A MAJOR reform designed to place ministers under greater scrutiny has been announced amid growing concerns MSPs are failing to hold the Scottish Government to account.
Holyrood's Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick yesterday unveiled proposals for the biggest ever shake-up of the parliament's committee system, following claims the backbench panels are being used to shield ministers from criticism rather than test their decisions.
Under her plans, committee conveners would be directly elected by all MSPs, rather than appointed by their party. The move is intended to increase the chances of independently-minded MSPs heading key committees and having the power to take a stronger line questioning ministers and scrutinising legislation.
The committee system was once considered a strength of the parliament. However, over the past year opposition MSPs have repeatedly accused SNP backbenchers of using their majorities on Holyrood's 17 committees to water down reports, block inquiries and refuse to call expert witnesses whose evidence might embarrass the Government.
Ms Marwick has called on the parliament's procedures committee to begin an inquiry into introducing elected conveners. She hopes the reform will be in place for the start of the next parliament in 2016 when, the polls suggest, the SNP is on course to form a second majority government.
In a letter to procedures committee convener Stewart Stevenson, Ms Marwick wrote: "If conveners were elected by the whole parliament, they would derive their authority and mandate from the parliament itself. This shift of responsibility for selecting conveners would strengthen the role of the parliament and so enhance the sharing of power between the government, the parliament and the people."
Conveners are expected to guide the work of committees as they scrutinise legislation and hold ministers and quangos to account in the course of special inquiries. The key jobs are divided among parties based on their overall number of seats.
At present, individual conveners are selected by party whips, making them answerable to their party leaders.
Ms Marwick said: "Conveners play a significant role in the fulfilment of the parliament's responsibilities as Scotland's legislature. They are driving forces in holding the Government and its agencies to account.
"Electing conveners would, I believe, underline the importance of the role and help to enhance the parliament's scrutiny function."
Holyrood insiders insist the move is not a direct response to growing concern about committees acting politically. However, they believe a secret ballot of the whole parliament would increase the chances of more robust MSPs getting the jobs.
Labour MSP Hugh Henry, who four years ago championed the idea of committee conveners being directly elected by all MSPs, now feels it would lead to less scrutiny of ministers.
He said: "I believe the SNP has used its majority on committees to avoid proper ministerial scrutiny.
"Their attempts to eliminate critical evidence and comments against the government leads me to believe [the party] would use its majority to simply appoint conveners who were acceptable to them and who were actually less willing to robustly hold the government and ministers to account."
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