Scottish Parliament
Structure
The executive of the Scottish Parliament is the Scottish Government and is made up of 22 members (13 ministers and nine deputy ministers). The first Scottish Executive was set up in May 1999. Thirteen bills have been enacted to date.
The Scottish Parliament has the power to debate any topic. It may also choose to support resolutions at the European Parliament that are not supported by Westminster.
Members of the Scottish parliament (MSPs)
The Scottish Parliament is composed of 129 MSPs. Some are constituency MSPs and have a heavier workload. Others are list MSPs (those elected under the proportional representation 'list' system) and can take on more issue-based campaigns.Powers
Under the Scotland Act 1998 certain powers have been devolved to the Scottish Parliament. MSPs can legislate on:- Education and training
- Law and home affairs, including police and prisons
- Local government
- Housing
- Health
- Foreign policy
- Defence issues
- Immigration and nationality
- The constitution of the UK
Action: Motions
MSPs can put forward motions that, like Early Day Motions, other MSPs can sign up to. Once a motion has two signatures it is up to the Speaker to determine if it is within the competence of the parliament, and then to decide whether or not it should be debated by the whole house.Parliamentary Questions
MSPs may ask both oral and written parliamentary questions. This is an effective way of bringing an issue into the political arena. Petitions can be laid before the Scottish Parliament. A special committee considers them and allocates them to an appropriate committee for consideration.Committees
Like Westminster, the Scottish Parliament has various committees including:- Social justice
- European
- Equal opportunities committees, which have the power to initiate legislation, conduct inquiries and report on proposals for legislation.
Cross-Party Groups
Cross-party groups contain MSPs who share an interest in a particular cause or subject. The groups may also include people who are not in the Parliament. The cross-party group for human rights in the Scottish Parliament, for example, includes a representative from Amnesty. The register of cross-party groups in the Scottish Parliament includes:
Human rights
- To provide a forum for discussion on human rights
- To promote human rights issues within the Scottish Parliament
- To ensure that the Scottish Parliament and Executive conform to the highest standards in human rights matters
- To provide a forum for discussion on issues relating to refugees and asylum seekers, in Scotland and abroad
- To promote the welfare of refugees and asylum seekers
Cross-party group on Men's Violence Against Women
Amnesty International Scotland is involved in a cross-party group on Men's Violence Against Women and Children. The group's role is to establish a forum for debate on the issue of men's violence against women and children.
The work of the group will focus on prevention, protection and provision. It is intended that the remit be broad enough to include the issues of:
- Rape
- Domestic violence
- Physical abuse
- Emotional abuse
- Sexual abuse.
