HOLYROOD’S Presiding Officer has warned MSPs that the restrictions put in place for the coronavirus lockdown are likely to remain in place for the “longer term”.
Ahead of the parliament returning after a shortened summer recess tomorrow, Ken Macintosh said a range of measures would allow MSPs to take party in proceedings online.
He said that, after “extensive testing” in recent months, MSPs would be able to vote on legislation and other issues remotely.
In a message to parliamentarians, he said: “What has become clear is that many of the restrictions which have affected not only our day to day lives, but also how we work, are here for the longer term and so it is important that as a Parliament we continue to provide new opportunities to support you in that work.”
The parliament also published its order of business for the start of the new terms, showing former Tory leader Ruth Davidson will rejoin battle with Nicola Sturgeon at FMQs on Wednesday for the first time since she resigned a year ago.
The long-term use of remote voting may see a shift to more family-friendly ways of working for MSPs.
When the SNP's Gail Ross announced she was standing down from her Caithness seat in February, she urged the parliament to make greater use of technology to let MSPs in large remote seats and those coping with young families to work from home or constituency offices.
Mr Macintosh also said the hybrid system used in the Holyrood chamber, with MSPs participating online as well as in person, would be extended to committee meetings.
Since the lockdown, committee meetings have been conducted by videoconferencing.
From this week, two of the parliament’s six committee rooms will host hybrid meetings, with the technology in the others updated by the beginning of September.
Despite parliament starting in line with schools returning, only the latter willl be full-time.
The chamber will still only meet in hybrid sessions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with virtual meetings on Thursdays.
However he added the parliamentary business managers were “considering the business pattern as we move ahead and there is an expectation that we will return to the more recognisable full three day sittings as we head in to the autumn”.
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