Meeting of the Parliament 19 April 2023
I normally have a lot of time and respect for some of the things that Donald Cameron says but, after two weeks of people having a bit of a break, we are once again having the business questioned. My title says that I am a member of the Scottish Parliament. This is a Parliament, which has the opportunity to discuss anything that the people of Scotland want to discuss. The Illegal Migration Bill, in particular, vexes many of the members in this chamber and, across the parties, people have opinions on it. The bill has gone through the House of Commons at an accelerated pace; it is anticipated that it will complete its passage next week and move to the House of Lords. Given the subject matter, it is important that the Scottish Parliament has an opportunity to debate the bill before that process is complete.
The UK Government’s view is that the bill is on a reserved matter, but the Scottish Government’s view is that the bill amends the powers and duties of Scottish ministers to provide support and assistance to victims of human trafficking under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015. Of course, Scotland’s Parliament should be able to discuss any attacks on devolution. The Scottish Government is committed to lodging a legislative consent motion as soon as possible and will schedule a debate when the subject committee has considered and reported, as is routine.
The Conservatives were never fans of devolution, but the rest of us in this chamber believe in this Parliament and we will discuss what this Parliament and the people of Scotland want to discuss.