Seòmar agus comataidhean

Amendment 57, in the name of the cabinet secretary, is grouped with amendments 10, 58, 99 and 103.

I call Maggie Chapman to speak to amendment 58 and other amendments in the group.

There will be a division.

Against

Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Con)
Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab)
Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP)
McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)
O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab)
Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP)
Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)

Good morning and welcome to the 25th meeting in 2024 of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. The first item of business is the committee’s consideration of the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill at stage 2, which we started last week. Shirley-Anne Somerville, who is the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, joins us again for this item. Thank you for joining us, cabinet secretary.

I will briefly explain the procedure that we will follow during today’s proceedings. Members should have with them a copy of the bill, the marshalled list and the groupings, which were published on 23 September. For anyone who is observing, those documents are available on the bill page on the Scottish Parliament’s website.

I will call each amendment individually, in the order on the marshalled list, and the member who lodged the amendment should either move it or say “Not moved” when it is called. If that member does not move the amendment, any other member present may move it instead.

The groupings of amendments set out the amendments in the order in which they will be debated. There will be one debate on each group of amendments. In each debate, I will call the member who lodged the first amendment in the group to speak to and move that amendment and to speak to all the other amendments in the group. I will then call other members with amendments in the group to speak to, but not to move, their amendments and to speak to other amendments in the group if they wish to do so.

I will then call any other members who wish to speak in the debate. Members who wish to speak should indicate that by catching my attention or the clerk’s. I will then call the cabinet secretary if she has not already spoken in the debate.

Finally, I will call the member who moved the first amendment in the group to wind up and to indicate whether he or she wishes to press the amendment or to seek to withdraw it. If the amendment is pressed, I will put the question on the amendment. If a member wishes to withdraw an amendment after it has been moved and debated, I will ask whether any member present objects. If there is an objection, I will immediately put the question on the amendment.

Later amendments in a group are not debated again when they are reached on the marshalled list. If they are moved, I will put the question on them straight away. If there is a division, only committee members are entitled to vote. Voting is by a show of hands, and it is important that members keep their hands raised clearly until the clerk has recorded their names. In the event of a tie, as convener, I must exercise a casting vote.

The committee is also required to consider and decide on each section and schedule of the bill and the long title. I will put the question on each of those provisions at the appropriate point.

Section 14—Power to make provision in relation to appointments made by a Minister of the Crown

The question is, that amendment 126 be agreed to. Are we agreed?

Members: No.

There will be a division.

For

Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Con)
McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)

Against

Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab)
Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP)
McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)
O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab)
Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP)
Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)

I invite Jeremy Balfour to speak to amendment 10 and other amendments in the group.

I will now bring in Paul O’Kane.

The result of the division is: For 6, Against 2, Abstentions 0.

Amendment 73 agreed to.

Amendments 74 to 91 moved—[Shirley-Anne Somerville]—and agreed to.

Section 17, as amended, agreed to.

Section 18—Scrutiny of regulations by the Commission

There will be a division.

For

Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Con)
Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab)
McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab)

Against

Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP)
McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)
Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP)
Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)