Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 20 December 2023
20 Dec 2023 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Proxy Voting
I am grateful for the intervention, but I do not feel that I can be in agreement even with the sub-statement about abuses of the online system. When members of the Scottish Parliament are sent to this place, they are sent by constituents who entrust in them a promise to represent their constituents to the very best of their abilities. I would struggle with, and indeed find it very difficult to understand, a situation in which a member who sits in this chamber or who—rightly under standing orders—contributes in a hybrid way would abuse that position. To be an MSP carries with it a responsibility, and it would be very disappointing if an individual chose to abuse that responsibility for whatever reason.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-11616, in the name of Martin Whitfield, on behalf of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Co...
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
It has been an afternoon of the minutiae of law and standing orders, and of how places operate. This item is no less important than the stage 3 procedure tha...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
The member has listed reasons why people might not be here. Does he think that there is also a risk of the system being abused, as with the present online sy...
Martin Whitfield
Lab
I am grateful for the intervention, but I do not feel that I can be in agreement even with the sub-statement about abuses of the online system. When members ...
Bob Doris (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP)
SNP
I think that Mr Mason was making a distinction between proxy voting and remote voting, which are two distinct and different things. I support the committee’...
Martin Whitfield
Lab
All the changes that are proposed sit on an iterative basis, because we will never achieve the perfect chamber. It is always going to be a journey—it will be...
Kate Forbes (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP)
SNP
I thank the member for taking a third intervention. I am curious as to whether there is evidence on how we can protect members from sometimes being under pre...
Martin Whitfield
Lab
The member raises a fascinating and interesting problem, which has, to some extent, been handled in both the evidence that we have had and discussions within...