Part of Urgent Question – in the Scottish Parliament at 9:30 pm on 28 October 2025.
Angela Constance
Scottish National Party
9:30,
28 October 2025
It is important that we focus on the facts. As Mr Kerr knows—because I specifically wrote to him on the matter—the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill was not the right route. As he well knows, the Government has always been clear that we are prepared to give every consideration to a grooming gangs inquiry if that is assessed as a necessity.
Police Scotland is actively involved right now in reviewing investigations; right now, the child sexual abuse and exploitation national group is working with Police Scotland and people such as Professor Alexis Jay; and right now, the group is reviewing the very important work that was done by Baroness Casey in her audit.
What Mr Kerr proposed would certainly not be analogous with or the same as a national inquiry; his Amendment proposed that the victims and witnesses commissioner—who is still to be established and still to be recruited—do some research at some point further down the line. If there is any reflection to be done, it should be done by Mr Kerr, who has been completely disingenuous about the integrity of the Majority of members of the Parliament, has played politics with child abuse and has dangerously gaslit other members of the Parliament. That is a disgrace.
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 term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.