Report of the Consultative Steering Group on the Scottish Parliament

NEXT STEPS

1. There remains a significant amount of work to be done to ensure that the principles and recommendations set out in this report are given effect to and that the Scottish Parliament is able to begin its operations smoothly and effectively.

Standing Orders

2. One of the main tasks will be for the Secretary of State to prepare a set of Standing Orders for the Parliament, to be prescribed by him through secondary legislation made under the Scotland Act 1998. We recommend that our proposals should form the basis of those Standing Orders. We will meet early in 1999 to comment and advise on the draft Standing Orders.

Code of Conduct Working Group and Media Issues Panel

3. This report already includes recommendations on the principles which should form the basis for any Code of Conduct for MSPs. However, further work remains to be done on the detail of that Code. The Code of Conduct Working Group will report early in 1999 and will make recommendations on a range of issues concerning the proper conduct of MSPs, including rules governing the registration and declaration of Members' interests, together with recommendations on the regulation of lobbying activities.

4. The Media Issues Panel will also report in the spring, with recommendations on the relationship between the Parliament and the media, how the Parliament might present itself through the media, how the media should conduct itself while covering the Parliament and terms on which members of the Scottish Administration and staff should have contact with and speak to the media.

5. We will review and consider the reports of these groups, to inform a supplementary CSG report, to be published in March 1999.

Other Issues

6. Other issues which will be taken forward include a substantial awareness raising information campaign in advance of the first elections to the Parliament; the development of curriculum material for civic education; the plans for the opening ceremony; the physical arrangements for the Parliament; the implementation of the recommendations of the Expert Panel on ICT, including the development of a Parliamentary web-site; the recruitment and training of the staff of the Parliament; the training of MSPs; and the development of new structures in civic society. We will have a continuing interest in reviewing progress on these issues.

Timetable for the First Meetings of the Parliament

7. We expect that the Secretary of State will prescribe by the end of March 1999 the Standing Orders that will govern the first meetings of the Scottish Parliament.

8. The Secretary of State has announced his intention that the elections to the Scottish Parliament should be held on 6 May 1999.

9. Thereafter it is expected that it will take one or two days after the elections to verify all the returns, to provide the authority required to recognise Members of the Scottish Parliament. During the week immediately following the elections there will also be a number of routine issues to be attended to, such as the allocation of MSPs' offices, security passes etc.

10. It is likely therefore that the first meeting of the Parliament will take place around one week after the elections. The date, time and place will be prescribed by the Secretary of State early in 1999.

11. The first business will be the taking of the oath by MSPs. (Until they have taken the oath, MSPs are unable to participate in proceedings of the Parliament.) This would be followed by the election of the Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officers.

12. The Scotland Act allows 28 days from the date of the elections for the Parliament to nominate the First Minister. It is hoped however that he or she could be nominated within the first 14 days after the elections. The first business of the second meeting might be the nomination of the First Minister. The First Minister will have to be appointed by The Queen before he or she can seek the Parliament's approval of the choice of Scottish Ministers and junior Scottish Ministers. The form and shape of the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Administration is therefore likely to emerge in the course of May.

13. In the first few weeks of its life the Parliament will need to authorise and appoint Members to the various Committees which it intends to establish or which are prescribed in Standing Orders. It is expected that the Business Committee will begin to make recommendations to the Parliament on the establishment of Committees during this period. The Committees may wish to meet for an initial discussion of the work they wish to undertake over the year ahead.

14. Four MSPs will have to be appointed to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. If the Parliament fails to nominate 4 candidates within one month of the elections, the Presiding Officer will be able to appoint Members.

15. During the early weeks of the Parliament, a programme of information and training for MSPs will continue. The period between the elections and the Parliament assuming its full powers will provide a valuable opportunity for MSPs to familiarise themselves with the working arrangements of the Parliament.

16. Certain items of subordinate legislation arising from the Scotland Act 1998 and relating to the transfer of power to the Scottish Parliament will need to be considered and approved during June.

17. On 1 July 1999 the Parliament will be given its full legislative powers, functions will be transferred to the Scottish Executive and the formal opening ceremony will be held.