Procedures Committee Report on Parliamentary Questions (SP Paper 169)

That the Parliament notes and agrees to the recommendations contained in the 1st Report of the Procedures Committee Preliminary Report into the Volume of Written Parliamentary Questions and the Scottish Executive’s Speed of Response (SP paper 169), as set out on pages 1 and 2 of the Report and reproduced below:

(a) To agree the terms of the proposed agreement between the Parliament and the Executive (as detailed on page 1 of the Report);

(b) That a continuing seminar on the resources for obtaining information and the appropriate use of parliamentary questions, and involving members, the Scottish Executive and Parliamentary officials, be organised by the Parliamentary authorities to assist those involved in the drafting of parliamentary questions, primarily members’ researchers and assistants;

(c) That internal departmental telephone directories of the Scottish Executive be made available to all MSPs and

(d) That to facilitate the tracking of parliamentary questions and the answers submitted, the Parliamentary authorities should investigate now the feasibility of placing the date on which questions are lodged in the relevant Parliamentary publications.