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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 4 May 2021
  6. Current session: 13 May 2021 to 19 October 2025
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Displaying 788 contributions

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Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Parliament (Recall and Removal of Members) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 19 June 2025

Emma Roddick

Okay. I will pass over to Sue Webber.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Parliament (Recall and Removal of Members) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 19 June 2025

Emma Roddick

We have heard evidence that a recall petition should close early if the 10 per cent threshold is met before the four weeks runs out. Your policy memorandum makes arguments about why that might not be appropriate. Has any of the evidence that we have taken so far changed your mind on that?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Parliament (Recall and Removal of Members) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 19 June 2025

Emma Roddick

I note that the equality impact assessment states that religion is not applicable. The parliamentary calendar works around Christian holidays, so might there be an interaction there? I am also thinking about those who are likely to be targeted with hate crimes. There have been situations in which MSPs have been targeted because of their religion, which would perhaps come into play in a recall situation.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Parliament (Recall and Removal of Members) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 19 June 2025

Emma Roddick

I am talking about the 10-day limit, how an individual trigger is likely to be viewed and whether such characteristics might come into play when folk decide how to treat the trigger.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Parliament (Recall and Removal of Members) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 19 June 2025

Emma Roddick

I want to pick up on that. As you said, the requirement to attend at least once in 180 days is not particularly onerous. My concern is that, because the requirement is not a high bar for somebody who is physically and mentally able and does not have caring responsibilities, it is likely that the only people you would catch with the provision would be those with good reasons for not attending, and they would then have to share those good reasons with colleagues who were in political opposition to them. Do you agree that that is a possibility?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Parliament (Recall and Removal of Members) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 19 June 2025

Emma Roddick

That is what the equality impact assessment says. I was only concerned that religion might be relevant because race has been noted as being relevant.

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

National Planning Framework 4: Annual Review

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Emma Roddick

I note that the RTPI has asked that NPF4 be made a dynamic document that is continually updated to reference any new advice as it is published. How might that work in practice, particularly given that any amendments to it are subject to parliamentary approval?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

National Planning Framework 4: Annual Review

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Emma Roddick

Good morning. I want to look again at workforce resourcing issues. The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland has called for a significant roll-out of masterplan consent areas across Scotland to reduce some of the administrative burdens and in the hope that that would speed up decision making. Do you support that suggestion? Would it indeed speed up decision making?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Parliament (Recall and Removal of Members) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 12 June 2025

Emma Roddick

I would like to jump back to the issue of not physically attending the Parliament for 180 days. That is quite a long time, and I am struggling to imagine why an able-bodied mentally well person without caring needs or responsibilities would struggle to do that as a gesture—to just come along one day and swipe their pass at the door. Is there not concern that the requirement is likely to catch only those who have a genuine reason not to be here and perhaps puts an unnecessary light on that?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Parliament (Recall and Removal of Members) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 12 June 2025

Emma Roddick

I suppose that, in your role as the Minister for Parliamentary Business, you will have some involvement in managing difficult situations and absences among colleagues. Do you have any suggestions for how other measures could be considered that might catch those who genuinely are not showing up but not those who have a genuine need not to attend physically?