Related Links

Committee homepage

Procedures Committee calls for new procedure for parliamentary scrutiny

CPROC001/2006 | 16 December 2006

A new mechanism to allow opposition and backbench MSPs greater opportunity to scrutinise Executive Ministers should be introduced at Holyrood, according to a report published today.

View the report

The Procedures Committee report into its Review of Parliamentary Time recommends the introduction of ‘interpellation proceedings’ – a system of 30 minute question and answer sessions and hour-long debates which would see MSPs able to raise topical issues of parliamentary importance and Ministers to respond.

The proposed system is based on interpellation proceedings employed in other European parliaments and would be the first time the process has been used in the UK.

The report also calls for increased notice of the subjects for debate to allow more prior warning for the public and stakeholder groups leading to greater scrutiny. Other proposals include committee debates being scheduled to take place as soon as possible after the publication of reports, extending the minimum period between stage 2 and 3 of bills, greater flexibility in the timing of Members’ Business debates and more time to questions Ministers following statements.

Committee Convener, Donald Gorrie MSP, said:

"This inquiry looked at fundamental issues concerning the Parliament’s sitting pattern, the way Chamber business is chosen, and how debates are conducted.

"The underlying themes in our proposals are about giving better notice of what is going to be debated and more meaningful scrutiny of the Executive.

"We don’t propose changes to the overall shape of the parliamentary week and support the principle of “family-friendly” hours. It is not about increasing the amount of time the Parliament has available to it, but about helping it to use the time it has more effectively.”

The inquiry

The inquiry was launched in June 2005, and has involved extensive oral and written evidence. Committee members also undertook fact-finding visits to four other, comparable European parliaments in Norway, Catalonia, Estonia and Finland, and held videoconference sessions with the New Zealand and Queensland Parliaments.

This final report takes on board responses to the Committee’s earlier “consultation report” (5th Report, 2006) which was published on 19 September and debated on 5 October 2006 . Seven of the nine proposals in the consultation report are taken forward in the final report.

The Committee’s main recommendations include:

• A new “interpellation” procedure through which MSPs of all parties will be able to hold Ministers to account through a combination of in-depth questioning and debate.

• More advance notice of Chamber debates – with all motions and amendments for the main debates each week to be in print by the end of the previous week.

• More time for Stage 3 scrutiny of bills – with all Stage 3 amendments lodged by the Monday of the previous week.

• More flexibility in the timing of Members' Business debates.

• More time for questions following Ministerial statements and embargoed copies to be given to all MSPs (not just party spokespersons).

• The minimum interval between Stage 2 and Stage 3 consideration of Bills to be increased by a week.

• Committee debates should take place sooner after reports are published and with more emphasis on bringing in non-committee members.

Interpellations

The new interpellation process proposed will work as follows:

• any member may lodge an interpellation – which must be on a topic of more than local relevance within the responsibilities of the Executive;

• each MSP may have only one interpellation “in progress” at any time – and cannot both lodge one and support someone else’s;

• once time is set aside for proceedings on interpellations, the Presiding Officer will select those to be taken;

• proceedings will last for around 30 minutes on each interpellation, and will consist of questioning of the Minister by the interpellator and then by other members;

• at the end, the interpellator will be able to indicate an interest in a follow-up debate if not satisfied with the Minister’s response;

• follow-up “interpellation debates” will last for around an hour and be based on a motion;

• it will be for the interpellator alone to decide whether to accept any amendments to the motion, before all MSPs have a chance to vote on the motion.

It is proposed this new procedure will be introduced on a trial basis in Session 3, following the May election. It is based on the procedure used in the various European Parliaments visited during the inquiry.

For further information, the media contact is:

Elaine Mitchell Tel: 0131 348 6245
RNID TypeTalk calls welcome
email: elaine.mitchell@scottish.parliament.uk

Procedures Committee contact details

For public information/general enquiries, telephone 0131 348 5000 or 0845 278 1999 (local call rate)
email: sp.info@scottish.parliament.uk
Visit our website at: www.scottish.parliament.uk