Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Official Report 853KB pdf

Standing Orders Rule Changes (Mandatory Committee Remits)

The next item of business is consideration of motion S5M-01645, in the name of Clare Adamson, on standing orders rule changes in relation to mandatory committee remits.

The Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee is proposing a set of rule changes that relate to mandatory committee remits.

On 13 June this year, the Presiding Officer wrote to the committee on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau about the establishment of committees. The Parliamentary Bureau expressed its wish to establish a committee structure with

“remits reflecting Cabinet Secretary portfolios”.

It stated that it was

“committed to the subject matter covered by the current remits of the mandatory committees, as set out in Standing Orders”,

but that it wished the remits of a number of them to be expanded. It proposed that the remit of the Finance Committee should be expanded to include constitutional matters; that the remit of the European and External Relations Committee should be expanded to include culture and tourism; that the remit of the Public Audit Committee should be expanded to include post-legislative scrutiny; and that the remit of the Equal Opportunities Committee should be expanded to include human rights. The remits of other mandatory committees would remain unchanged.

The SPPA Committee has proposed rule changes that will allow the Parliament, on a motion of the Parliamentary Bureau, to make those changes. In response to a request from the Equal Opportunities Committee, we also propose that its name be changed to “Equalities and Human Rights Committee”.

Finally, we propose an extension to the remit of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee in order to allow it to play a role in the implementation of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 and to ensure that the Parliament’s statutory responsibilities under that act are met.

I am pleased to move,

That the Parliament notes the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee’s 3rd Report 2016 (Session 5), Standing Order Rule Changes - Mandatory committee remits (SP Paper 12), and agrees that the changes to Standing Orders set out in Annexe A of the report be made with effect from 28 September 2016.

The question on that motion will be put at decision time.