Kenneth Macintosh
Labour
The first question is, that Amendment S5M-01793.1, in the name of Adam Tomkins, which seeks to amend motion S5M-01793, in the name of Jamie Hepburn, on devolution of employment services, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Members:
No.
The Presiding Officer:
There will be a Division.
Division number 2
Decision Time
The Presiding Officer:
The result of the Division is: For 30, Against 93, Abstentions 0.
Amendment disagreed to.
The next question is, that amendment S5M-01793.3, in the name of Pauline McNeill, which seeks to amend motion S5M-01793, in the name of Jamie Hepburn, on devolution of employment services, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Members:
No.
There will be a division.
Division number 3
Decision Time
The Presiding Officer:
The result of the Division is: For 93, Against 30, Abstentions 0.
Amendment agreed to.
The next question is, that motion S5M-01793, in the name of Jamie Hepburn, on devolution of employment services, as amended, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Members:
No.
There will be a division.
Division number 4
Decision Time
The Presiding Officer:
The result of the Division is: For 92, Against 30, Abstentions 0.
Motion, as amended, agreed to,
That the Parliament welcomes the devolution of employment support programmes under the Scotland Act 2016, with a transitional year of operation from April 2017 and a longer-term programme from 2018 that will reflect fair work and social and economic inclusion, ensure that people are at the heart of a service that treats people with fairness and respect and which will help deliver an inclusive, socially-just, equal and prosperous Scotland; regrets the funding reductions by the UK Government for these employability support services of almost 90% in the first year of devolved services in 2017-18, but notes that the Scottish Government is providing additional resources to ensure continuity of employment support for the most vulnerable in Scottish society, including disabled people; welcomes voluntary access to Scottish devolved services that will support people into work, as opposed to mandatory participation and the threat of benefit sanctions by the Department for Work and Pensions; believes that those who want to work but need extra support are given it and that support should be based on the principles of dignity and respect, not cuts and punitive sanctions; recognises that further action is needed in order to significantly reduce involuntary unemployment and move towards full employment, and calls on the Scottish Government to be bold and innovative in designing Scotland’s future employment services, including a review of the punitive and discredited content and delivery of assessments, as well as identifying the needs of local economies and the ability to tailor employment programmes to suit them.
I propose to put a single question on the nine Parliamentary Bureau motions. The final question is, that motions S5M-01819 to S5M-01827, in the name of Joe FitzPatrick, be agreed to.
Motions agreed to,
That the Parliament agrees that, in relation to First Minister’s Questions on 27 October—
(i) in the first sentence of Rule 13.7.A1 “30 minutes” be replaced with “45 minutes”; and
(ii) in Rule 13.6.2 “6” be replaced with “8”.
That the Parliament agrees that the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Transfer of Functions of the Homeowner Housing Committees) Regulations 2016 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Transfer of Functions of Private Rented Housing Committees) Regulations 2016 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Scottish Tribunals (Offences in Relation to Proceedings) Regulations 2016 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland Housing and Property Chamber and Upper Tribunal for Scotland (Composition) Regulations 2016 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Transfer of Functions of the Homeowner Housing Panel) Regulations 2016 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Transfer of Functions of the Private Rented Housing Panel) Regulations 2016 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Chambers) Regulations 2016 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that for the purpose of allowing the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee to consider the package of Scottish Statutory Instruments laid under the Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 2016 on 21 September 2016, the second sentence of Rule 10.3.2 of Standing Orders be suspended.
That concludes decision time.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
The House of Commons votes by dividing. Those voting Aye (yes) to any proposition walk through the division lobby to the right of the Speaker and those voting no through the lobby to the left. In each of the lobbies there are desks occupied by Clerks who tick Members' names off division lists as they pass through. Then at the exit doors the Members are counted by two Members acting as tellers. The Speaker calls for a vote by announcing "Clear the Lobbies". In the House of Lords "Clear the Bar" is called. Division Bells ring throughout the building and the police direct all Strangers to leave the vicinity of the Members’ Lobby. They also walk through the public rooms of the House shouting "division". MPs have eight minutes to get to the Division Lobby before the doors are closed. Members make their way to the Chamber, where Whips are on hand to remind the uncertain which way, if any, their party is voting. Meanwhile the Clerks who will take the names of those voting have taken their place at the high tables with the alphabetical lists of MPs' names on which ticks are made to record the vote. When the tellers are ready the counting process begins - the recording of names by the Clerk and the counting of heads by the tellers. When both lobbies have been counted and the figures entered on a card this is given to the Speaker who reads the figures and announces "So the Ayes [or Noes] have it". In the House of Lords the process is the same except that the Lobbies are called the Contents Lobby and the Not Contents Lobby. Unlike many other legislatures, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have not adopted a mechanical or electronic means of voting. This was considered in 1998 but rejected. Divisions rarely take less than ten minutes and those where most Members are voting usually take about fifteen. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P9 at the UK Parliament site.
The House of Commons votes by dividing. Those voting Aye (yes) to any proposition walk through the division lobby to the right of the Speaker and those voting no through the lobby to the left. In each of the lobbies there are desks occupied by Clerks who tick Members' names off division lists as they pass through. Then at the exit doors the Members are counted by two Members acting as tellers. The Speaker calls for a vote by announcing "Clear the Lobbies". In the House of Lords "Clear the Bar" is called. Division Bells ring throughout the building and the police direct all Strangers to leave the vicinity of the Members’ Lobby. They also walk through the public rooms of the House shouting "division". MPs have eight minutes to get to the Division Lobby before the doors are closed. Members make their way to the Chamber, where Whips are on hand to remind the uncertain which way, if any, their party is voting. Meanwhile the Clerks who will take the names of those voting have taken their place at the high tables with the alphabetical lists of MPs' names on which ticks are made to record the vote. When the tellers are ready the counting process begins - the recording of names by the Clerk and the counting of heads by the tellers. When both lobbies have been counted and the figures entered on a card this is given to the Speaker who reads the figures and announces "So the Ayes [or Noes] have it". In the House of Lords the process is the same except that the Lobbies are called the Contents Lobby and the Not Contents Lobby. Unlike many other legislatures, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have not adopted a mechanical or electronic means of voting. This was considered in 1998 but rejected. Divisions rarely take less than ten minutes and those where most Members are voting usually take about fifteen. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P9 at the UK Parliament site.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
