Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Christine Grahame) SNP

The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-20740, in the name of Graeme Dey, on the Scottish Elections (Reform) Bill at stage 1. 16:12

The Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans (Graeme Dey) SNP

I thank the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee for its scrutiny of the bill and its stage 1 report. I also thank the Local Government an...

Bill Kidd (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) SNP

As the convener of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee, I am pleased to speak on behalf of the committee in this debate. As has been...

Richard Lyle (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) SNP

I note that the consultation included a proposal to remove the current legal requirement for candidates’ addresses to appear on ballot papers for local gover...

Bill Kidd SNP

I thank the member for raising that subject, which was discussed in committee. A number of people raised concerns with us about security and safety, which ha...

Adam Tomkins (Glasgow) (Con) Con

Broadly, we welcome the bill, and we will be supporting it at stage 1. It contains mainly technical, but nonetheless important, changes to aspects of elector...

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab) Lab

Will the member take an intervention?

Adam Tomkins Con

Let me finish my point and then I will let Mr Findlay in—if I have time, Presiding Officer. Surely, we do not want the new flexibility, which section 4 of t...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

There is time for interventions.

Neil Findlay Lab

I very much agree with what Adam Tomkins is saying, but the committee took evidence from one academic who argued for very large wards in order to ensure prop...

Adam Tomkins Con

It is a very odd day in the Scottish Parliament, because not only does Mr Findlay agree with me, but I agree with Mr Findlay—on this matter. We must, therefo...

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab) Lab

I thank the committee’s members and convener and the clerks who have been helping us through the bill. We have had some very interesting evidence sessions. I...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

I call Mark Ruskell to open for the Green Party. Mr Ruskell, I will be generous with you, also. 16:40

Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Green

Thank you, Presiding Officer. I join other members in thanking the clerks, all those who gave evidence, and the other members of the committee for their cons...

Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD) LD

I do not know what Neil Findlay is talking about; this is the stuff that Liberal Democrats love to talk about. I was formerly an election agent and I would s...

Neil Findlay Lab

As Willie Rennie is a Liberal Democrat, that is the least surprising thing that I have ever heard.

Willie Rennie LD

Neil Findlay and I might have one of those discussions ourselves—I might inflict that on him. Adam Tomkins is objecting to that for some reason. During the ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

We now move to the open debate. Speeches should be of up to five minutes. 16:51

Gil Paterson (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) SNP

As Neil Findlay and other members from across the chamber have said, on the face of it the Scottish Elections (Reform) Bill might seem to be dry and technica...

Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con) Con

Because elements of the bill relate to local government, I declare an interest as a councillor in Aberdeen City Council. The Standards, Procedures and Publi...

Sarah Boyack (Lothian) (Lab) Lab

Like colleagues in the chamber, I think that the bill represents a welcome opportunity to consider how we can improve our electoral process. As the Electoral...

Tom Mason Con

Will the member take an intervention?

Sarah Boyack Lab

Yes, briefly.

Tom Mason Con

Is it the case that up to very recently—when we left the European Union—every member of the Scottish community had 19 elected representatives?

Sarah Boyack Lab

We do not have the same level of local representation that there is in the rest of the EU. Everybody has focused on proportionality, which I totally agree w...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

You will have to be quick.

Sarah Boyack Lab

I ask the minister to have a look at multimember wards, which have been mentioned by a couple of members, and do a proper review of how they have worked and ...

Annabelle Ewing (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) SNP

I am pleased to speak in the stage 1 debate on the Scottish Elections (Reform) Bill. As we know, the bill is part of a package of measures that are intended ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

We move to closing speeches. 17:13

Neil Findlay Lab

At the beginning of the debate, Gil Paterson made an important point about the desire to see every election have its own focus. That is right. When elections...