Meeting of the Parliament
Meeting date: Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Official Report
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Presiding Officer’s Ruling
Good afternoon. Before we start, I will make a very short statement.
Last night, I responded to a point of order from Lewis Macdonald In relation to the Scottish Government’s handling of parliamentary questions. I commented that, as a matter of general courtesy and respect for the Parliament, the content of any point of order should not be circulated to the press in advance of its first being raised in the chamber.
Earlier today, I met Mr Macdonald, who assured me that neither he nor anyone acting on his behalf had circulated any such information in relation to the specific point of order that he raised yesterday. There was absolutely no intention on my part to imply that Mr Macdonald had released such information, so I have no hesitation in accepting Mr Macdonald’s assurance.
On the wider issue, I attach great importance to the use of parliamentary questions as a means of holding the Government to account, and I remind ministers that I expect questions from members to be dealt with in a fair and transparent way.