Meeting of the Parliament 18 February 2026 [Draft]
I am glad that the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General remain in the chamber for this debate, because it is a request about the Lord Advocate’s time. I hope that she accedes to it, and I will give way if she wishes to intervene at any point.
Many questions that were put to the Lord Advocate were not answered in the past 30 or so minutes. More worryingly than that, I believe that, in breach of our standing orders—although I respect the Presiding Officer’s ruling following my point of order—the Lord Advocate was aware of answers that she could have provided to parliamentarians but she decided not to give them to the Parliament today. She will write to the Parliament later. Therefore, it would be very helpful if we could have a full statement from the Lord Advocate tomorrow.
The amendment to the business motion that I am speaking to seeks a full statement from the Lord Advocate tomorrow, which would then be followed by questions being put to her. Questions still need to be put. For example, I specifically asked the Lord Advocate why, on the same day as she sent a memo to the First Minister, the Crown Office told reporters that it could not receive the same information that the First Minister received. I will give way to the Lord Advocate if she wishes to answer that question now.
Members: Come on!