– in the Scottish Parliament at on 15 September 2020.
Linda Fabiani
Scottish National Party
There are three questions to be put as a result of today’s business. The first question is, that Amendment S5M-22708.2, in the name of Donald Cameron, which seeks to amend motion S5M-22708, in the name of Joe FitzPatrick, on migration and care workers, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
There will be a Division. I will suspend proceedings to allow members in the chamber and those who have joined the meeting virtually through BlueJeans to access the digital voting system.
17:03 Meeting suspended.
17:15 On resuming—
I remind members that the question is, that Amendment S5M-22708.2 in the name of Donald Cameron, be agreed to. Members should cast their votes now.
Jackie Baillie
Labour
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My iPad is not working; I would have voted no.
Division number 1
Decision Time
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
The result of the Division is: For 29, Against 86, Abstentions 0.
Amendment disagreed to.
The next question is, that amendment S5M-22708.1, in the name of David Stewart, which seeks to amend motion S5M-22708, in the name of Joe FitzPatrick, on migration and care workers, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
There will be a Division.
Division number 2
Decision Time
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
The result of the Division is: For 85, Against 29, Abstentions 0.
Amendment agreed to.
The final question is, that motion S5M-22708, in the name of Joe FitzPatrick, on migration and care workers, as amended, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
There will be a Division.
Division number 3
Decision Time
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
The result of the Division is: For 86, Against 29, Abstentions 0.
Motion, as amended, agreed to,
That the Parliament recognises and appreciates the significant contributions to Scotland’s social care sector made by care professionals from all over the world, and particularly the significant contributions made during the COVID-19 pandemic by people who have chosen to make Scotland their home; notes with concern the impact on Scotland’s social care sector of the UK Government’s proposals for a future immigration system from 1 January 2021, and specifically the impact of its proposed salary threshold of £25,600 and the exclusion of social care workers and health support staff from its new Health and Care Visa; considers that the UK Government’s categorisation of many key workers, including care professionals, as “low skilled” does not recognise the social value, importance and skills required to do these crucial roles; notes that inward migration enriches society for the better, helps to sustain public services and makes a vital contribution to key sectors, including social care; recognises that the UK Government’s proposals risk causing serious staff shortages in social care and other sectors; calls on the UK Government to include social care workers on the Shortage Occupation List and within the Health and Care Visa, and to engage with the Scottish Government to develop tailored migration proposals that meet the needs of Scotland’s economy, public services and communities; notes that the average hourly wage for social care workers of £9.79, as reported by the Fair Work Convention in 2019, means that average full-time salaries for social care remain below the proposed Shortage Occupation List threshold; acknowledges that low pay within the social care sector is one of the main reasons for challenges with recruitment and retention in Scotland, and believes that the value of the skilled work done by social care staff must be reflected in their pay and conditions, and that improvements to pay within the sector must be delivered as part of the establishment of a National Care Service.
That concludes decision time. We will shortly move on to a members’ business debate. Would members who are leaving the chamber please do so quietly and take care to observe social distancing at all times.
17:24 Members’ business will be published tomorrow, 16 September 2020, as soon as the text is available.
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.
