– in the Scottish Parliament at 5:40 pm on 10 December 2025.
Alison Johnstone
Green
5:40,
10 December 2025
There are nine questions to be put as a result of today’s business. I remind members that, if the Amendment in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville is agreed to, the amendment in the name of Claire Baker will fall.
The first question is, that amendment S6M-20056.3, in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville, which seeks to amend motion S6M-20056, in the name of Alexander Stewart, on controlling the rising benefits bill in Scotland, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Alison Johnstone
Green
There will be a Division. Members should cast their votes now.
The vote is closed.
Kenneth Gibson
Scottish National Party
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I could not connect to the voting system. I would have voted yes.
Alison Johnstone
Green
Thank you, Mr Gibson. We will ensure that that is recorded.
Division number 2
Decision Time
Alison Johnstone
Green
5:40,
10 December 2025
The result of the Division on Amendment S6M-20056.3, in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville, is: For 68, Against 49, Abstentions 5.
Amendment agreed to.
Alison Johnstone
Green
Therefore, the Amendment in the name of Claire Baker falls.
The next question is, that motion S6M-20056, in the name of Alexander Stewart, on controlling the rising benefits bill in Scotland, as amended, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Alison Johnstone
Green
There will be a Division.
Division number 3
Decision Time
Alison Johnstone
Green
5:40,
10 December 2025
The result of the Division on motion S6M-20056, in the name of Alexander Stewart, on controlling the rising benefits bill in Scotland, as amended, is: For 72, Against 29, Abstentions 21.
Motion, as amended, agreed to,
That the Parliament reaffirms its commitment to the social security principles contained in the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 and unanimously adopted by the Parliament, including that social security is an investment in the people of Scotland and is itself a human right; welcomes the abolition of the two-child limit across the UK; calls on the UK Labour administration to go further and scrap other damaging welfare reforms implemented by the previous UK administration, including the benefit cap, and supports the Scottish Government's commitment to reinvest funding to end the two-child limit in further measures to tackle child poverty in Scotland.
Alison Johnstone
Green
I remind members that, if the Amendment in the name of Fiona Hyslop is agreed to, the amendment in the name of Daniel Johnson will fall.
The next question is, that amendment S6M-20057.3, in the name of Fiona Hyslop, which seeks to amend motion S6M-20057, in the name of Sue Webber, on connecting Scotland, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Alison Johnstone
Green
There will be a Division.
The vote is closed.
Kenneth Gibson
Scottish National Party
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I could not connect, again. I would have voted yes.
Alison Johnstone
Green
Thank you, Mr Gibson. We will ensure that that is recorded.
Division number 4
Decision Time
Alison Johnstone
Green
5:40,
10 December 2025
The result of the Division on Amendment S6M-20057.3, in the name of Fiona Hyslop, is: For 60, Against 60, Abstentions 2.
The vote on the amendment is therefore tied. As is usual when the Parliament has not been able to reach a decision, I am obliged to exercise a casting vote. I will not make a decision for the Parliament. As members will be aware, the established convention is to vote in favour of the status quo, because the chair is required to maintain impartiality. I therefore cast my vote against the amendment.
Amendment disagreed to.
Alison Johnstone
Green
The next question is, that Amendment S6M-20057.1, in the name of Daniel Johnson, which seeks to amend motion S6M-20057, in the name of Sue Webber, on connecting Scotland, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Alison Johnstone
Green
There will be a Division.
Division number 5
Decision Time
Alison Johnstone
Green
The next question is, that Amendment S6M-20057.2, in the name of Mark Ruskell, which seeks to amend motion S6M-20057, in the name of Sue Webber, on connecting Scotland, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Alison Johnstone
Green
There will be a Division.
Division number 6
Decision Time
Alison Johnstone
Green
The next question is, that motion S6M-20057, in the name of Sue Webber, on connecting Scotland, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Division number 7
Decision Time
Alison Johnstone
Green
5:40,
10 December 2025
The result of the Division on motion S6M-20057, in the name of Sue Webber, on connecting Scotland, is: For 34, Against 87, Abstentions 1.
