Official Report 873KB pdf
The next item of business is consideration of motion S7M-01777, in the name of Maggie Chapman, on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, on the reimbursement of members’ expenses scheme resolution. Members wishing to speak to the motion should press their request-to-speak buttons now.
17:11
I rise to move a motion on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body to make an amendment to the current reimbursement of members’ expenses scheme. We are proposing a change to the list of constituencies that are eligible for Edinburgh accommodation under the scheme. The constituencies are grouped based on commute ease, time and distance to Parliament from the centre of each constituency or its nearest main transport hub.
Currently, Stirling constituency sits under group 2 for Edinburgh accommodation in the scheme, based on the distance to travel to Edinburgh from Stirling city, as the main travel hub in the constituency, of approximately 36 miles, with direct travel routes. We propose that Stirling constituency now be split between groups 2 and 3, using council wards as an internal boundary within the constituency. That recognises the significant variance in travel time and distance to Edinburgh across the various parts of the constituency, which stretches from Stirling city in the south-east, which is 36 miles from Edinburgh, to Tyndrum in the north, which is approximately 89 miles from Parliament.
Taking account of those differences, the corporate body has agreed to recommend that ward 1, Trossachs and Teith, which aligns more with other group 3 constituencies, be added to group 3 within the scheme. If agreed, that would mean that any member living in council ward 1, Trossachs and Teith, would now fall into group 3 under the Edinburgh accommodation provision of the scheme, with the six remaining council wards in the Stirling constituency remaining under group 2. Members will wish to note that such a split is not unusual, with a number of other constituencies also split by ward in that way. If agreed, we propose that the change comes into immediate effect.
I hope that the corporate body can count on all members in the chamber this evening to support this motion.
I move,
That the Parliament, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 81(2) and (5)(b) and 83(5) of the Scotland Act 1998, determines that the Reimbursement of Members’ Expenses Scheme, which was agreed to by resolution of the Parliament on 19 March 2026, be amended as follows—
(a) Annex A: Groups of constituencies for entitlement to accommodation in Edinburgh,
(i) Group two
delete
Stirling
insert
Stirling (excluding Ward 1 Trossachs and Teith)
(ii) Group three
after
Shetland Islands
insert
Stirling (only Ward 1 Trossachs and Teith)
The question on the motion will be put at decision time.