Contents
- Scottish Parliament Thursday 20 March 2003
- Business Motion
- Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
- Point of Order
- Presiding Officer's Ruling
- Point of Order
- Question Time
- First Minister's Question Time
- Points of Order
- Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
- Sexual Offences Bill
- Railways and Transport Safety Bill
- Parliamentary Bureau Motions
- Motion without Notice
- Decision Time
- Suicide Emergency Telephone Hotline
Presiding Officer's Ruling
Before we begin this afternoon's proceedings, I invite members to give a welcome to Mr Speaker Ssekandi and colleagues from the Parliament of Uganda. [Applause.] Also before we begin, I have a short statement to make, following the point of order that Pauline McNeill raised last night.
I remind members of rule 7.3.1 of our standing orders:
"Members shall at all times conduct themselves in a courteous and respectful manner".
Those rules were adopted by the Parliament to protect the orderly working of our democratic Assembly. Similarly, I believe that people who come to our public galleries are entitled to listen to our proceedings in peace, without disruption from other people alongside them. The right to peaceful protest is a basic civil right, but anything that undermines the orderly working of any elected Parliament constitutes a disrespect for that Parliament, and is a threat to civil rights and to democracy itself. [Applause.]
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Point of Order