Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 06 February 2020
06 Feb 2020 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Scottish Elections (Reform) Bill: Stage 1
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 have been long-term issues. The committee is pleased that the minister has agreed to address the matter as soon as possible. He is in the chamber, and I am sure that he listened to what Mr Lyle said about the wider aspect.
The committee also noted that there will continue to be scope to reform the electoral system in the future. For example, there is a need to address the important issue of under-registration. The committee was supportive of the idea of reviewing the multimember ward system for local government elections, too.
The Scottish Elections (Reform) Bill proposes a range of changes to electoral law covering Scottish Parliament and local government elections, and those proposals have been broadly welcomed. On that basis, the committee was content to recommend to Parliament that the general principles of the bill be agreed to.
16:25In the same item of business
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...