'Political Sewels' are a Democratic Deficit for Scotland
Wed., November 26, 2003. 00:00.
Green MSP Patrick Harvie today called for an end to the Executive's power to send controversial issues to Westminster without scrutiny and amendment in the Scottish Parliament. Harvie argues that Scottish Parliament must assert its authority to end a democratic deficit, and improve the reputation of the Parliament amongst the Scottish people.
Green MSP Patrick Harvie today called for an end to the Executive's power to send controversial issues to Westminster without scrutiny and amendment in the Scottish Parliament. Harvie argues that Scottish Parliament must assert its authority to end a democratic deficit, and improve the reputation of the Parliament amongst the Scottish people.
Harvie lodged a motion in the parliament today on the use of the Sewel motion in response to the Queen's speech. (1) Harvie is particularly concerned over the fate of Civil Partnerships legislation announced in Westminster by the Queen. The Executive intends to pass the responsibility for this to Westminster rather than supporting a separate Scottish Bill for which Patrick Harvie argued.
Harvie said, 'This is not just an issue which relates to Civil Partnerships, but to the ongoing relationship between the two parts of our devolved government - Executive and Legislature. If the Executive - or indeed their Labour colleagues in Westminster - do not accept this mechanism they will be undermining their own devolution project.'
'If the Executive can remove our right to scrutinise legislation in devolved issues, then Parliament needs a defence mechanism, by which it can regain that scrutiny over important issues. The motion I am lodging today outlines how this mechanism will work.'
'The UK Government today committed itself to legislating on Civil Partnerships for same-sex couples. Although this is less than we wanted, and omits covering opposite sex couples, it is a huge step forward. The Scottish Parliament should have been able to debate this itself, passing legislation here in Scotland, and ensuring full scrutiny of the legislation. This is Parliament's role. This is what devolution was for.'
'Scottish politicians should have been able to debate, for example, whether mixed-sex couples should have had the same access to Civil Partnership that same-sex couples will have: the inclusive model, rather than the segregated model which Westminster proposes.'
Notes to editors
Motion text:
Short Title: Use of Sewel Motions
S2M-00665 Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): That the Parliament
- notes the Scottish Executive's use of the convention known as the Sewel motion; recognises that there are occasional circumstances where the use of Sewel motions is an appropriate legislative route; believes that such motions should not be used for specifically political reasons and that an action of this nature would undermine the authority of the Parliament; further believes that it is possible for a process to be developed by which the Scottish Parliament can fully scrutinise a bill that is in passage at Westminster, and considers that this process would require a committee of the Scottish Parliament to consider the UK bill with sufficient time to take evidence and report, the Scottish Parliament to debate the committee's report and agree recommendations for amendments to the parts of the bill which relate to Scotland, such recommendations to be submitted to the UK Parliament with sufficient time for their incorporation into the bill and for a second Sewel motion to be considered by the Scottish Parliament to approve this bill as amended, before the bill is approved by the UK Parliament.
For more information contact the Green MSP Press Office on 0131 348 6376
George Baxter
Head of Media
Scottish Green MSPs
Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh EH99 1SP
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Contact the Scottish Greens' press team on 07909 933 074.