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Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 22 March 2022

22 Mar 2022 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Parliamentary Bureau Motions
Whittle, Brian Con South Scotland Watch on SPTV

That is correct, Presiding Officer. I will speak to oppose the motions, on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives.

At the COVID-19 Recovery Committee, my colleague Murdo Fraser and I had the opportunity to question the Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, on why the Scottish Government was pushing forward with its plans to extend emergency powers. It is fair to say that we did not get any satisfactory answers. When he was asked, John Swinney could not tell me of any advantage that would have been gained if the Scottish Government had had the powers in question at the start of the pandemic.

We must remember that, at that time, when it was asked to do so, Parliament acted quickly to scrutinise the Scottish Government’s plans and to pass the emergency legislation. I suggest that, with the hybrid technology that has been deployed, we would now be able to do that even more quickly. Therefore, the question must be this: why is the Scottish Government trying to bypass Parliament?

In the same item of business

The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone) NPA
The next item of business is consideration of Parliamentary Bureau motions. I ask Ben Macpherson to speak to and move motion S6M-03722, on approval of a Sco...
The Minister for Social Security and Local Government (Ben Macpherson) SNP
In response to the shocking and developing situation in Ukraine, the Scottish Government continues to take urgent steps to resettle people who are fleeing he...
The Presiding Officer NPA
The question on that motion will be put at decision time. The next item of business is a Parliamentary Bureau motion on approval of another SSI. I ask Clare...
The Presiding Officer NPA
The question on that motion will be put at decision time. The next item of business is consideration of four more Parliamentary Bureau motions. I ask George...
The Presiding Officer NPA
I call Brian Whittle. Can you confirm that you will speak to motions S6M-03736 to S6M-03738? 17:08
Brian Whittle (South Scotland) (Con) Con
That is correct, Presiding Officer. I will speak to oppose the motions, on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives. At the COVID-19 Recovery Committee, my coll...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP) SNP
Does Brian Whittle accept that one of the answers that we got at committee was that the number of people who are in hospital with Covid is exceptionally high...
Brian Whittle Con
John Mason is a member of the committee and knows that, according to answers that were given there, although many people are in hospital, the severity of the...
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery (John Swinney) SNP
On scrutiny, I regularly appear in front of the COVID-19 Recovery Committee to explain the necessary measures that the Government has been having to take in ...
Brian Whittle Con
In that case, will Mr Swinney answer the question that I asked him at the COVID-19 Recovery Committee? How would we have benefited if the powers had been in ...
John Swinney SNP
That is a pretty fundamental issue, and it will affect the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Bill that the Parliament will scrutinise fully in the...
The Presiding Officer NPA
The questions on the motions will be put at decision time.