First Minister’s Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 12 December 2024.
Clare Haughey
Scottish National Party
I am sure that the First Minister shared my surprise that, last night, Anas Sarwar voted with the Conservatives against the Scottish National Party Government’s budget—[Interruption.]
Alison Johnstone
Green
Thank you, members.
Clare Haughey
Scottish National Party
—which will mitigate Westminster Labour’s cut to winter fuel payments for pensioners and the callous two-child cap. The rest of the Labour group backed those two policies, which will right the party’s wrongs. Does the First Minister agree that, if Labour members want to tackle child poverty and support our pensioners, they should support the budget, with or without their leader?
Alison Johnstone
Green
I call the First Minister on matters for which he has general responsibility.
John Swinney
Scottish National Party
Of all the things that I have ever thought about Anas Sarwar, I have never had him down as a rebel, but every day is a day of difference.
Members will perhaps hear that I am gently encouraging the Labour Party to get behind our budget, because it will do very good things for Scotland. Given that it now looks pretty obvious that the Conservatives are implacably opposed to the sensible investments in strengthening local authority services and the health service, I encourage the Labour Party to get in behind us.
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 Conservatives are a centre-right political party in the UK, founded in the 1830s. They are also known as the Tory party.
With a lower-case ‘c’, ‘conservative’ is an adjective which implies a dislike of change, and a preference for traditional values.
