Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Thursday, February 10, 2011

Official Report 1167KB pdf

---

Points of Order

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I seek your guidance on a matter that was raised this afternoon. Unfortunately, that means that I have not had time to give you advance warning of my point of order.

This afternoon, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing gave the Parliament the correct information regarding the figures on social care budgets. Could you advise me what action a member should take if they have misled the Parliament by saying repeatedly that social care budgets have been cut by £400 million, whereas the opposite is true? Even if that member has misled the chamber inadvertently, what action should they take to correct that?

It is not a point of order for me, but you asked me what action you might take. I suggest that you go and have a word with the other member and see whether you can come to any form of agreement.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Standing order 7.3.1 states that members must consider their conduct in the chamber. Earlier this afternoon, at First Minister’s question time, the leader of the Labour Party in the Scottish Parliament, Iain Gray, inferred that it was the Scottish National Party group in North Ayrshire Council that suggested to the ruling Labour Party that the council should consider the possibility of a four-day school week. After looking at the record and discussing the issue with North Ayrshire Council this afternoon, I have had confirmation that that is absolutely contrary to the truth. I therefore ask whether it would be possible for the leader of the Opposition to be given an opportunity to consider his comments and to bring them into order in terms of his obligations under standing order 7.3.1.

That is not a point of order for me, Mr Gibson. [Interruption.] Mr FitzPatrick!

Members will be well aware of what I have said before about veracity in the chamber and they do themselves no favours by continuing to raise that same old chestnut.