Oaths and Affirmations
Paul Grice (Scottish Parliament Clerk and Chief Executive)
I declare the fourth session of the Scottish Parliament 2011 to 2016 duly constituted. The only item of business this morning is members’ oaths and affirmations. I call first the Presiding Officer, who will then take the chair for the ceremony.
The following member took the oath:
Alex Fergusson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con)
I will now call each member in turn. When a member is called, they should proceed to the well of the chamber where they will take the oath or make an affirmation.
I call Alex Salmond, Aberdeenshire West.
Alex Salmond (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)
The Scottish National Party’s primary loyalty is to the people of Scotland, in line with the Scottish constitutional tradition of the sovereignty of the people.
The following member took the oath:
Alex Salmond (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)
Just for the record, Alex Salmond of course represents Aberdeenshire East.
The following members took the oath:
Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab)
Annabel Goldie (West Scotland) (Con)
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD)
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Brian Adam (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP)
The following members took the oath:
George Adam (Paisley) (SNP)
Clare Adamson (Central Scotland) (SNP)
The following member took the oath and repeated it in Gaelic:
Dr Alasdair Allan (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
The following member took the oath:
Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Claudia Beamish (South Scotland) (Lab)
The following member took the oath:
Colin Beattie (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Italian:
Marco Biagi (Edinburgh Central) (SNP)
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Lab)
Sarah Boyack (Lothian) (Lab)
The following members took the oath:
Chic Brodie (South Scotland) (SNP)
Gavin Brown (Lothian) (Con)
Keith Brown (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Margaret Burgess (Cunninghame South) (SNP)
The following members took the oath:
Aileen Campbell (Clydesdale) (SNP)
Roderick Campbell (North East Fife) (SNP)
Jackson Carlaw (West Scotland) (Con)
Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (Lab)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
Angela Constance (Almond Valley) (SNP)
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Bruce Crawford (Stirling) (SNP)
Roseanna Cunningham (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
Ruth Davidson (Glasgow) (Con)
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP)
Nigel Don (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
Bob Doris (Glasgow) (SNP)
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
James Dornan (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP)
Kezia Dugdale (Lothian) (Lab)
The following members took the oath:
Helen Eadie (Cowdenbeath) (Lab)
Jim Eadie (Edinburgh Southern) (SNP)
Annabelle Ewing (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP)
Fergus Ewing (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP)
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Linda Fabiani (East Kilbride) (SNP)
Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Lab)
10:07
Meeting suspended.
10:30
On resuming—
Before we recommence the oaths and affirmations ceremony, I ask everyone in the well of the chamber and in the gallery to ensure that their mobile phones are turned off, please.
We continue the oaths and affirmations ceremony.
The following member took the oath:
Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (Lab)
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Before taking the oath, I state that I believe that the people of Scotland should be citizens, not subjects and that I hold firmly that my allegiance should first and foremost be to them. However, I recognise that to serve my constituents in the Parliament I must meet the legal requirement of taking the oath and will therefore do so.
The following member took the oath:
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
The following member took the oath and repeated it in Gaelic:
John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee City West) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Gaelic:
Rob Gibson (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Christine Grahame (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
The following members took the oath:
Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Hugh Henry (Renfrewshire South) (Lab)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Jamie Hepburn (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
Jim Hume (South Scotland) (LD)
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Fiona Hyslop (Linlithgow) (SNP)
Adam Ingram (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con)
Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Green)
I, Alison Johnstone, do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm, that I will be faithful and bear allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Her heirs and successors, according to Law.
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
James Kelly (Rutherglen) (Lab)
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Bill Kidd (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP)
Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab)
The following member took the oath:
John Lamont (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
Richard Lyle (Central Scotland) (SNP)
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Kenny MacAskill (Edinburgh Eastern) (SNP)
Angus MacDonald (Falkirk East) (SNP)
Gordon MacDonald (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP)
The following members took the oath:
Lewis Macdonald (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Margo MacDonald (Lothian) (Ind)
Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab)
Derek Mackay (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Mike MacKenzie (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
Hanzala Malik (Glasgow) (Lab)
Hanzala Malik prayed in Arabic and provided the following translation:
I seek the protection of God against evil. I start in the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful.
