Plenary, 25 Mar 2009
Meeting date: Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Official Report
406KB pdf
“Code of Conduct for Members of the Scottish Parliament” (Reimbursement of Members' Expenses Scheme)
The next item of business will be a probably equally brief debate on motion S3M-3756, again in the name of Gil Paterson, on behalf of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee, on "Changes to the Code of Conduct arising from the Reimbursement of Members' Expenses Scheme".
If you are getting fed up with me, Presiding Officer, I am afraid that I will be moving yet another motion after this one.
Yet again, I am pleased to speak about the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee's report on "Changes to the Code of Conduct arising from the Reimbursement of Members' Expenses Scheme". Following Parliament's approval of the members' expenses scheme on 12 June 2008, the Presiding Officer wrote to the committee on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and identified that changes might require to be made to section 7.2.6 and section 9.1.6(c) of the code to reflect the members' expenses scheme.
The committee agreed with the Presiding Officer to update the reference to "Allowances Code" in section 7.2.6 to the "Reimbursement of Members' Expenses Scheme."
Section 9.1.6(c) of the code of conduct sets out how and by whom complaints that are made under the members' expenses scheme are to be considered. The committee agreed with the Presiding Officer to update that text to better reflect the text in the members' expenses scheme regarding complaint handling. Complaints about the reimbursement of members' expenses scheme should continue to be made to the corporate body. It will thereafter be for the corporate body to decide whether to report any improper claim to the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee for further consideration. If Parliament agrees to those updates, there will be minor consequential changes to the guidance that is contained in volume 3. Subject to parliamentary approval, the revised text will come into force on 27 March 2009.
On behalf of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee, I move,
That the Parliament agrees to amend the Code of Conduct for Members of the Scottish Parliament by replacing Section 7.2.6 and Section 9.1.6(c) (in Volume 2) with Section 7.2.6 and Section 9.1.6(c) as set out in Annex A of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee's 2nd Report 2009 (Session 3), Changes to the Code of Conduct arising from the Reimbursement of Members' Expenses Scheme (SP Paper 217), with effect from 27 March 2009.