ALEX Salmond is to face questions from a Holyrood super-committee on the Government's programme later this year.

In a first for the parliament, the First Minister will be grilled by the conveners of each committee after he unveils his legislative plans for the new Holyrood session in September.

The move follows concerns that individual committees, which are dominated by SNP MSPs due to the party's parliamentary majority, have failed to hold the Government to account.

It was driven forward by presiding officer Tricia Marwick and agreed by the conveners, most of whom are drawn from the SNP ranks.

Under the new terms the conveners' group, which meets regularly in private, will sit as a super-committee to quiz the First Minister.

Senior opposition MSPs taking part in the public hearing will include Labour's Iain Gray, Duncan McNeil and Michael McMahon, conveners of the public audit, health and welfare reform committees respectively, and Tory Murdo Fraser, who chairs the economy committee. High-profile SNP conveners include Christine Grahame, Stewart Maxwell and Christina McKelvie who chair the justice, education and European committees respectively.

Ms Marwick, who as presiding officer introduced a topical questions session so ministers can be questioned more quickly, said the super-committee would bring a "new dimension" to Government scrutiny.

Mr McNeil said: "Strengthening and developing the role of our committees is something that conveners' group has been considering for some time and I believe this new initiative is a positive step forward in that regard."

Mr Maxwell said: "This initiative isn't window dressing nor is it about making political theatre. It's about scrutiny and accountability and the important role our committees play in delivering that."

The 18 committees play a key role scrutinising legislation and staging inquiries.

A Labour committee convener said the new public hearing would "reassert the importance of the committee system".

Mr Salmond will unveil his legislative programme when MSPs return from their summer break at the beginning of September.

Last year he announced 15 bills, including the Referendum Bill paving the way for next year's independence vote. The First Minister said: "A fundamental function of Parliament is to hold the Government to account and I'm honoured to be the first First Minister to take the important step of going before committee conveners to answer their questions."