Chamber and committees

My last question is in relation to the six-month period. Other than the regulations that will be laid on Monday, which relate to people who have already registered for a postal vote having that period extended so that there is no perceived risk of losing their vote, is any other further secondary legislation envisaged?

A number of matters that we have consulted on have not appeared in the instrument. We are getting close to the six-month period. Is there any intention of introducing any further legislation, other than what you have indicated to us, that you are aware of?

I am grateful. The committee will report on the outcome of our decision in due course. Are members content to delegate to me the authority to approve the draft report?

Members indicated agreement.

That is eloquently put, and it is on the public record.

Are members therefore content to approve the request to change the purpose of the CPG on deafness?

Members indicated agreement.

I am grateful. I now move the meeting into private.

To clarify, we will have two separate timetables that slightly overlap. We have a parliamentary timetable that, for a period, will overlap with an election timetable. At the point of dissolution, which has not yet been set—although the minister has indicated when it is likely to be—all current MSPs would cease to be MSPs and there would not, in fact, be a Parliament except for the PO, who stays in post. Decisions would be made. We are talking about the challenges of the overlap period. As you said, minister, discussions are on-going about the dual role that some people would have of being both an MSP and a candidate. Is that right?

Agenda item 2 is evidence on the draft Scottish Parliament (Elections etc) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2025. I welcome Chris Highcock, elections manager and secretary of the Electoral Management Board for Scotland, and Sarah Mackie, head of the Electoral Commission in Scotland. If you are both content, we will go straight to questions.

Good morning. I welcome everyone to the 13th meeting in 2025 of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee. I have received no apologies, but I pause to welcome Ruth Maguire back to the committee. I also put on record my thanks to Rona Mackay, who was Ruth’s substitute for a period of time, for all her marvellous contributions to the work of this committee.

Our first item of business is a decision on taking agenda items 3, 4 and 5 in private. Item 3 is consideration of the evidence that we are about to hear, item 4 is configuration of the approach that we will take to the Freedom of Information Reform (Scotland) Bill, and item 5 is a note on the review of oral questions that the committee is undertaking. Is the committee happy to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

It is right to say that the solution has been to separate the dissolution period, which is, in essence, a parliamentary question about when we stop sitting as a Parliament. There will now be a slight overlap, because the election will be under way, candidates will have been nominated and all the forms will have been done.

Given the separation in the timetable, there will no longer be a challenge to the delivery of the election. However, in relation to what Sue Webber said, there might well be a challenge during the overlapping week regarding the role of a parliamentarian and the role of a candidate. The Parliament already has very strict rules about the use of resources, but will you also consider the question of reporting with regard to resources? That could be a potentially difficult decision for a candidate or parliamentarian to make over the last week. The election is in May, so we need as much time as possible. Will you keep the committee informed on how those discussions are going?

It is important to echo what Sue Webber said: it is a very challenging period for individuals. Myriad rules are thrown at them, and it would be good to be able to give people as much of a heads-up as possible, so that they can, satisfy themselves—in their own minds—that they are complying with them.

Just to clarify for people who are watching who might say, “The UK general election is always counted overnight,” that is a statutory requirement that does not exist in the legislation that we have passed in this Parliament.

As Chris Highcock said, the count timings are being consulted on to ensure that people are confident that the result that they hear is correct. One aspect is that it is perhaps common sense to recognise that tired people are more likely to make mistakes than well-rested people. If the count happens during the day—perhaps over one or two days—that makes it much easier to deal with errors, problems and concerns than if you are relying on people who have spent in excess of 12 hours counting in a polling station. Is it fair to say that?

Is that because it is the 6 o’clock news? [Laughter.]