Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 11 March 2021
For the purposes of rule 9.11 of the standing orders, I advise Parliament that Her Majesty, having been informed of the purport of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill, has consented to place her prerogative and interests, in so far as they are affected by the bill, at the disposal of the Parliament, for the purposes of the bill.
I have many thanks to give as I start—probably too many for the allotted time. I thank the people in the Scottish Government bill team, who have made a herculean effort with the bill, and I thank my special adviser John McFarlane, who is known to many people here. I also thank the parliamentary clerks, who have made an equally herculean effort.
I thank the many stakeholders with whom we have engaged, many of whom have given their time in evenings and at weekends. I also thank members across the chamber—back-bench SNP colleagues and colleagues in Opposition parties, who have, in the main, worked constructively on the bill.
Our Parliament has been in receipt of some criticism in recent weeks and months, and has been denigrated by some people, but I suggest that the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill has shown how Parliament can work at its best. If we, as legislators, seek consensus—not for its own sake, but to strive for an ideal that is far greater than us as individuals or political parties—we can create truly transformative law that protects the most vulnerable people in our society, as the hate crime bill will do.