Hansard

To build on the point of order that I just made, I rise once again to speak against the business motion because of the lack of opportunity for any meaningful scrutiny of today’s announcement, by stealth, that the national health service will remain on an emergency footing until at least March 2022. I understand that the announcement had to be made before 30 September; however, what I do not understand is why it had to be snuck in through the back door on 29 September.

I would have welcomed the opportunity to discuss with the Parliamentary Bureau at its meeting this week, or the one last week, the appropriate way in which the announcement could be scrutinised by the Scottish Parliament. That would have been the correct way to do things but, for whatever reason, the Minister for Parliamentary Business made no mention of it at all at those meetings.

We should not have to fight tooth and nail for significant Government announcements to be made to Parliament. The people of Scotland are watching the tedious pattern of this SNP Scottish Government disrespecting Parliament and its processes, and the Scottish Conservatives cannot stand idly by and watch it happen. We will defend Scotland’s Parliament from this overbearing Executive.

I urge the Minister for Parliamentary Business to lodge a revised business motion that includes a statement on today’s announcement, with an appropriate question-and-answer session. [Interruption.] They may laugh, but someone has to defend this Parliament from the Executive, so we will take up that challenge.

I currently have heard no indication from the Minister for Parliamentary Business that he intends to put such a statement or question-and-answer session into the business programme for next week, which is why we will oppose the motion.