Hansard

I appreciate that the rule changes are technical in nature and may therefore strike members as being challenging to apply in practice. However, detailed changes will be made to the public bills guidance to supplement the rules. In addition, when cost-bearing amendments are lodged, supporting documents that are used during stages 2 and 3, such as the groupings, will also highlight any elements of proceedings that are a break from the norm.

I also highlight a matter that does not require a rule change, but which will be crucial to successful implementation of the changes: specifically, the timetabling of stages 2 and 3 consideration of bills when cost-bearing amendments are lodged. As we know, costing amendments for the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill was time consuming for members, Parliament clerks and Government officials. Expecting such cost assessment, consideration by the Presiding Officer and publication of the groupings to take place to current stage 2 timescales is simply not feasible.

The Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee considered lengthening the existing deadlines for lodging amendments at stage 2 to allow sufficient time for that to be the standard process. However, the committee anticipates that, although the number of instances of bills being introduced with no financial resolution is likely to increase, cost-bearing amendments will not necessarily be lodged for each bill. The majority of bills that will be passed by Parliament will most likely proceed according to standard procedures, as opposed to having to adhere to the procedures that are set out in the report. Therefore, on balance, the committee considered that lengthening the time between lodging amendments and their consideration at stage 2 for all bills would be a disproportionate response.

Although the committee is not recommending a change to standing orders to extend deadlines for lodging amendments, it strongly encourages the Parliamentary Bureau to allow additional time at stage 2 for bills without financial resolutions, if the bill has a wide scope or is based on a policy that is likely to be conducive to cost-bearing amendments being lodged. At least an additional week should be factored in to stage 2 deadlines in such situations, and the knock-on effects of timetabling chamber time for stage 3 should also be taken into account. In addition, the committee recommends that committees that consider such bills should factor sufficient flexibility into their work programmes to allow for stage 2 considerations to be timetabled for a later date when cost-bearing amendments are lodged.

I support the committee’s recommendations and the associated rule changes.

16:47