This short blog looks at the role of committee conveners and the rules for how conveners and deputy conveners are chosen.
Rules on conveners and deputy conveners
Each committee must have a convener which is provided for in Rule 12.1 of Standing Orders. Rule 12.1.4 allows the Parliament to decide whether committees should also have a deputy convener.
The main functions of the convener are:
- to agree the agenda for each meeting and to chair committee meetings
- to speak and act on behalf of the committee at other times (in particular during Chamber debates) or in speaking about a report to the media
- to participate in the work of the Conveners Group.
The political party of the convener, and if relevant the deputy convener, of each committee are agreed by the Parliament on a motion of the Parliamentary Bureau. The allocation of convenerships and deputy convenerships is determined by D’Hondt so that it is proportional.
Up until Session 7, conveners and deputy conveners have then been chosen by other members of the relevant committee at its first meeting. The oldest member of the committee has chaired the meeting for the purpose of selection of a convener (Rule 12.1.6 of Standing Orders).
At the end of Session 6, the Parliament agreed to the recommendations made by the Standards Procedures and Public Appointments (SPPA) Committee in its report Standing Orders rule changes – Elected Conveners. The changes mean that future committee conveners can be elected by all Members of the Scottish Parliament.
The process of choosing deputy conveners remains the same.
Elected conveners
It will still be for the whole Parliament to agree the political party of the convener of each committee (or to agree that any MSPs can hold the position regardless of party). Once this has been decided, there may be an election process for committee conveners.
The election of a committee convener will take place no later than 10 sitting days after the motion to establish the committee has been agreed by the Parliament (or if the election is not as the result of a general election, within 10 sitting days of the role of convener becoming vacant).
If the Parliament has decided that a political party will hold the convenership, only members of that party are eligible for nomination, and their nomination must be proposed by a member of that party and be seconded by a member of another party. If the Parliament has decided that any MSP regardless of party can hold the position then any MSP (apart from a Minister or MSP from the party of government in the case of the Public Audit Committee) can be nominated, but their nomination must be seconded by an MSP from a different party.
If there is more than one election for convener being held at the same time, a member can only be nominated for convener of one committee.
The location of the vote and the date and time of the voting period will be appointed by the Parliament on a motion of the Parliamentary Bureau. The process will not take place in the Chamber as it does for the election of other offices, such as the Presiding Officer and deputies. The names of nominees will, however, be read out in the Chamber by the Presiding Officer.
New Standing Orders Rules provide for how conveners are to be elected. These state that:
- If there is only one candidate and no objections are received then that candidate is elected convener.
- If there is one candidate, and any objection is raised, an election will be held and MSPs are able to vote for or against the candidate or abstain. If the candidate receives a simple majority of votes they are elected as convener.
- If there are two candidates, MSPs can vote for one of the candidates or abstain. If one candidate receives more votes than the other then they are elected convener.
- If there are more than 2 candidates, a system of transferable votes will be used. This is a different system than is used for the election of the Presiding Officer and deputy Presiding Officers. The approach ensures that a convener could be elected in one round of voting rather than the successive rounds. Where there are two or more candidates, a majority would be achieved by one candidate receiving more than the total number of votes for all the other candidates. A process of redistribution of preferences would apply where such a majority was not secured on first preferences.
- For a vote to be valid, at least a quarter of MSPs must vote.
- The convener once elected will hold office for the duration of the Committee unless they resign, are removed from office, or the Parliament resolves to remove them on a motion of the Committee.
Sarah McKay, SPICe research