Menu
Subscribe to Holyrood updates

Newsletter sign-up

Subscribe

Follow us

Scotland’s fortnightly political & current affairs magazine

Subscribe

Subscribe to Holyrood
by
18 March 2020
Scottish Parliament suspends public galleries

Scottish Parliament chief executive David McGill and presiding officer Ken Macintosh - Image credit: Scottish Parliament TV

Scottish Parliament suspends public galleries

Public galleries in the chamber and committee rooms at the Scottish Parliament will be closed from today, as the parliament ramps up its response to the virus outbreak.

In an email to staff and MSPs on Tuesday night, Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh said the decision to suspend public galleries not been taken lightly, “give our principles of openness and accessibility”.

“It is important however, that we take all steps to reduce the risk to those who work at Holyrood and those who visit us. Our proceedings can, of course, be watched on our webcasting service,” he said.

He told the chamber on Tuesday afternoon: “the priorities for parliamentary business in the coming weeks should be the response to Covid-19 and other time-bound legislation”. 

“Conveners are also being consulted on their committee business priorities. We have therefore agreed to propose to the parliament a number of temporary procedural changes that will allow us to do this.

“The SPCB, the Corporate Body, has also agreed today to close access to our public galleries.”

“All our decisions are consistent with public health advice and are designed to minimise the impact of Covid-19, to help keep our staff and members of the public safe and with a view to safely and sustainably delivering essential parliamentary business. And the parliament will now be invited to agree a series of motions to put these decisions into effect.”

Following this, the Scottish Parliament agreed to implement the following changes: an additional deputy presiding officer will be elected by electronic voting; the obligation to schedule a minimum number of afternoons for opposition and committee debates and to schedule members’ business will be removed; and there will be a variation of committee substitutes and temporary convener rules.

The parliament’s senior management team has also decided to implement a working from home policy, so that “only parliamentary service staff required to deliver key essential business onsite should attend work at Holyrood”.  

“All other staff are advised to work from home until further notice. This move, in line with current government advice, will enable us to protect the health and welfare of all those who work here while still safely maintaining the core business of parliament as a national legislature,” David McGill said, in an email to staff.

Earlier this week, the parliament suspended public engagements, including events, tours and meetings of cross party groups, with the public shop and cafe also closed.

Parliament will suspend access to the building for the general public on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, alongside inward and outward education and community outreach.

Holyrood Newsletters

Holyrood provides comprehensive coverage of Scottish politics, offering award-winning reporting and analysis: Subscribe

Read the most recent article written by - Three Scottish Labour MSPs call for Richard Leonard to resign.

Get award-winning journalism delivered straight to your inbox

Get award-winning journalism delivered straight to your inbox

Subscribe

Popular reads
Back to top