Elected conveners should be part of wider reforms, MSPs conclude

The case has not been made for the introduction of elected conveners for Holyrood committees as a standalone reform, ahead of wider changes to the committee system. So concludes one of the committees concerned, the Standards, Procedures & Public Appointments (SPPA) Committee, in a report published today.

Tricia Marwick, the Presiding Officer, had asked the committee was asked to consider the case for having conveners elected by the whole Parliament, as part of her reform work aimed at strengthening Parliament’s procedures. However, the MSPs believe there are wider issues of committee reform which need to be considered first.

Their report notes that a similar move to elected conveners for House of Commons select committees at Westminster is regarded as having been a success, but points out that such committees have a different, and non-legislative, role compared with Holyrood committees. 

"Much of the evidence concluded that, on its own, electing conveners would change little or nothing", the report states. "Though the committee began with very specific questions about the case for elected conveners, we found that most people could not answer these questions without looking beyond them."

Further issues include the size, number and resourcing of committees, the difficulties on keeping the executive in check with majority Government, the lack of a revising chamber post Smith Commission, the work overload experienced by key committees such as the Justice Committee, and the failure to date to carry out post-legislative scrutiny.

Convener Stewart Stevenson MSP said: "It became increasingly clear to the committee that elected conveners are not the right first step to wider reform. There are other issues which should be considered first."

The committee recognises that the best time to make significant procedural changes is at the start of a new session, but that the hectic early weeks after a general election do not allow time for measured consideration. It therefore proposes to undertake an inquiry over the next six months into the operation of committees, reporting by Christmas 2015 so that the Parliament can decide before the end of the session in March 2016 what changes it needs to make. 

“There is no doubt that the time for reform is now, in readiness for the next session of Parliament. That is why our committee has agreed to begin a focussed discussion about the steps needed to strengthen committees’ ability to scrutinise legislation and policy, and hold the Government to account.”
The SPPA Committee intends to undertake an inquiry into the operation of committees and will report by Christmas 2015.
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