Alison Johnstone
Green
There are nine questions to be put as a result of today’s business. The first question is, that Amendment S6M-08954.3, in the name of Kevin Stewart, which seeks to amend motion S6M-08954, in the name of Alex Rowley, on access to bus services, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Members:
No.
The Presiding Officer:
There will be a Division.
There will be a short suspension to allow members to access the digital voting system.
17:29 Meeting suspended.
17:31 On resuming—
The question is, that Amendment S6M-08954.3, in the name of Kevin Stewart, be agreed to. Members should cast their votes now.
Division number 1
Decision Time
The Presiding Officer:
There will be a Division.
Division number 2
Decision Time
The Presiding Officer:
The result of the Division on Amendment S6M-08954.2, in the name of Graham Simpson, is: For 53, Against 64, Abstentions 0.
Amendment disagreed to.
The next question is, that motion S6M-08954, in the name of Alex Rowley, on access to bus services, 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 on motion S6M-08954, in the name of Alex Rowley, on access to bus services, as amended, is: For 64, Against 52, Abstentions 0.
Motion, as amended, agreed to,
That the Parliament believes that reliable, accessible and affordable public transport is a key lifeline service in Scotland; believes that public investment in passenger transport should deliver value for money, environmental and social benefits; supports the vision outlined in the policy prospectus, Equality, Opportunity, Community, for a public transport system that is more accessible, available and affordable; notes the success of the concessionary bus travel schemes, which now offer free bus travel to 2.6 million people, with over two thirds of young people under 22 now holding the National Entitlement Card, making over 62 million journeys to date; agrees that bus services should serve the needs of local communities; notes the introduction of provisions under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, which will empower local authorities with the flexible tools that they need to respond to their own transport challenges, coupled with funding that allows local authorities to develop new ways of supporting bus development; recognises the key role of bus services in decarbonising transport and therefore welcomes the recent second tranche of zero emissions bus funding, and commends all of the staff involved in sustaining bus services over the last three years.
The question is, that Amendment S6M-08955.3, in the name of Maree Todd, which seeks to amend motion S6M-08955, in the name of Jackie Baillie, on tackling Scotland’s mental health crisis, 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 on Amendment S6M-08955.3, in the name of Maree Todd, is: For 64, Against 53, Abstentions 0.
Amendment agreed to.
The next question is, that amendment S6M-08955.1, in the name of Sue Webber, which seeks to amend motion S6M-08955, in the name of Jackie Baillie, on tackling Scotland’s mental health crisis, 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 on Amendment S6M-08955.1, in the name of Sue Webber, is: For 53, Against 64, Abstentions 0.
Amendment disagreed to.
The next question is, that motion S6M-08955, in the name of Jackie Baillie, on tackling Scotland’s mental health crisis, as amended, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
The Presiding Officer:
There will be a Division.
Division number 6
Decision Time
The Presiding Officer:
The result of the Division on motion S6M-08955, in the name of Jackie Baillie, on tackling Scotland’s mental health crisis, as amended, is: For 64, Against 53, Abstentions 0.
Motion, as amended, agreed to,
That the Parliament acknowledges Mental Health Awareness Week; understands that many people are struggling with their mental health and wellbeing, so welcomes this debate as an important opportunity to talk openly about issues such as anxiety; recognises the cumulative impact that the COVID-19 pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine, Brexit and the cost of living crisis have had on the mental wellbeing of children, young people and adults across the country; welcomes the fact that mental health spending has doubled in cash terms from £651 million in 2006-07 to £1.3 billion in 2021-22, and that, as a result of that investment, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and psychological therapies staffing has more than doubled; acknowledges that the Scottish Government has exceeded its commitment to fund over 800 additional mental health workers in settings such as A&E departments, GP practices, police custody suites and prisons; notes the aims to increase mental health staffing further, but recognises that supporting wider community resilience is as important as enhancing NHS capacity; welcomes, therefore, the fact that, between July and December 2022, more than 45,000 children, young people and their family members across Scotland accessed community-based mental health support; acknowledges the benefit of the 3,300 grants provided to grassroots community organisations through the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults in the past two years, with a further £15 million of investment confirmed for 2023-24; notes that, since its launch in 2017, the Distress Brief Intervention programme has provided support to over 40,000 people; recognises that every death lost to suicide is an enormous tragedy, which leaves devastating and long-lasting impacts on families, friends and communities; supports the aims of the work being driven forward by a wide range of partners as a result of the Scottish Government and COSLA's Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan, published in 2022, and believes that these efforts will be enhanced by the publication in June 2023 of a new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which will focus on further action required to support mental health and wellbeing.
