The Scottish Parliament Starter Task Explain the difference between the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government. Which type of government would be better for Scotland: majority, minority of coalition government? Why?

Today we will… Explain the structure of the Scottish Parliament. Outline the work of the Scottish Government

Success Criteria I will explain the structure of the Scottish Parliament I will be able to outline the work of the Scottish Government

Structure of the Parliament 129 MSPs: 73 Constituency MSPs + 56 Regional MSPs Current Composition of Parliament SNP- 62 Scottish Conservatives-31 Scottish Labour - 22 Scottish Greens – 6 Scottish Liberal Democrats- 5 Independent – 2 Presiding Officer – 1 (the Presiding Officer must give up any Party Affiliation whilst in post)

The work of an MSP The main and most important role of all MSPs is to represent their constituents. They will carry out a variety of duties, both in their local areas and within the Parliament in order to do this. It is worth remembering that whilst MSPs earn a relatively high wage (£62,149 for ordinary MSPs – more for those will official roles), they are frontline PUBLIC SERVANTS. Every MSP must juggle a complex set of responsibilities including representing their constituents, adhering to their political party’s wishes, possible ministerial responsibilities or in-depth committee work and high levels of public scrutiny.

Representing the people of Scotland Minister Questions First Minister Questions Representing the people of Scotland Voting on Bills Committee Work Debate Current Issues

Day to Day in the Scottish Parliament The S.P will usually meet between Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each day follows a similar schedule with a variety of debates, “question times”, committee meetings and private meetings held. First Minister’s Question Time (FMQs) takes place every Thursday at 12pm for 45 minutes. Decision Time occurs every day at 5pm and is the period when most parliamentary votes will occur however, votes can occur at other times when necessary. Voting in the SP is electronic. Committee meetings are held most mornings in the Parliament. Every MSP holds membership of a committee/s EXCEPT those who are government ministers. https://bb.parliament.scot/#20180919 Parliamentary Business Bulletin

The Scottish Government Led by the First Minister - head of the Scottish Government. FM is the leader of the largest party/winning party following an election although technically voted for by MSPs following an election. Current FM is Nicola Sturgeon. Head of the Scottish Cabinet First Minster chooses a cabinet of people called Ministers - each responsible for a particular area. Who’s who in the Scottish Cabinet?

Types of Government Majority Government- when one party gets over half the seats. SNP had 69 seats between 2011-17. Majority Govs. can easily pass laws. Minority Government - A Party gains enough seats to form a government but needs to seek approval from other parties when passing laws. The CURRENT Scottish Gov is an SNP minority (62 MSPs). Coalition- two or more parties join to make the government. Together would have over half the seat. Labour/ Liberal Democrats did this in 1999-2003 and 2003-2007.

Representing the people of Scotland Minister Questions First Minister Questions Representing the people of Scotland Voting on Bills Committee Work Debate Current Issues

MSPs In Parliament Debates - MSPs represent our views by taking part in debates in parliament. Debates can be about new legislation or about changes that MSPs want make to legislation. Debates take place in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish parliament, on Wednesday afternoons and Thursdays. For example, the Scottish Conservatives initiated a debate in September 2018 on national assessments for Primary 1s. Voting - MSPs take part in ‘decision time’. This is when they must vote ‘for’ or ‘against’ new laws that have been proposed or amendments. Each MSP has an electronic keypad on their table in the debating chamber and they simply press a button to vote. The results are often gathered within minutes. Example: voting on issues such as free prescriptions, minimum pricing on alcohol, removing the offensive behaviour at football act. MSPs vote with the interests of their constituents in mind.

MSPs In Parliament First Minister’s Question Time (FMQT) - Leaders of the other parties, and some ‘ordinary’ MSPs have the opportunity to question the First Minister at First Minister’s Question Time. This happens once per week on Thursdays normally starting at 12 noon and can last for around 45 minutes. Opposing parties can use this as an opportunity to expose the shortcomings of the governing party and scrutinise the work of the government. For example, in September 2018 , Ruth Davidson MSP asked the FM about the decrease in the number of school subjects available to pupils in Scottish schools. Anas Sarwar of Labour also asked the FM about contaminated water at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow in September 2018.

MSPs In Parliament Members’ Bills - Each MSP is entitled to introduce 2 bills in each parliamentary session. Around 10% of bills passed are members’ bills. For example, in 2013 the now deceased independent MSP Margo McDonald introduced the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill in an attempt to legalise euthanasia in Scotland – this bill did not become a law. On the other hand, in 2018 John Finnie (Green) introduced a Members’ Bill to make smacking children in Scotland illegal and this bill is expected to become law by 2019.

MSPs In Parliament Committees - Committees are sometimes referred to as the ‘powerhouse’ of Parliament. In other words, this is where much of parliament’s work is completed. Committees meet every Tuesday and Wednesday morning and normally have between 5 – 15 MSPs. Committees take time to scrutinise legislation being discussed in parliament. Committees can hear evidence from experts and ask Government ministers questions. Committees will have a particular subject that they focus on e.g. Health. For example, Ross Greer MSP is a member of the Education and Skills Committee and Shona Robison MSP is a member of the Justice Committee.