– in the Scottish Parliament at on 9 November 2023.
Craig Hoy
Conservative
On a point of order, Presiding Officer.
You are responsible for protecting the reputation of Parliament. Last night, it was reported that an MSP racked up a bill of £11,000 through data-roaming charges while on holiday—a tab that has been picked up entirely by the taxpayer. For clarity, that is £65 an hour, 24 hours a day, for the seven days that he was on holiday in far-flung Morocco.
The incident has damaged the reputation of the Scottish Parliament, and it is incumbent on you to repair and defend it. Therefore, I urge you to conduct a full investigation into the matter, including publishing the full bill that was incurred by Mr Matheson, to explore why the Parliament has appeared to break its own rules of a cap of £200 on roaming charges by paying the bill entirely, and exploring whether Mr Matheson has broken any parliamentary rules by claiming for such a large sum. Parliament seeks your advice, and our constituents seek your reassurance.
Alison Johnstone
Green
Thank you, Mr Hoy. Points of order are intended to confirm that correct procedures are or have been followed, therefore that matter is not a point of order. However, if the member wishes to write to me on the matter, I will provide a response.
Martin Whitfield
Labour
On a point of order, Presiding Officer.
Pursuant to rule 8.17 of the standing orders, I seek your guidance on how we can seek, pursuant to rule 13.2, a ministerial statement from the Scottish Government law officers regarding questions and answers that were received during First Minister’s Question Time today. Specific questions have been raised about the redacted and unredacted legal advice that has been sought by the Covid inquiry, and it should be for the law officers to represent what the facts of the case are with regard to the Scottish Government.
The Presiding Officer:
I thank Martin Whitfield for his point of order. Under rule 13.2.2, a Minister wishing to make an urgent statement may give notice to me and, if I consider the matter sufficiently urgent, I can make an adjustment to the business programme. As yet, I have received no such request.
Martin Whitfield
Labour
On a point of order, Presiding Officer.
Are you aware yet of any requests being made by a Scottish Minister to make an urgent statement? [
Interruption
.]
The Presiding Officer:
As I said—perhaps Martin Whitfield did not pick it up—at this point, I have not received any such request.
There will be a short suspension to allow those leaving the chamber and the public gallery to do so before we move to members’ business.
12:50 Meeting suspended.
12:52 On resuming—
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
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.
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.
