Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 25 November 2025
25 Nov 2025 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Business Motions
That is perfect.
I was not going to speak in this debate at all, but I thought it disrespectful and, frankly, disgusting for a minister summing up a debate about such important legislation—not just any minister, but the Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans—to be so disrespectful to the Parliament that he did not respond to the points that were made in the debate. I will therefore try to make them again, because there are serious questions that I hope that the minister will use his summing up in this debate to answer.
If the Government first knew about the flaws in its legislation in August, why are we only now, at the end of November, looking at emergency legislation? Which ministers—
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone)
NPA
The next item of business is consideration of business motion S6M-19916, in the name of Graeme Dey, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, on the timetable a...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I call Douglas Ross. 17:10
Douglas Ross (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
Thank you, Presiding Officer. Will you confirm how long I get for this?
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Up to five minutes.
Douglas Ross
Con
That is perfect. I was not going to speak in this debate at all, but I thought it disrespectful and, frankly, disgusting for a minister summing up a debate ...
Christine Grahame (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
SNP
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I thought that the member was speaking against the business motion. I am not quite clear what he is addressing. I ask...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I believe that the member intends speaking against the motion.
Douglas Ross
Con
I do, and I have five minutes. I say to Christine Grahame that all will become very clear at the end of my five minutes. However, it will take longer to get ...
Douglas Ross
Con
They would not be sitting there meekly telling us on the Opposition benches to stop raising those issues—I will give way to John Mason in a moment—and they c...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind)
Ind
I think that I heard Douglas Ross say that the error had cost millions of pounds, but does he accept that it has not cost anything, that correcting it will n...
Douglas Ross
Con
No, I would not accept that. Oh, gosh, they are even clapping. That is how silly some of those SNP MSPs are. If members are applauding that, they do not unde...
Christine Grahame
SNP
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I am listening carefully to the member. I say to him with all due respect that he seems to be talking about the legis...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Yes; the business motion regards the timetable and the procedures for consideration of the non-domestic rates bill.
Douglas Ross
Con
There was nothing respectful about that point of order; it was just to try to interrupt.
Christine Grahame
SNP
It was respectful.
Douglas Ross
Con
Well, you can make another point of order if you think that it was.
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Please always speak through the chair.
Douglas Ross
Con
She was just trying to interrupt my speech. This is what we have got, and it is what we will get for the next couple of days: SNP members telling Opposition ...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I call the minister to respond on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau. 17:16
The Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans (Graeme Dey)
SNP
The Government will give consideration to the point about releasing the information that Mr Ross asked for, but I resent the suggestion that—
Douglas Ross
Con
Will the minister give way?
Graeme Dey
SNP
No, I will not give way, Mr Ross—we have heard more than enough from you. On the point about disrespecting the—Interruption.
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Thank you, Mr Ross.
Graeme Dey
SNP
On the point about allegedly disrespecting the chamber, I took four interventions in my opening speech and I answered each and every one of them, including t...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Let us hear one another.
Graeme Dey
SNP
On the point about the opportunity to interrogate the bill, what is proposed in the motion, and what was approved unanimously by the Parliamentary Bureau ear...
Graeme Dey
SNP
Indeed—oh! The motion proposes a full parliamentary process, with stage 1 taking place tomorrow evening and then a stage 2 and a stage 3. There will be every...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
The question is, that motion S6M-19916, in the name of Graeme Dey, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, on the timetable and procedures for consideration o...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
There will be a division. The vote is closed.
Craig Hoy (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I would have voted no; I thought that my app had frozen but it is now reflecting my intention to vote no.