Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Meeting date: Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Official Report 946KB pdf

Point of Order

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I waited until you returned to your place before raising this.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I waited until you returned to your place before raising this.

Thank you, Ms Baillie.

Thank you, Ms Baillie.

I apologise for not giving you notice, but I have reflected on my colleague Neil Findlay’s previous points of order. I appreciate how difficult the situation is for the corporate body, but it has been publicly reported that the Crown Office wrote to the Scottish Parliament last night, threatening it with contempt of court action on the publication of Alex Salmond’s evidence. Given that the Lord Advocate is in charge of the Crown Office and a member of the Government, he should be invited to make an urgent statement to the Parliament. Considering the significant public interest, will you publish the letter from the Crown Office to the Parliament so that we can understand the restrictions that are being placed on the corporate body?

I apologise for not giving you notice, but I have reflected on my colleague Neil Findlay’s previous points of order. I appreciate how difficult the situation is for the corporate body, but it has been publicly reported that the Crown Office wrote to the Scottish Parliament last night, threatening it with contempt of court action on the publication of Alex Salmond’s evidence. Given that the Lord Advocate is in charge of the Crown Office and a member of the Government, he should be invited to make an urgent statement to the Parliament. Considering the significant public interest, will you publish the letter from the Crown Office to the Parliament so that we can understand the restrictions that are being placed on the corporate body?

I thank Jackie Baillie for the point of order. I recognise the frustration that members are expressing. I know that most members will not be aware of the full context of the matter, because it is a matter of great confidentiality. I will therefore not comment on it specifically. I will, however, bear in mind the request for an urgent statement, and I will consult colleagues on the Parliamentary Bureau. I believe that I now also have a request for an urgent question, which I will have the chance to consider later.

I thank Jackie Baillie for the point of order. I recognise the frustration that members are expressing. I know that most members will not be aware of the full context of the matter, because it is a matter of great confidentiality. I will therefore not comment on it specifically. I will, however, bear in mind the request for an urgent statement, and I will consult colleagues on the Parliamentary Bureau. I believe that I now also have a request for an urgent question, which I will have the chance to consider later.