Kenneth Macintosh
Labour
There are six questions to be put as a result of today’s business. The first question is, that Amendment S5M-04324.1, in the name of Donald Cameron, which seeks to amend motion S5M-04324, in the name of Shona Robison, on the Scottish patient safety programme, be agreed to.
Amendment agreed to.
The Presiding Officer:
The next question is, that Amendment S5M-04324.2, in the name of Anas Sarwar, which seeks to amend motion S5M-04324, in the name of Shona Robison, on the Scottish patient safety programme, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
The Presiding Officer:
There will be a Division.
Division number 1
Decision Time
The Presiding Officer:
The result of the Division is: For 62, Against 61, Abstentions 0.
Amendment agreed to.
The next question is, that amendment S5M-04324.3, in the name of Alex Cole-Hamilton, which seeks to amend motion S5M-04324, in the name of Shona Robison, on the Scottish patient safety programme, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
The Presiding Officer:
There will be a Division.
Division number 2
Decision Time
The Presiding Officer:
The result of the Division is: For 62, Against 61, Abstentions 0.
Amendment agreed to.
The next question is, that motion S5M-04324, in the name of Shona Robison, on the Scottish patient safety programme, as amended, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
The Presiding Officer:
There will be a Division.
Division number 3
Decision Time
The Presiding Officer:
The result of the Division is: For 62, Against 61, Abstentions 0.
Motion, as amended, agreed to,
That the Parliament recognises that the work of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme, which is the first programme of its kind to be implemented on a national basis, is world leading and represents the international benchmark for safe care; notes the efforts of the many staff throughout the NHS in a variety of care settings all over the country to ensure that the people of Scotland can undergo safe and effective treatment; acknowledges the huge challenges that face the NHS in meeting the demands of an ageing population and those of integrating health and social care services; recognises the role that innovative improvement approaches can play in helping to meet those challenges; notes that staffing levels are essential to patient safety; believes that, across a range of clinical specialities and across the country, the NHS is facing severe workforce and staffing issues; therefore believes that to sustain further progress on patient safety, further action on staffing must be a priority; thanks Scotland’s health and care staff for all that they do, but understands from listening to the workforce that services are facing a situation in which demand is often outstripping supply, with rising vacancy rates in key areas, key standards missed and a situation that the BMA Scotland has described as being ‘near breaking point’, and believes that action to reduce harmful and avoidable incidents would be strengthened by ending the NHS recruitment crisis, following warnings from frontline professionals that shortages pose a risk to patient safety, developing a national falls strategy and delivering a step change in mental health services.
The next question is, that legislative consent motion S5M-03924, in the name of Michael Matheson, on the United Kingdom Criminal Finances Bill, be agreed to.
Motion agreed to,
That the Parliament agrees that the relevant provisions of the Criminal Finances Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 13 October 2016, relating to amendments to the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, so far as these matters fall within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament or alter the executive competence of the Scottish Ministers, should be considered by the UK Parliament.
The next question is, that Parliamentary Bureau motions S5M-04332, S5M-04333 and S5M-04335, on approval of Scottish statutory instruments, be agreed to.
Motions agreed to,
That the Parliament agrees that the Continuing Care (Scotland) Amendment Order 2017 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Scottish Landfill Tax (Standard Rate and Lower Rate) Order 2017 be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 (Modification) Regulations 2017 [draft] be approved.
Meeting closed at 17:04.
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.
The House of Commons is one of the houses of parliament. Here, elected MPs (elected by the "commons", i.e. the people) debate. In modern times, nearly all power resides in this house. In the commons are 650 MPs, as well as a speaker and three deputy speakers.