Motion disagreed to.
Alison Johnstone
Green
The next question is, that motion S6M-20070, in the name of Graeme Dey, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, on the approval of a Scottish statutory instrument, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Division number 8
Decision Time
Alison Johnstone
Green
5:40,
10 December 2025
The result of the Division on motion S6M-20070, in the name of Graeme Dey, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, on the approval of an SSI, is: For 87, Against 32, Abstentions 1.
Motion agreed to,
That the Parliament agrees that the Rural Support (Improvement) (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) (No 2) Regulations 2025 [draft] be approved.
Alison Johnstone
Green
The next question is, that motion S6M-20071, on the approval of an SSI, and motion S6M-20072, on committee membership, in the name of Graeme Dey, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, be agreed to.
Motions agreed to,
That the Parliament agrees that the Sheep Carcase (Classification and Price Reporting) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that—
Paul O’Kane be appointed as a member of the Education, Children and Young People Committee; and
Claire Baker be appointed to replace Michael Marra as a member of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee.
Alison Johnstone
Green
That concludes decision time.
Members’ business will be published tomorrow, 11 December 2025, as soon as the text is available.
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 House of Commons votes by dividing. Those voting Aye (yes) to any proposition walk through the division lobby to the right of the Speaker and those voting no through the lobby to the left. In each of the lobbies there are desks occupied by Clerks who tick Members' names off division lists as they pass through. Then at the exit doors the Members are counted by two Members acting as tellers. The Speaker calls for a vote by announcing "Clear the Lobbies". In the House of Lords "Clear the Bar" is called. Division Bells ring throughout the building and the police direct all Strangers to leave the vicinity of the Members’ Lobby. They also walk through the public rooms of the House shouting "division". MPs have eight minutes to get to the Division Lobby before the doors are closed. Members make their way to the Chamber, where Whips are on hand to remind the uncertain which way, if any, their party is voting. Meanwhile the Clerks who will take the names of those voting have taken their place at the high tables with the alphabetical lists of MPs' names on which ticks are made to record the vote. When the tellers are ready the counting process begins - the recording of names by the Clerk and the counting of heads by the tellers. When both lobbies have been counted and the figures entered on a card this is given to the Speaker who reads the figures and announces "So the Ayes [or Noes] have it". In the House of Lords the process is the same except that the Lobbies are called the Contents Lobby and the Not Contents Lobby. Unlike many other legislatures, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have not adopted a mechanical or electronic means of voting. This was considered in 1998 but rejected. Divisions rarely take less than ten minutes and those where most Members are voting usually take about fifteen. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P9 at the UK Parliament site.
The House of Commons votes by dividing. Those voting Aye (yes) to any proposition walk through the division lobby to the right of the Speaker and those voting no through the lobby to the left. In each of the lobbies there are desks occupied by Clerks who tick Members' names off division lists as they pass through. Then at the exit doors the Members are counted by two Members acting as tellers. The Speaker calls for a vote by announcing "Clear the Lobbies". In the House of Lords "Clear the Bar" is called. Division Bells ring throughout the building and the police direct all Strangers to leave the vicinity of the Members’ Lobby. They also walk through the public rooms of the House shouting "division". MPs have eight minutes to get to the Division Lobby before the doors are closed. Members make their way to the Chamber, where Whips are on hand to remind the uncertain which way, if any, their party is voting. Meanwhile the Clerks who will take the names of those voting have taken their place at the high tables with the alphabetical lists of MPs' names on which ticks are made to record the vote. When the tellers are ready the counting process begins - the recording of names by the Clerk and the counting of heads by the tellers. When both lobbies have been counted and the figures entered on a card this is given to the Speaker who reads the figures and announces "So the Ayes [or Noes] have it". In the House of Lords the process is the same except that the Lobbies are called the Contents Lobby and the Not Contents Lobby. Unlike many other legislatures, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have not adopted a mechanical or electronic means of voting. This was considered in 1998 but rejected. Divisions rarely take less than ten minutes and those where most Members are voting usually take about fifteen. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P9 at the UK Parliament site.
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.