The following members took the oath:
Hanzala Malik (Glasgow) (Lab)
Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Lab)
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Tricia Marwick (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP)
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
Michael Matheson (Falkirk West) (SNP)
Stewart Maxwell (West Scotland) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
Joan McAlpine (South Scotland) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD)
The following member took the oath:
Margaret McCulloch (Central Scotland) (Lab)
11:07 Meeting suspended.
11:30
On resuming—
I repeat my request for members on the floor of the chamber, guests in the gallery and our friends in the press gallery to turn off their mobile phones—I would be very grateful if they did so.
I recommence our oaths and affirmations ceremony by calling Alison Johnstone, Lothian. As her affirmation was not properly recorded the first time, she has kindly agreed to make it again.
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Green)
The following member made a solemn affirmation and repeated it in Doric:
Mark McDonald (North East Scotland) (SNP)
The following members took the oath:
Margaret McDougall (West Scotland) (Lab)
Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD)
Christina McKelvie (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (SNP)
Aileen McLeod (South Scotland) (SNP)
Fiona McLeod (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
David McLetchie (Lothian) (Con)
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Michael McMahon (Uddingston and Bellshill) (Lab)
Siobhan McMahon (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Stuart McMillan (West Scotland) (SNP)
The following members took the oath:
Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab)
Anne McTaggart (Glasgow) (Lab)
Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con)
Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con)
Elaine Murray (Dumfriesshire) (Lab)
Alex Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
The following member took the oath:
Gil Paterson (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Graeme Pearson (South Scotland) (Lab)
The following members took the oath:
John Pentland (Motherwell and Wishaw) (Lab)
Willie Rennie (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD)
Dennis Robertson (Aberdeenshire West) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Shona Robison (Dundee City East) (SNP)
The following member took the oath and repeated it in Scots and Gaelic:
Michael Russell (Argyll and Bute) (SNP)
The following members took the oath:
Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
John Scott (Ayr) (Con)
Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Drew Smith (Glasgow) (Lab)
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab)
Before taking the oath, I state that I believe that the people of Scotland should be citizens and not subjects, and that I hold firmly that my allegiance should be first and foremost to them. However, I recognise that to serve my constituents in the Parliament I must meet the legal requirement of taking the oath, and I will therefore do so.
The following members took the oath:
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab)
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
The following member took the oath and repeated it in Doric:
Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow Southside) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
John Swinney (Perthshire North) (SNP)
The following member took the oath and repeated it in Doric and Gaelic:
Dave Thompson (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
David Torrance (Kirkcaldy) (SNP)
The following member made a solemn affirmation:
Jean Urquhart (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
Bill Walker (Dunfermline) (SNP)
The following member took the oath and repeated it in Doric:
Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP)
The following member took the oath:
Paul Wheelhouse (South Scotland) (SNP)
The following members made a solemn affirmation:
Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP)
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP)
The following member took the oath and repeated it in Urdu:
Humza Yousaf (Glasgow) (SNP)
That completes the oaths and affirmations ceremony.
I inform members that nominations for the position of Presiding Officer will open at 12.30 pm. Nomination forms can be collected from the parliamentary business team, whose office is situated in T1.03. Completed nomination forms should be returned to the parliamentary business team no later than 2.15 this afternoon. Nomination forms will be valid only if they detail the name of the candidate, the member nominating the candidate and the member seconding that nomination.
Nominations for Deputy Presiding Officers may be submitted only following the election of the Presiding Officer. The period during which nominations may be submitted will be announced by the Presiding Officer and the sitting will be adjourned for that purpose.
I further remind members that, in order to be eligible to stand for the positions of Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officer, they must have taken the oath or made an affirmation before the commencement of the voting period, which will begin at 2.30 this afternoon.
12:11
Meeting suspended.
As directed by rule 1.2.5 of the standing orders of the Scottish Parliament, the text of the oath of allegiance, in accordance with section 2 of the Promissory Oaths Act 1868, is as follows:
I, [name of Member], do swear that I will be faithful and bear true Allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Her heirs and successors, according to Law, so help me God.
The text of the solemn affirmation, in accordance with section 6(1) of the Oaths Act 1978, is as follows:
I, [name of Member], do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Her heirs and successors, according to Law.
14:30
On resuming—