The next question is, that motion S6M-08946, in the name of Martin Whitfield, on the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee’s 10th report in 2023, session 6, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
The Presiding Officer:
There will be a Division.
Division number 7
Decision Time
The Presiding Officer:
The result of the Division on motion S6M-08946, in the name of Martin Whitfield, on the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee’s 10th report in 2023, session 6, is: For 99, Against 11, Abstentions 1.
Motion agreed to,
That the Parliament notes the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee's 10th Report, 2023 (Session 6), Complaint against Maggie Chapman MSP (SP Paper 366), and agrees to impose the sanction recommended in the report that Maggie Chapman MSP be excluded from the first meeting of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee that is held after this motion is agreed.
I propose to ask a single question on 10 Parliamentary Bureau motions, in the name of George Adam
. As no member has objected, the question is, that motion S6M-09004, on Committee of the Regions membership, motions S6M-09005 to S6M-09009, on the approval of Scottish statutory instruments, motions S6M-09010 to S6M-09012, on the designation of lead committees, and motion S6M-09013, on committee membership, be agreed to.
Motions agreed to,
That the Parliament agrees to appoint Alasdair Allan as a full member and Neil Bibby as an alternate member of the Committee of the Regions UK Contact Group and to nominate Ben Macpherson as a full member and Maurice Golden as an alternate member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
That the Parliament agrees that the Environmental Standards Scotland air quality investigation - Scottish Government improvement plan (SG/2023/75) be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 (Consequential Modifications, Saving and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2023 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board (Gender Representation on Public Boards) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Allocation of Functions to the General Regulatory Chamber) Regulations 2023 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland General Regulatory Chamber and Upper Tribunal for Scotland (Composition and Rules of Procedure) (Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2023 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Economy and Fair Work Committee be designated as the lead committee in consideration of the Bankruptcy and Diligence (Scotland) Bill at stage 1.
That the Parliament agrees that the Criminal Justice Committee be designated as the lead committee in consideration of the legislative consent memorandum in relation to the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill (UK Legislation).
That the Parliament agrees that the Criminal Justice Committee be designated as the lead committee in consideration of the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill at stage 1.
That the Parliament agrees that Keith Brown be appointed to replace Kenneth Gibson as a member of the Finance and Public Administration Committee.
The final question is, that motion S6M-08907, in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville, on approval of an SSI, be agreed to.
Motion agreed to,
That the Parliament recommends that the Social Security (Residence Requirements) (Sudan) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 [draft] be approved.
Members’ business will be published tomorrow, 17 May 2023, 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.
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.
An international organisation of member states (45 at the time of writing) in the European region; not to be confused with the Council of the European Union, nor the European Council.
Founded on 5 May, 1949 by the Treaty of London, and currently seated in Strasbourg, membership is open to all European states which accept the princple of the rule of law and guarantee fundamental human rights and freedoms to their citizens. In 1950, this body created the European Convention on Human Rights, which laid out the foundation principles and basis on which the European Court of Human Rights stands.
Today, its primary activities include charters on a range of human rights, legal affairs, social cohesion policies, and focused working groups and charters on violence, democracy, and a range of other areas.
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.
