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Chamber and committees

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 26 April 2025
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Displaying 2186 contributions

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Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Minister for Parliamentary Business

Meeting date: 23 November 2023

Stephen Kerr

I have one more question about democratic engagement, which is on candidates. One thing that we talked to the Electoral Commission about, which will no doubt be part of our future discussions and debates on the electoral reform bill, was getting people to stand for election at any level of democratic representation. One concern that we discussed with the commission was the level of abuse, intimidation and threat experienced, particularly by women candidates.

Has the Government thought any more about that? I will say publicly that I was disappointed that the Electoral Commission did not really have much in the way of advanced thought on how to counteract that issue. I am deeply worried—I know that you will share this concern, minister—that some really good people who have so much to give in public service just will not do so in the current environment. They do not feel that they can put themselves forward, and we are losing so much talent from the democratic process.

Do you have, or does the Government have, any further thoughts on what we can do to take positive action to encourage people to stand and how we can take the necessary action to reduce the level of intimidation and threat?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Minister for Parliamentary Business

Meeting date: 23 November 2023

Stephen Kerr

Minister, I am interested in hearing a little bit more about why you think that we have that situation in Scotland—as you pointed out—whereby we are not faring as well in the completeness of registrations compared with other parts of the United Kingdom. According to the Electoral Commission, 600,000 to 1 million Scots have not registered. Can you elucidate a bit more about why that is the case? In your discussions with the Electoral Commission yesterday, did you get down to any deep whys?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Minister for Parliamentary Business

Meeting date: 23 November 2023

Stephen Kerr

I agree with you about our working relationship, and I am happy to put it on the official record that I like the minister personally.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Minister for Parliamentary Business

Meeting date: 23 November 2023

Stephen Kerr

I think that it is important that we have that stated very firmly.

The Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election was the first time that voter identification had been part of our voters’ electoral experience, and it went really well. The reports that have come from the returning officer for the by-election are very encouraging. We have exchanged views in the past about voter ID. Are you becoming more reassured that our voters in Scotland prize their vote and understand that showing a little bit of ID is fine?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Minister for Parliamentary Business

Meeting date: 23 November 2023

Stephen Kerr

That was Mid Bedfordshire.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Minister for Parliamentary Business

Meeting date: 23 November 2023

Stephen Kerr

Basically, there was a conversation between you and John-Paul Marks, the permanent secretary.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Minister for Parliamentary Business

Meeting date: 23 November 2023

Stephen Kerr

I recognise that you are representing a significant block of MSPs, but would you personally be interested in ideas that would enhance our debate and allow for a little bit more topicality in how portfolio questions are conducted, for example? You would be interested in seeing how that could be done, would you?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Minister for Parliamentary Business

Meeting date: 23 November 2023

Stephen Kerr

And your homework will be marked later by the Scottish Information Commissioner and others.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Minister for Parliamentary Business

Meeting date: 23 November 2023

Stephen Kerr

I will take those seconds to mention one particular idea that is perhaps more major than some of the other ideas that I have been alluding to: that of having committee conveners elected by Parliament. We have raised that point before. Do you have any current thoughts on that? Everyone is talking about how we can enhance the power of committees, how we can make them even more independent and how we can achieve a certain level of scrutiny and inquiry that we all know that Scotland’s Parliament needs. What are your thoughts on that?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Minister for Parliamentary Business

Meeting date: 23 November 2023

Stephen Kerr

Do you think that the Electoral Commission should do a bit more research on that? At the minute, we all seem to be wringing our hands—rightly so, because the number of people in Scotland who do not voluntarily register to vote means that there is a huge democratic deficit—but none of us seems to know definitively why that is the case. You said that there are many variables. In your opinion, is it important that the Electoral Commission does the research and presents those variables to us, so that we can have an informed, structured discussion about that?