andrew (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD)
Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
Baker, Richard (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Barrie, Scott (Dunfermline West) (Lab)
Boyack, Sarah (Edinburgh Central) (Lab)
Brankin, Rhona (Midlothian) (Lab)
Brocklebank, Mr Ted (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Brown, Robert (Glasgow) (LD)
Brownlee, Derek (South of Scotland) (Con)
Butler, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab)
Chisholm, Malcolm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab)
Craigie, Cathie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab)
Curran, Ms Margaret (Glasgow Baillieston) (Lab)
Davidson, Mr David (North East Scotland) (Con)
Deacon, Susan (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab)
Douglas-Hamilton, Lord James (Lothians) (Con)
Eadie, Helen (Dunfermline East) (Lab)
Ferguson, Patricia (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab)
Fergusson, Alex (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con)
Finnie, Ross (West of Scotland) (LD)
Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Gallie, Phil (South of Scotland) (Con)
Gillon, Karen (Clydesdale) (Lab)
Glen, Marlyn (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Godman, Trish (West Renfrewshire) (Lab)
Goldie, Miss Annabel (West of Scotland) (Con)
Gorrie, Donald (Central Scotland) (LD)
Henry, Hugh (Paisley South) (Lab)
Home Robertson, John (East Lothian) (Lab)
Hughes, Janis (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab)
Jackson, Dr Sylvia (Stirling) (Lab)
Jackson, Gordon (Glasgow Govan) (Lab)
Jamieson, Cathy (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab)
Jamieson, Margaret (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab)
Johnstone, Alex (North East Scotland) (Con)
Kerr, Mr Andy (East Kilbride) (Lab)
Lamont, Johann (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab)
Livingstone, Marilyn (Kirkcaldy) (Lab)
Lyon, George (Argyll and Bute) (LD)
Macdonald, Lewis (Aberdeen Central) (Lab)
Macintosh, Mr Kenneth (Eastwood) (Lab)
Maclean, Kate (Dundee West) (Lab)
Macmillan, Maureen (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Martin, Paul (Glasgow Springburn) (Lab)
May, Christine (Central Fife) (Lab)
McAveety, Mr Frank (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab)
McCabe, Mr Tom (Hamilton South) (Lab)
McConnell, Mr Jack (Motherwell and Wishaw) (Lab)
McGrigor, Mr Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
McLetchie, David (Edinburgh Pentlands) (Con)
McMahon, Michael (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab)
McNeil, Mr Duncan (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab)
McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab)
Milne, Mrs Nanette (North East Scotland) (Con)
Mitchell, Margaret (Central Scotland) (Con)
Morrison, Mr Alasdair (Western Isles) (Lab)
Muldoon, Bristow (Livingston) (Lab)
Mulligan, Mrs Mary (Linlithgow) (Lab)
Munro, John Farquhar (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD)
Murray, Dr Elaine (Dumfries) (Lab)
Oldfather, Irene (Cunninghame South) (Lab)
Peacock, Peter (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Peattie, Cathy (Falkirk East) (Lab)
Pringle, Mike (Edinburgh South) (LD)
Purvis, Jeremy (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD)
Radcliffe, Nora (Gordon) (LD)
Robson, Euan (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD)
Rumbles, Mike (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD)
Scanlon, Mary (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Scott, John (Ayr) (Con)
Scott, Tavish (Shetland) (LD)
Smith, Iain (North East Fife) (LD)
Smith, Margaret (Edinburgh West) (LD)
Stephen, Nicol (Aberdeen South) (LD)
Stone, Mr Jamie (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD)
Tosh, Murray (West of Scotland) (Con)
Whitefield, Karen (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab)
Wilson, Allan (Cunninghame North) (Lab)
Against
Baird, Shiona (North East Scotland) (Green)
Ballance, Chris (South of Scotland) (Green)
Ballard, Mark (Lothians) (Green)
Byrne, Ms Rosemary (South of Scotland) (SSP)
Canavan, Dennis (Falkirk West) (Ind)
Crawford, Bruce (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP)
Cunningham, Roseanna (Perth) (SNP)
Ewing, Fergus (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP)
Fabiani, Linda (Central Scotland) (SNP)
Gibson, Rob (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
Grahame, Christine (South of Scotland) (SNP)
Harper, Robin (Lothians) (Green)
Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green)
Hyslop, Fiona (Lothians) (SNP)
Ingram, Mr Adam (South of Scotland) (SNP)
Lochhead, Richard (North East Scotland) (SNP)
MacAskill, Mr Kenny (Lothians) (SNP)
MacDonald, Margo (Lothians) (Ind)
Marwick, Tricia (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP)
Mather, Jim (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
Matheson, Michael (Central Scotland) (SNP)
Maxwell, Mr Stewart (West of Scotland) (SNP)
McFee, Mr Bruce (West of Scotland) (SNP)
Morgan, Alasdair (South of Scotland) (SNP)
Neil, Alex (Central Scotland) (SNP)
Robison, Shona (Dundee East) (SNP)
Ruskell, Mr Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
Scott, Eleanor (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
Sheridan, Tommy (Glasgow) (SSP)
Stevenson, Stewart (Banff and Buchan) (SNP)
Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow) (SNP)
Swinburne, John (Central Scotland) (SSCUP)
Swinney, Mr John (North Tayside) (SNP)
Welsh, Mr Andrew (Angus) (SNP)
Abstentions
Turner, Dr Jean (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind)
The result of the division is: For 80, Against 34, Abstentions 1.
Motion agreed to.
That the Parliament agrees the following programme of business—
Wednesday 14 September 2005
2.30 pm Time for Reflection
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Executive Debate: Clyde and Hebrides Lifeline Ferry Services
followed by Finance Committee Motions: The Budget Process (Written Agreements)
followed by Business Motion
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members' Business
Thursday 15 September 2005
9.15 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Stage 1 Debate: Family Law (Scotland) Bill
followed by Financial Resolution in respect of the Family Law (Scotland) Bill
11.40 am General Question Time
12 noon First Minister's Question Time
2.15 pm Themed Question Time—Education and Young People, Tourism, Culture and Sport;
Finance and Public Services and Communities
2.55 pm Executive Debate: Improving Scottish Schools
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members' Business
Wednesday 21 September 2005
2.30 pm Time for Reflection
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Environment and Rural Development Committee Debate: 5th Report, 2005, Inquiry into Climate Change
followed by Standards and Public Appointments Committee Debate: Draft Consultation on the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies in Scotland
followed by Business Motion
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members' Business
Thursday 22 September 2005
9.15 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Scottish Green Party Business
11.40 am General Question Time
12 noon First Minister's Question Time
2.15 pm Themed Question Time—Environment and Rural Development;
Health and Community Care
2.55 pm Executive Business
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members' Business.
The next item of business is consideration of business motion S2M-3195, in the name of Margaret Curran, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, setting out timetables for legislation.
Motion moved,
That the Parliament agrees—
(a) that consideration of the Environmental Levy on Plastic Bags (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1 be completed by 27 January 2006; and
(b) that consideration of the Housing (Scotland) Bill at Stage 2 be completed by 4 November 2005.—[Ms Margaret Curran.]
Motion agreed to.