Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review the rules regarding ‘Dual Mandate MSPs’, and legislate to bring them in line with the Senedd and Stormont by preventing MSPs from holding a dual mandate, in time for the next Scottish Parliament elections.
Petitioner: Alexander James Dickson
Status: Closed
Date published: 12 July 2022
Click here for the full petition
SPICe Briefing (125KB, pdf) posted 09 August 2022
9 November 2022: The Committee agreed to write to the Senedd, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the Electoral Reform Society.
Official Report of Meeting 9 November 2022
03 May 2023: The Committee agreed to refer the petition to the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee under Rule 15.6 of Standing Orders for further consideration.
Official Report of Meeting 03 May 2023
PE1949/A: Scottish Government submission of 19 August 2022 (116KB, pdf) posted 29 August 2022
PE1949/B: Northern Ireland Assembly submission of 2 December 2022 (98KB, pdf) posted 09 December 2022
PE1949/C: Electoral Reform Society Scotland submission of 12 January 2023 (136KB, pdf) posted 23 January 2023
PE1949/D: Senedd submission of 12 January 2023 (226KB, pdf) posted 30 January 2023
1 June 2023: (In Private): The Committee agreed to consider the petition further after the Parliament’s Summer Recess.
21 September 2023: (In Private): The Committee agreed to hold an evidence session on dual mandates at a future meeting.
18 January 2024: (In Private):The Committee considered its work programme. The Committee agreed to take consideration of its approach to an elections bill in private at future meetings.
8 February 2024: (In Private): The Committee considered its work programme. The Committee agreed to take evidence from key stakeholders and organisations in relation to its scrutiny of the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill. The Committee agreed to include questions on dual mandates in those evidence sessions.
The Stage 1 Report on the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill was published on 18 June 2024 and you can view it here:
Stage 1 Report on the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill | Scottish Parliament
16 January 2025: The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders on the basis that the aims of the petition have been achieved through the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill as passed.