Plenary, 27 Nov 2002

Meeting date: Wednesday, November 27, 2002

Official Report 387KB pdf

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Points of Order

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Today the Executive's latest league tables are published, but I have yet to see them. Copies of the league tables were distributed to the press on Monday. Although my office asked to see them yesterday, they were not provided. A member of the press—who will remain nameless—had to break the embargo to show the league tables to me, so that I could comment on them.

Gross discourtesy has been shown to members, particularly members of opposition parties, who have not had a chance to see figures that were distributed to the press 48 hours ago.

I have ruled on this issue in the past, but always in connection with the pre-release to the press of statements to the Parliament. Statistical information of the sort to which the member refers does not come to the Parliament, so this is not a matter for me. I sympathise with the point that the member is making, but he must pursue it directly with the Executive. This is not a parliamentary matter, but something that happens outside the Parliament.

Presiding Officer, will you consider this issue in the context of the general standing orders provisions relating to the courtesy that members should show to one another? If a member of the Parliament who is a minister publishes important information of which she intends to make much, it would be courteous for her to provide that information to members, especially those who shadow her.

I sympathise with the point that the member makes, but he must pursue it directly with the Executive. I should not make rulings on what happens outside the chamber.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Today's business bulletin gives notice of the resignation of a junior Scottish minister. Have you been informed that the Executive plans to provide a full statement on the circumstances of that very embarrassing resignation? Will the Executive lead a debate on its mishandling of the firefighters' dispute?

I can tell the member two things. First, an oral question on the fire dispute will appear in tomorrow's business list. Secondly, I have fulfilled my obligation under standing orders to notify the Parliament of the minister's resignation. A motion for the appointment of a new minister will be lodged tomorrow and may, of course, be debated.

When tomorrow will the debate take place?

The information will appear in the business bulletin. If I am able to give a precise time for the debate, I will do so at 5 o'clock.