Seòmar agus comataidhean

I am doing that typical convener thing of being conscious of time, because I want to raise both the subjective and objective questions about intimidation of candidates, particularly of unsuccessful candidates. Can you give us any insight into the returns that you have had about people’s experience of intimidation?

Are we getting any closer to that understanding or are we still some distance from being able to define and comprehend the situation? Where are we on that journey?

Good morning, and welcome to the 18th meeting in 2023 of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee. We have received no apologies this morning.

Our first agenda item is a decision on whether to take in private items 3 and 4. Item 3 will be consideration of the evidence session that we are about to hold with the Electoral Commission, and item 4 will be consideration of the findings of the proxy voting evaluation. Do we agree to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

I am grateful for that timely synopsis of the report, especially in a year that has been quite active from an electoral point of view, with voter identification and other matters, and certainly with the flurry that occurred only a few days ago, on 1 November, when digital imprints suddenly became the talk of all the corridors up and down the Parliament.

I am glad that you are open for questions. I will kick off in the first instance and refer back to correspondence from 13 September 2023, which highlighted the lateness of the report this year. There has been an apology for its being late and recognition of the pressure that lateness puts on the people who await such things. I am very grateful for that.

The letter said:

“Neither the Commission nor the NAO was sufficiently well-resourced to manage these processes to the timetable originally specified”,

so an extension to the timetable was agreed. Then, as I said, there was an apology that is wholly accepted.

I will aim this at Sean McNally. Could you explain what you mean about the challenge with regard to resourcing? Is it an on-going problem?

Evelyn Tweed, can I come to you?

Do you want to lead off on the next part or on question 6?

Is it short?

It is a different element of the process, I think, which is good.

I want to come in on the question about young people and a phrase that is used in the annual report at page 63, in the section that talks specifically about Scotland. On on-going and future work, you say:

“We will work to further embed democratic education in schools and youth work settings by supporting youth workers, teachers of PSE (Personal and Social Education) and other subjects to use our resources”.

Do you have a consideration or assessment of how well embedded democratic education is in schools?

That is helpful. Thank you.

Very subjectively, I can say that, particularly through girl guides and cadets, young people have wanted to talk to me about democracy in the widest sense. It is not just about schools, which is important.