Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Meeting date: Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Official Report 1006KB pdf

---

Parliamentary Bureau Motions

The next item of business is consideration of three Parliamentary Bureau motions. I ask George Adam, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, to speak to and move motion S6M-00392, on temporary rule changes, and to move motions S6M-00393, on establishment of committees, and S6M-00394, on committee remits.

17:40  

Motion S6M-00392 sets out a temporary change to standing orders in respect of the remit of the mandatory Europe and External Relations Committee. The remit set out in rule 6.8 of standing orders for that committee refers to matters that are no longer accurate following the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union. The motion before the Parliament today sets out an alternative remit and name for that committee: the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee.

Once committees are established, it will be a matter for the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee to consider and make a recommendation to the Parliament on a permanent change to the remit of that committee. The temporary rule will therefore apply until either 31 December 2021, or until the Parliament takes a decision on a permanent amendment, whichever is earlier.

For clarity, members may wish to note that the temporary rule change will take effect immediately after it is agreed to by the Parliament. The name and remit that are set out in the temporary rule are therefore reflected in motion S6M-00393 on the establishment of committees, which the Parliament will also be asked to agree to today.

I move,

That the Parliament agrees, with effect from 15 June 2021, the following temporary rule under rule 17.1A—

Temporary Rule 4: Change to Mandatory Committee Remit and Name

1. This rule applies to the committee mentioned in Rule 6.8. It ceases to apply when the Parliament has taken a decision to amend rule 6.8 in accordance with Rule 17.1 or on 31 December 2021, whichever is the earlier.

2. Where provisions contained in this temporary rule are in conflict with other standing order provisions, those in the temporary rule have precedence.

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

3. There shall be a committee, the remit of which is to consider and report on the following (and any additional matter added under Rule 6.1.5A)—

(a) the Scottish Government’s EU and external affairs policy;

(b) policy in relation to the UK’s exit from the EU;

(c) the international activities of the Scottish Administration, including international development;

and

(d) any other matter falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture and any matter relating to inter-governmental relations within the responsibility of the Deputy First Minister.

That the Parliament shall establish committees of the Parliament as follows—

Name of Committee: Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Remit: Set out in Rule 6.4

Number of members:5

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish Labour Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party.

Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament

Name of Committee: Finance Committee

Remit: Set out in Rule 6.6

Number of members: 7

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish Labour Party.

Name of Committee: Public Audit Committee

Remit: Set out in Rule 6.7

Number of members: 5

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish Labour Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.

Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament

Name of Committee: Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Remit: Set out in Temporary Rule 4

Number of members: 7

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.

Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament

Name of Committee: Equalities and Human Rights Committee

Remit: Set out in Rule 6.9

Number of members: 7

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish Green Party.

Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament

Name of Committee: Public Petitions Committee

Remit: Set out in Rule 6.10

Number of members: 5

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party.

Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament

Name of Committee: Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee

Remit: Set out in Rule 6.11

Number of members: 5

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party.

Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament

Name of Committee: COVID-19 Recovery Committee

Remit: To consider and report on matters relating to COVID-19 falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for COVID Recovery and other Scottish Ministers where relevant, including—

(a) Cross government coordination of COVID-19 recovery policies and strategic review;

(b) the operation of powers under the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act, the Coronavirus Act and any other legislation in relation to the response to COVID-19;

(c) any secondary legislation arising from the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act; and

(d) and any other legislation or policy in relation to the response to COVID-19.

Number of members: 6

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.

Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament

Name of Committee: Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Remit: To consider and report on matters falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and matters relating to drugs policy

Number of members: 10

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish Labour Party.

Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament

Name of Committee: Education, Children and Young People Committee

Remit: To consider and report on matters falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and matters relating to the Historical Abuse Inquiry within the responsibility of the Deputy First Minister

Number of members: 10

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party.

Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament

Name of Committee: Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Remit: To consider and report on matters falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport

Number of members: 7

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party.

Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament

Name of Committee: Criminal Justice Committee

Remit: To consider and report on matters relating to criminal justice falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans, and functions of the Lord Advocate other than as head of the systems of criminal prosecution and investigation of deaths in Scotland

Number of members: 8

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.

Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament

Name of Committee: Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Remit: To consider and report on matters falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, excluding matters relating to local government, housing and planning.

Number of members: 8

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party.

Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament

Name of Committee: Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee

Remit: To consider and report on matters relating to local government, housing and planning falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, and matters relating to the Local Government Boundary Commission and local governance review and democratic renewal within the responsibility of the Deputy First Minister.

Number of members: 7

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish Green Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party.

Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament

Name of Committee: Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Remit: To consider and report on matters falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands.
Number of members: 9

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament

Name of Committee: Economy and Fair Work Committee

Remit: To consider and report on matters relating to the economy falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy

Number of members: 9

Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish Labour Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Scottish National Party

Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament.

That the Parliament agrees, under Rule 6.1, that the names and remits of the following mandatory committees be amended—

Name of Committee: Finance Committee

New name: Finance and Public Administration Committee

Remit: To the remit set out in Rule 6.6 shall be added—

Matters relating to public service reform and the National Performance Framework within the responsibilities of the Deputy First Minister and public administration

Name of Committee: Equalities and Human Rights Committee

New name: Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee

Remit: To the remit set out in Rule 6.9 shall be added—

Matters relating to civil justice within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans

Name of Committee: Public Petitions Committee

New name: Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

Remit: To the remit set out in Rule 6.10 shall be added—

To consider and report on public policy or undertake post-legislative scrutiny through the use of deliberative democracy, Citizen’s Assemblies or other forms of participative engagement

Name of Committee: Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Remit: To the remit set out in Rule 6.4 shall be added—

Matters relating to local government elections, Scottish general elections, implementation of the Referendums (Scotland Act) 2020 and Freedom of Information and open government falling within the responsibility of the Minister for Parliamentary Business—[George Adam.]

The questions on the motions will be put at decision time.