MSPs question effectiveness of Holyrood committees
They’ve scrutinised everything from foodbank dependency to sugar levels in the food Scots children eat.
But now the Scottish Parliament’s raft of committees are themselves being placed under intense scrutiny with their effectiveness questioned by an influential group of MSPs.
Holyrood's standards, procedures and public appointments committee is seeking to improve the way the parliament’s committees hold both the Scottish and Westminster governments to account.
With further powers being devolved to Scotland, the MSPs are looking at committees’ workloads, their number and size and how conveners and members are selected.
And they have warned they have to be better resourced to effectively hold government to account.
Michael Russell of the SNP said good government and good governance requires effective challenge and the committees have to be able to challenge effectively.
We don't do the public the service that they deserve - Michael Russell
"My experience now, having been a minister for a period of time and now in the last year not being a minister, is that the committees are not resourced or enabled yet adequately to provide that role,” he said.
"I think smaller, fewer committees with members on a single committee would increase the ability of the parliament to hold the executive to account and improve governance."
He added: "I would want to see this committee to come up with a clear, radical plan for the next parliament.”
It was well known Holyrood faced a resourcing problem, said Gil Paterson, SNP MSP, who highlighted that there was a massive difference in resources available to MPs compared to MSPs.
He added: "I think it's a problem and I think it should be addressed. We don't do the public the service that they deserve."
SNP MSP Dave Thompson called for the number of MSPs to be increased by adding two list members to each region, creating a further 16 across Scotland.
Conservative MSP Jackson Carlaw agreed, saying: "I would reduce the number of MPs that we have representing Scotland at Westminster commensurately."
