Holyrood is 'failing' and needs fixed - but SNP Government refuses to act as 'lickspittle' MSPs waste time and ask softball questions

Exclusive: Scottish Tory MSP and Stirling candidate Stephen Kerr blasted the Scottish Government for failing to act over calls to reform the Scottish Parliament and make it more 'muscular.'

View 3 Images

The Scottish Parliament is "failing" in its duties, a MSP has claimed, but the SNP Government has "no interest" in ensuring it should be reformed. Instead, John Swinney's administration focuses on giving "lickspittle" MSPs soft-ball questions to waste time and stop scrutiny.

Scottish Tory MSP and Stirling candidate Stephen Kerr compared it to Westminster where the Speaker of the House is much more firmer with MPs. Lindsay Hoyle also steps in more often than his counterpart Alison Johnstone to stop questions about issues "outwith the competence" of the House.

The retiring former Scottish Greens MSP has been accused by former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross of being biased against his party and towards the SNP Government. It has led to public anger about the current state of Holyrood - and the fact the First Minister manages to avoid answering pressing queries.

Mr Kerr has long campaigned for reform at the Scottish Parliament but has had no response from the SNP Executive. He hit out at the fact that it "doesn't do a good job" at holding ministers to account and they cannot "scrutinise legislation" properly, leading to failed bills and wasted public cash.

Asked by the Scottish Daily Express what he would change, he said: "Well, I'd like there to be a complete overhaul of the procedures. so that the Parliament is much more watchable. Because, frankly, you can see that the viewing figures, the interest of people of Scotland have in watching the proceedings of Parliament is not great.

"I'd like to make it much more compelling in terms of the speed at which we ask questions, we get answers. I mean, some of the questions go on forever and the answers from ministers are interminable. So what we need to do is have a system by which questions and answers are snappy.

Get More of Our News on Google

Set Scottish Daily Express as a 'Preferred Source' to get quicker access to the news you value.

View 3 Images

"More people get opportunities to ask questions. And ministers, at times, as they would be in the House of Commons, are brought up short by the Presiding Officer to say, hang on a minute. um, you know, we're here to ask questions of you, not to have you asking questions of the opposition, which sadly too often happens, as anyone who watches FMQs can see. I do think it's too much of a focus on reserved issues as well."

Holyrood convention should mean that there are no debates or discussions about reserved topics, such as independence or international affairs but the SNP take up hours of debating time on this. Mr Kerr did say that Ms Johnstone "occasionally" stopped "ridiculous questions" from SNP "willing, compliant lickspittle MSPs."

View 3 Images

He added that the parliament is "too beholden" to the government, and instead of demanding that ministers attend to answer urgent questions, instead they ask whether they have time to come and there is much more bureaucracy. He wants it to be more "muscular."

Mr Kerr concluded: "I think, is widely felt, not just by parliamentarians, across all parties but also ordinary Scots that the Parliament's not fulfilling its responsibilities. So let's fix it. Let's not worry about the blame. Let's just fix it. Make it work for the people of Scotland. It's a very expensive parliament and it's not doing its job.

"We're spending a lot of money on something that needs to fulfil its purpose, and it doesn't currently fulfil its purpose." He did admit that the government has not responded to any of this criticism as "it's not in the interest of the government to facilitate a more muscular parliament. And I'd be naive to think it would be."

Never miss the latest top headlines from the Scottish Daily Express. Sign up to our daily newsletter here.