Hansard

On behalf of the members of the Parliamentary Bureau, both past and present, I have great pleasure in taking the opportunity to say a few words before you go into your semi-retirement—like other members, I am sure that it will be no more than that.

As colleagues know, Sir David, for the first couple of years of this Parliament I had the honour of being one of those who assisted you in chairing meetings of the Parliament and in your other duties. I therefore have a unique vantage point from which to view your work and your contribution. I should probably say that a number of members have asked me if I am going to reveal at this point whether a certain conversation on the subject of whether the Presiding Officer should wear robes ever actually took place. I can assure you that my lips are sealed—on that question at least. We are politicians going into an election period, after all.

My office was keen to press-release my contribution in advance of the debate. I have to admit that I was a little unsure about that, and I decided to take some advice from my colleague, Angus MacKay. [Laughter.] Angus advised me in no uncertain terms that it was probably not very wise to issue such a press release today.

But seriously, I know that my fellow business managers, past and present, have very much appreciated your fairness and even-handedness in chairing the Parliamentary Bureau, a body that is often regarded by colleagues who have not had the privilege of serving on it as being some kind of secretive club—which we know is not the case. You have helped to make the bureau what it is today. This might come as a surprise to some colleagues, but it is usually a consensual body; more often than not we find ourselves in agreement.

The whole Parliament admires the way in which you have persisted, often in the face of criticism, steadfastly to maintain the integrity of the Enric Miralles design for the new Parliament building. The Parliament also admires the personal interest that you have taken in that project, as chair of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, over the past four years. As an ambassador for the Parliament, you have worked tirelessly, visiting other Parliaments and organisations abroad and welcoming visitors from abroad to this new Parliament.

I believe that the Parliament has developed well in its short life, and that all its members have played a role in that development. The role of its Presiding Officer has been particularly important in shaping it. It seems absolutely no time at all since the day, almost four years ago, that you were elected to the office of Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament. Most of us had very little idea at that time about what the job of the Presiding Officer would actually entail, or about how it would fit into the overall life of the Parliament. It is the mark of the way in which you have developed that post that anyone aspiring to the role in future will have absolutely no doubt as to what is required of them. The post requires a leader. It requires someone who is approachable, someone with dignity, someone who can act with fairness at all times, and whose commitment to the Parliament is unstinting.

We thank you, Sir David, as well as George Reid, Murray Tosh and all the staff who have assisted you in your role, for the dedication that you have shown to the role of Presiding Officer and to this new Parliament. I have great pleasure in supporting the motion before us.