First Minister’s Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 6 June 2024.
Edward Mountain
Conservative
On 28 May 2020, in Inverness, Dwayne MacLeay and Gary MacKay were killed, and Kimberley Nicholson was violently stabbed. The person who carried out the attack had had contact with Police Scotland, NHS Highland, the Highland Council and the Home Office, each of which appears to have followed its own procedures without liaising with the others. We cannot turn the clock back, but will the Deputy First Minister agree to meeting me and the families to try to find ways to ensure that information about vulnerable individuals is shared between public bodies, so that no similar event can ever occur again?
Kate Forbes
Scottish National Party
The member makes important points about engaging with the families and constantly looking at ways in which public bodies can work together. Without wanting to agree on Angela Constance’s behalf to more meetings than I have agreed to, I think that she would be more than happy to meet Edward Mountain and the families.
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.
