Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 11 March 2026 [Draft]
11 Mar 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Business Motions
I rise to challenge the motion and to question whether this is the right way forward for the Parliament. I understand where we are and the issues that we have with timescales. However, as I said on a previous occasion, although the Parliament may genuinely seek to be a Parliament that wants those who have caring responsibilities or who need carers to be involved in proceedings, changing the timetable at this time of the week makes it very difficult for some individuals. I know that there are members who will not be able to be here on Friday because they have caring responsibilities or because they need carers.
I ask the bureau why, when it was looking at the timescales, it factored in a Friday morning? There are a number of us—in fact, I think that there are nine of us now—who are not part of the bureau discussions and who have had no input on the decision.
I look to the next parliamentary session and think that people will be looking at the situation and saying, “If this is going to happen, how will I cope, given my caring responsibilities?”
In the same item of business
21:25
The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone)
NPA
The next item of business is consideration of business motion S6M-21077, in the name of Graeme Dey, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, setting out a busi...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I call Jeremy Balfour.21:26
Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Ind)
Ind
I rise to challenge the motion and to question whether this is the right way forward for the Parliament. I understand where we are and the issues that we hav...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind)
Ind
I largely agree with what Jeremy Balfour is saying, but we are where we are. Does he have a suggestion of when would be a better time for us to meet?
Jeremy Balfour
Ind
I appreciate that we have to meet, but notice is the key factor. Moving business to Monday would have given people more time to get the appropriate care in p...
Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green)
Green
Will the member give way?
Jeremy Balfour
Ind
I will finish this point, and then I will give way.People need notice, because many people cannot change their arrangements at the drop of a hat. I am not su...
Ross Greer
Green
I have real sympathy with the argument that Jeremy Balfour lays out. Frankly, it was obvious at the start of the week that this was going to happen, and a de...
Jeremy Balfour
Ind
I absolutely agree with Ross Greer. If we were to move stage 3 proceedings to Monday, we have the Tuesday the week after, when we are due to finish at 5 o’cl...
Graham Simpson (Central Scotland) (Reform)
Reform
Does Jeremy Balfour agree that attendance is bound to be down on Friday, which makes a mockery of the whole process of what is a very important bill? Does he...
Jeremy Balfour
Ind
I cannot comment on what the attendance will or will not be. All I know is that there will be people who want to be here but cannot be here, because they eit...
Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
SNP
I understand what Mr Balfour is saying, but the reality is quite simply that there is no ideal time for some of us who have to travel further distances. That...
Jeremy Balfour
Ind
I do not want to labour the point at half past 9, but I will respond to Mr Stewart by saying that there is a difference between someone having to travel a di...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
You must wind up, Mr Balfour.
Jeremy Balfour
Ind
I say to Mr Stewart that, yes, we have a job to do, but the trouble is that, if we decide tonight to deal with that business on Friday, we will prevent peopl...
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
Lab
These are, of course, serious and substantial issues that we are being asked to consider. In my view, this is the most consequential member’s bill of the ses...
Edward Mountain (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
This is a difficult problem for the Parliamentary Bureau to wrestle with. I will not be clever and try to suggest all sorts of answers. However, one thing th...
Jackie Baillie
Lab
I agree, but I have not suggested that we do that. There are some evenings when we are not sitting until 10 o’clock that are part of the normal parliamentary...
Douglas Ross (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
I understand and respect the points made by Jeremy Balfour and others. I want to make a few points myself.First, in some of the interventions on Mr Balfour, ...
Ross Greer
Green
Mr Ross said that we were due to debate the bill until 10 o’clock this evening. My understanding is that an hour had already been allocated for multiple Scot...
Douglas Ross
Con
I do not have the business bulletin in front of me, but my understanding is that that was to take place after we reached the 10 o’clock deadline for decision...
Keith Brown (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP)
SNP
Rather than talk about the Parliamentary Bureau and the Government, every single one of us needs to look at ourselves with regard to what we might have done ...
Jeremy Balfour
Ind
Will the member take an intervention?
Keith Brown
SNP
I will just finish the point that I want to make. Friday is the 30th anniversary of the Dunblane tragedy, which is in my constituency. It is odd, of course, ...
Jeremy Balfour
Ind
Again, I do not want to labour this point—well, I am labouring it—but can Keith Brown not see that it is different when someone wants to do their job but is ...
Keith Brown
SNP
I have already conceded the point that I recognise the difficulties that Jeremy Balfour and other members have pointed out, and it is unfortunate that meetin...
Christine Grahame (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
SNP
I am a bit bewildered about the issue of caring responsibilities. I regard Friday as a working day, just as being in the Parliament today and tomorrow are wo...
Paul O’Kane (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Will the member take an intervention?
Christine Grahame
SNP
I will just finish this point, Mr O’Kane. We have had lengthy debates on some amendments, some of which went over and over the same subjects, which made a mo...