Kenneth Macintosh
Labour
I remind members that, if the Amendment in Maureen Watt’s name is agreed to, the amendment in Annie Wells’s name will fall.
The question is, that amendment S5M-12706.4, in the name of Maureen Watt, which seeks to amend motion S5M-12706, in the name of Alex Cole-Hamilton, on health, 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 62, Abstentions 0.
As members will know, I have cast my vote against amendments in such situations before, so I will vote against the Amendment.
Amendment disagreed to.
The next question is, that amendment S5M-12706.1, in the name of Annie Wells, which seeks to amend motion S5M-12706, in the name of Alex Cole-Hamilton, on health, be agreed to.
Amendment agreed to.
The next question is, that amendment S5M-12706.2, in the name of Anas Sarwar, which seeks to amend motion S5M-12706, in the name of Alex Cole-Hamilton, on health, be agreed to.
Amendment agreed to.
The next question is, that motion S5M-12706, in the name of Alex Cole-Hamilton, on health, as amended, 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 0, Abstentions 62.
Motion, as amended, agreed to,
That the Parliament believes that there is currently a mental health crisis in Scotland; deeply regrets that, in the two years since the appointment of the first dedicated mental health Minister, published measures of services have shown a serious and sustained decline, including worsening waits for children, adolescents and adults requiring treatment; calls on the Scottish Government to refocus on prevention and early Intervention through improved front-line support, including the roll-out of national mental health teacher-training, improved secondary school counselling provision and the placement of specialist mental health support in every GP practice and hub; recognises that there is still no new suicide strategy, despite it being over 500 days since the last one expired, and that the mental health strategy that will set the tone for services for a decade was published 15 months late and was widely criticised for its lack of ambition; considers that hard-working staff do not have the resources and support that they require to deliver the service that they would wish; demands that the Scottish Government publish plans detailing how it will improve performance against key targets and that the next Programme for Government delivers a step change in both ambition for and investment in mental health; notes the results of the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey, which suggest that at least half of people in Scotland feel that poorer health is a result of an ‘unjust society’ and believes that inequality and poverty have a significant impact on mental health; believes that societal and economic reforms are needed to reduce many drivers of poor mental health; further believes that early intervention is vital if the country is to see a generational shift and that, as part of that, there should be access to a mental health counsellor in every school, and recognises that suicide prevention strategies should be implemented at a local level, with funding ring-fenced, and that any new framework on suicide prevention should have sufficient resources, workforce, governance and leadership.
I remind members that, if the Amendment in Derek Mackay’s name is agreed to, the amendments in the names of Murdo Fraser, James Kelly and Patrick Harvie will fall.
The next question is, that amendment S5M-12708.4, in the name of Derek Mackay, which seeks to amend motion S5M-12708, in the name of Willie Rennie, on finance and the constitution, 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 68, Against 56, Abstentions 0.
Amendment agreed to.
The amendments in the names of Murdo Fraser, James Kelly and Patrick Harvie fall.
The next question is, that motion S5M-12708, in the name of Willie Rennie, on finance and the constitution, as amended, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
The Presiding Officer:
There will be a Division.
Division number 4
Decision Time
The Presiding Officer:
The result of the Division is: For 67, Against 56, Abstentions 0.
Motion, as amended, agreed to.
That the Parliament agrees that independence is best for Scotland’s future, and recognises that Brexit is a major threat to Scotland’s economy, society and environment.
I propose to ask a single question on four Parliamentary Bureau motions.
As no members object, the question is, that motions S5M-12742 to S5M-12745, in the name of Joe FitzPatrick, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, on approval of Scottish statutory instruments, be agreed to.
Motions agreed to,
That the Parliament agrees that the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2018 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Scottish Fiscal Commission (Modification of Functions) Regulations 2018 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the ILF Scotland (Miscellaneous Listings) Order 2018 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Community Care (Personal Care and Nursing Care) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2018 [draft] be approved.
The final question is, that motion S5M-12741, in the name of Joe FitzPatrick, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, on approval of a Scottish statutory instrument, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
The Presiding Officer:
There will be a Division.
Division number 5
Decision Time
The Presiding Officer:
The result of the Division is: For 103, Against 21, Abstentions 0.
Motion agreed to,
That the Parliament agrees that the Community Right to Buy (Abandoned, Neglected or Detrimental Land) (Eligible Land, Regulators and Restrictions on Transfers and Dealing) (Scotland) Regulations 2018 [draft] be approved.
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.
An intervention is when the MP making a speech is interrupted by another MP and asked to 'give way' to allow the other MP to intervene on the speech to ask a question or comment on what has just been said.
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.
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.
