Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Official Report 1029KB pdf

Members’ Expenses Scheme

The next item of business is consideration of motion S6M-09249, in the name of Jackson Carlaw, on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, on the reimbursement of members’ expenses scheme.

I realise that there is not much that can excite the blood this late on a summer afternoon, but I hope that a change to the members’ expenses scheme will be just the ticket.

I rise to move the motion on behalf of the corporate body. Members will be aware that they are able to transfer up to £5,000 from their engagement provision to their office cost provision or from their office cost provision to their engagement provision. However, although the office cost provision and the engagement provision have risen by the appropriate inflation index, the amount that can be transferred has not. As a consequence, the real value of the sum that can be transferred has been declining each year.

Members have brought the matter to the attention of the corporate body. It seems a reasonable request that that index should also be uprated by inflation. The consequence of passing the motion today will be that the sum that can be transferred in the current year, on which some members rely, will increase from £5,000 to £6,060, and by an inflationary sum in subsequent years.

It is revenue neutral to Parliament and all within the umbrella of the overall provision that members have, but it introduces a degree of flexibility that I hope that members will welcome and support.

I move,

That the Parliament, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 81(2), 81(5)(b) and 83(5) of the Scotland Act 1998, determines that the Reimbursement of Members’ Expenses Scheme, which was agreed to by resolution of the Parliament on 2 March 2021, be amended to—

(a) insert, in paragraph 1.2.4, after “considers appropriate.” and before “Such increases”—

“Any such uprating shall also be applied to the limit on the amount by which Members may vary their office cost and engagement provisions up or down subject to the overall agreed combined annual limit, as set out in paragraph 4.3.1 and 5.1.3.”

(b) insert, in the second sentence of paragraph 4.3.1 after “financial year,” and before “subject to”—

“or by such sum as determined following the uprating of the variation limit applied under paragraph 1.2.4,”

(c) insert, in the second sentence of paragraph 5.1.3 after “financial year,” and before “subject to”—

“or by such sum as determined following the uprating of the variation limit applied under paragraph 1.2.4,”

The question on the motion will be put at decision time.