Plenary, 28 Sep 2006
Meeting date: Thursday, September 28, 2006
Official Report
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Point of Order
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Rule 7.3.1 of the standing orders states:
"Members shall at all times conduct themselves in a courteous and respectful manner".
This afternoon, the First Minister accused my colleague Shiona Baird of misinforming the chamber, being less than honest and scaremongering over fingerprinting in schools. However, she in no way misinformed the chamber; she simply stated what is occurring in schools. The Green group has received a number of complaints from parents about fingerprinting, which include complaints about their not being asked for consent for their children to be fingerprinted. The First Minister's attempt to cast aspersions on Shiona Baird's honesty and integrity was disrespectful and discourteous. Presiding Officer, I ask you to make a ruling on whether his entirely unsubstantiated accusation that Shiona Baird misinformed the Parliament breached the standing orders.
I was given advance warning of Chris Ballance's point of order and have had the opportunity to read the transcript of the exchange that occurred during First Minister's question time. I do not believe that the standing orders were breached; such exchanges are part of the normal cut and thrust of robust parliamentary debate. However, you have made your point, it is on the record, and I note your concerns. We will now move on.