Part of First Minister’s Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 12 December 2024.
John Swinney
Scottish National Party
I hope that, in my original answer, I indicated the seriousness with which I take the issue. The Government will give serious consideration to the matter.
I disagree with Michelle Thomson’s characterisation of the point that I made about non-fatal strangulation already being a criminal offence under the common law of assault. It is a serious criminal offence that carries a maximum penalty of up to life imprisonment. However, the Government will explore the question of the appropriateness of a stand-alone offence.
Michelle Thomson set out many actions that need to be taken. I am very happy for the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs to have a meeting on the matter, and I will obviously be close to the issue.
However, there is one other thing that needs to change, and that is the behaviour of boys and men. Last Thursday afternoon, I took part in a debate in the Parliament on violence against women and girls, because I take deadly seriously my responsibility as a male First Minister of Scotland to make it absolutely clear that the behaviour of boys and men is integral—central—to the experiences of women in our society. We will consider all the measures that we need to take on criminal offences, but I will lead from the front a campaign to say to boys and men in Scotland that their behaviour has got to improve.
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.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
