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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 23 December 2024
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Displaying 1830 contributions

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Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 28 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

That is five years after the previous one, so it is a 10-year process. Will you describe the timescales?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 28 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

How long does—

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 28 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

Why is the Westminster one starting in 2028?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 28 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

Oh—it is eight years. That explains it.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 28 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

The Westminster review cycle is every eight years. It is 15 years for Scotland, and that is for local government areas and in relation to Scottish Parliament elections. Is that right?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 28 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

Yes, that makes perfect sense. That is the clarity that I wanted.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 28 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

I have similar questions on the code of practice. Again, we seem to be doing something different to the UK as a whole and to England and Wales. What is the apparent advantage of changing that?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 28 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

Okay. Does anyone else on the panel have a view on that question?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 28 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

Under the UK legislation, the secretary of state—I do not know which one—is responsible for adding names to the register. Based on what you are saying, are politicians in public office the best people to make those judgments?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 28 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

I would like to hear a response about the consultation on the bill, in the light of the fact that 60 per cent of those who responded were opposed to the Scottish Parliament having increased oversight of the Electoral Commission, due to concerns about the commission’s independence. Can you explain, in a few sentences, how you will continue to demonstrate your robustness as an independent body, given that members of the public who responded to the bill consultation were concerned that too much Parliament would equate to political interference?