Members' Bills Must be Protected From Political Bias
Thu., November 11, 2004. 00:00.
Greens today welcomed new procedures for more rigorous development of member's bills, but also called for measures to make sure parliamentary resources are protected from political bias.
Possible changes to the current system include introducing a consultation stage before a bill is proposed, and proposals requiring support from a total of 18 MSPs from three different parties.
Mark Ruskell MSP, who has lodged a proposal for a bill on GM liability, said, "We welcome the proposed changes which will lead to more rigorous development of new legislation. The earlier consultation will help refine proposals and design effective bills, ultimately saving resources and making sure civic society is involved from the outset."
"However, we want to see increased support from the Parliament's Non-Executive Bills Unit (NEBU) for those bills that do go past the initial consultation and do meet the new criteria. NEBU must be properly resourced otherwise there is the risk that some bills are scrapped and that decision process could be vulnerable to political bias.
"If members' bills are to genuinely meet the legislative and policy needs of Scotland, measures need to be in place to ensure the system is politically neutral."
For further information call the Green MSPs' press office on 0131 348 6360/0771 761 8771.
Contact the Scottish Greens' press team on 07909 933 074.