Meeting of the Parliament 04 June 2026 [Draft]
There is another river that could be cried; I will come to that point in a minute.
The point that I was going to make is that three committee places that the Scottish National Party were entitled to have been given up, such that Reform UK, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Conservatives are each getting an additional place in the committee structure that we are proposing. If anything, I could have been the person who was speaking against the motion and saying that it was terribly unfair, but I am a very reasonable person, which is why I am standing here proposing this structure.
I remind members that the SNP will be a minority on all committees, no matter whether it has a convenership or not. Any suggestion that the SNP group will somehow dominate a committee is clearly not true.
Craig Hoy might not like this, but choices on committee convenerships and deputy convenerships were made based on the d’Hondt method. That procedure has been in place since the Parliament was established. Indeed, only one party has been restricted from taking up one of those posts—standing orders prescribe that, and I am not suggesting otherwise. Only one party is restricted from taking up a convenership on the Public Audit Committee. Everything else is to be legitimately allocated in line with the d’Hondt method. Former business managers each made their choices, and the motion is based on those choices. Every single decision has been taken in line with the standing orders of Parliament—[Interruption.] I hear members saying, “Process, process, process!” That is right—this is about the process. That is what the motion is about, Mr Kerr. It is about the process of establishing committees. I think that Mr Kerr should be paying attention.
Mr Hoy is talking about what the situation was in the previous session. He has been here for only one session, so he is still quite new and is still learning. Mr Hoy still has a lot to learn. The finance committee having a governing party convener is not new. Labour held the convenerships in sessions 1 and 2 and also had the deputy convenership in session 1. In session 4, the Government party had both the convenership—a very good convener I thought at the time—and the deputy convenership. I am afraid to say that members can cry about it all they want, but there is nothing new here.
Mr Hoy is talking about the committees that the Conservative Party is about to get convenerships of. If Mr Hoy is speaking against the motion and is about to vote against it, I have to say that, if he is successful, he will not get those convenerships.
I urge Parliament to vote for the motions today.
I move,
That the Parliament agrees, with effect from 4 June 2026, that Temporary Rule 4, under rule 17.1A, be amended as follows—
(a) in paragraph 1, for “2 October 2026” substitute “31 January 2027”;
(b) for “Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee” substitute “Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee”;
(c) in paragraph 3, for subparagraph (b) substitute:
“(b) policy in relation to the UK’s relationship with the EU;”
(d) in paragraph 3, for subparagraph (d) substitute:
“(d) any other matter falling within the responsibility of the Scottish Administration relating to devolution, intra-UK and intergovernmental relations; and”
(e) in paragraph 3, at end insert:
“(e) matters relating to culture within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic.”
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 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: 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 National Party.
Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament
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 National Party.
Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament
Name of Committee: 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 Green Party and the Deputy Convener will be a member of the Reform UK 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 Conservative and Unionist 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 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: 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 Green Party.
Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament
Name of Committee: Climate Action Committee
Remit: To consider and report on matters within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs, with the exception of rural affairs.
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: 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 functions of the Lord Advocate other than as head of the systems of criminal prosecution and investigation of deaths in Scotland.
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 National Party.
Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament
Name of Committee: Economy, Tourism and Energy Committee
Remit: To consider and report on matters within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport, with the exception of transport, on matters relating to public infrastructure, civil contingencies and resilience, and on matters relating to energy and energy consents.
Number of members: 7
Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Reform UK 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 and Gaelic Committee
Remit: To consider and report on matters falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic, with the exception of culture, and on matters relating to the Historical Abuse Inquiry, redress and languages.
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.
Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament
Name of Committee: Health, Care and Sport Committee
Remit: To consider and report on matters falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care, and on matters relating to sport.
Number of members: 7
Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Reform UK 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: Public Service Reform Committee
Remit: To consider and report on matters within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Reform.
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 National Party.
Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament
Name of Committee: Rural Affairs Committee
Remit: To consider and report on matters within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs, with the exception of climate action.
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 Liberal Democrats Party.
Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament
Name of Committee: Social Justice, Housing and Local Government Committee
Remit: To consider and report on matters falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Housing, and on matters relating to local government within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government.
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 Reform UK Party.
Duration: For the whole session of the Parliament
Name of Committee: Transport Committee
Remit: To consider and report on matters relating to transport within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport.
Number of members: 7
Convenership: The Convener will be a member of the Scottish Liberal Democrats 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 6.1.5A, that the names and remits of the following mandatory committees be amended—
Name of Committee: Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee
Remit: To the remit set out in Rule 6.4 shall be added—
Matters falling within the responsibility of the Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans.
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—
Any other matter falling within the responsibility of the Scottish Administration relating to the National Performance Framework, public inquiries, and public administration; and proposals for the formation and budgets of officeholders established by the Parliament.
Name of Committee: Public Audit Committee
Remit: To the remit set out in Rule 6.7 shall be added—
Matters relating to the performance of officeholders established by the Parliament.
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.
That the Parliament agrees, under Rule 12.1.2C, that:
(a) elections of conveners of subject and mandatory committees will take place on Tuesday 9 June 2026;
(b) that the location of elections will be Committee Room 5 (the Smith Room); and
(c) that the voting period of elections will commence immediately after Time for Reflection and conclude at 7pm.