Meeting of the Parliament 07 January 2016
No—I am certainly not saying that. I am saying that there is a case for four-year terms, just as there is a case for five-year terms. Five-year terms provide more stability, which is better for planning—particularly budgetary, financial and policy planning. I recognise that there are advantages to having five-year terms. I would not say that I am stuck to any particular solution at this time. However, Annabel Goldie made some pertinent points.
In the next parliamentary session, it will be essential to come up with a solution for the electoral cycles of both the Scottish Parliament and local councils. It is right that the Government is taking widespread evidence on the matter, which I will study closely to see which cycle is the best. In recent times, because of the change at the UK level, we have been driven towards five-year terms. What we have done has been practical, but a five-year session is not necessarily the right thing. We need proper consideration of the issues and to look at the electoral cycles for all administrations.
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