Plenary, 22 Jun 2006

Meeting date: Thursday, June 22, 2006

Official Report 534KB pdf

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Points of Order

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. We moved to question 4 at 12.25 and 2 seconds this afternoon. Will you reflect on the powers that are available to you to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of question time among all members of the Parliament?

Yes, I reflect on that all the time. In some weeks, there is a wider distribution than in others, but I take your remarks to heart.

There is a further point of order from Susan Deacon.

This morning, the convener of the Enterprise and Culture Committee was interviewed on national radio regarding the committee's report on Scottish Enterprise, which was published today. Many of his comments did not reflect the report's tone or aspects of its content. Indeed, throughout the committee's deliberations on the matter, the convener has regularly and publicly expressed strong personal opinions, many of which have not found their way into the conclusions and recommendations of the report that was published today but which the press and public have often perceived as the Enterprise and Culture Committee's view.

Although I recognise that every member of the Parliament has a right to express personal opinions, do you agree that committee conveners have a special responsibility to work to promote and convey their committees' collective views? Will you reflect on what steps might be taken to assist conveners in that task, perhaps by drawing on the good practice of most of the members who have performed such roles over the years? Do you also agree that such matters of practice and conduct are important if we are to build and maintain the reputation of the Parliament and its members' work?

For the record, I say that I had advance notice of that point of order. All I have to say is that we work away in the Parliament and in committee through debate and divergent views to reach agreed majority conclusions. All members have a right to personal opinions, but we should exercise care and discretion in diverging from the collective view of committees on which we sit.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Would it not show respect to other members if complaints of that nature were also notified in advance to the member who is the subject of the complaint?

Ms Deacon was making a general point of relevance to all committees.

Meeting suspended until 14:15.

On resuming—