Plenary, 29 Sep 1999

Meeting date: Wednesday, September 29, 1999

Official Report 553KB pdf

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Scottish Parliament Wednesday 29 September 1999

[THE PRESIDING OFFICER opened the meeting at 14:30]

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Will you ask the Executive to make a statement on the lobbygate affair? I read in the press that the First Minister would like to see a full inquiry into the matter, that sources close to Mr McConnell would like the Standards Committee to consider the matter and that the First Minister and the Secretary of State for Scotland came to blows on the issue, before making up over a cup of tea. The Parliament is entitled to hear the Executive's view in a statement outwith the realms of the press.

In summary, the issue touches on claims made about the Labour party and Labour ministers; it will touch the Parliament unless we hear how the Parliament will deal with the matter. We are entitled to be given that information in a statement from the Executive.

I take it that the substance of the point of order is whether I have had notice of a ministerial statement; I have not. The question whether there will be such a statement is a matter for ministers and not for the Presiding Officer. The point made by the member will have been heard.

I have two other related matters to put before the Parliament. Today, I wrote to the Convener of the Procedures Committee to express my concern that the standing orders that we are currently using do not allow sufficient flexibility for urgent and topical questions; I know that the committee is already considering that problem.

The second item, which we must all take into account, is that this morning the Standards Committee decided

"to meet on Tuesday in private for careful consideration of the matters that have been placed before us, with a view to deciding on the terms of an investigation."

It has that matter in hand.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer.

As long as it is not a speech.

No, it is not a speech. As you have just intimated to the Parliament, the matter is being considered by the Standards Committee. To assist the committee in determining the scope of its deliberations, will you make a ruling as to the terms of the remit? Perhaps you can clarify whether the committee's remit to report on and examine members' conduct in relation to "any code of conduct" covers matters relating to the Scottish ministerial code, bearing it in mind that in statements issued to the press by, or on behalf of, the First Minister and the Minister for Finance, the Standards Committee has been invited to investigate any allegations in the published material.

It is important that the Standards Committee considers those matters. I do not think that I should give an off-the-cuff ruling from the chair. I notice that the committee chose its words carefully. It will meet in private

"for careful consideration of the matters that have been placed before us, with a view to deciding on the terms of an investigation."

You are asking me to pre-empt the terms of the investigation.

Presiding Officer, I am asking you to clarify the committee's terms of reference, so that it knows the basis on which to proceed.

Those terms of reference are laid down in the standing orders; I will not elaborate on that at the moment.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. We should also clarify whether the Parliament would support the idea of private hearings as opposed to public evidence sessions.

Let me make it clear. The committee will consider the matter in private; it has not said that it will conduct a private hearing.