Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee 28 January 2025
Good morning, and welcome to the third meeting in 2025, in session 6, of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee. We have received apologies from Evelyn Tweed, and I welcome Clare Adamson, who is attending as a substitute member. Please note that Pam Gosal joins us online.
Our only public agenda item is continued consideration of the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill at stage 2.
For anyone who is watching, I will reiterate the explanation of the process that I provided at the start of last week’s meeting. Members should have with them a copy of the bill, the marshalled list and the groupings of amendments. Those documents are available on the bill’s web page on the Scottish Parliament’s website.
I will call each amendment individually in the order in which they are listed on the marshalled list. The member who lodged the amendment should either move it or say, “Not moved”, when it is called. If that member does not move the amendment, any other member who is present may do so.
The groupings of amendments document sets out the amendments in the order in which they will be debated. There will be one debate on each group of amendments. In each debate, I will call the member who lodged the first amendment in the group to speak to and move that amendment and to speak to all the other amendments in the group. I will then call other members with amendments in the group to speak to but not to move their amendments and, if they so wish, to speak to other amendments in the group. I will then call any other members who wish to speak in the debate. Members who wish to speak should indicate that by catching my or the clerk’s attention. I will then call the minister if she has not already spoken in the debate.
Finally, I will call the member who moved the first amendment in the group to wind up and to indicate whether he or she wishes to press the amendment or to seek to withdraw it. If the amendment is pressed, I will put the question on it. If a member wishes to withdraw an amendment after it has been moved and debated, I will ask whether any member who is present objects. If there is an objection, I will immediately put the question on the amendment.
Later amendments in a group are not debated again when they are reached. If they are moved, I will put the question on them straight away.
If there is a division, only committee members are entitled to vote. Voting is done by a show of hands, and it is important that members keep their hands raised clearly until the clerk has recorded their names. If there is a tie, I must exercise a casting vote.
The committee is required to consider and decide on each bill section and schedule as well as its long title. I will put the question on each of those provisions at the appropriate point.
I note that our ambition is to conclude our stage 2 consideration of the bill this morning. However, if that does not happen, we will continue our consideration next week.
Section 51—Change of name to the Scottish Legal Services Commission