📰| 8. Committees

Question 1

Purpose of Committees

Answer 1

• Hold Government to Account
• Focus on Component Matter
• Share Power Across Parliament

Question 2

How Committees Hold the Government to Account

Answer 2

• Carrying out Inquiries
• Questioning & Scrutinising the Government’s Work

Question 3

Why Committees are Not Effective

Answer 3

• SNP Dominance
• Committee Conveners

Question 4

Purpose of Committee:

Holding the Government to Account

Answer 4

• One purpose of committees in the Scottish Parliament is to hold the government to account.
• Committees will scrutinise the governments work on their component matter based on findings from their research.
• For example, during the First Ministers Questions on the 14th September 2023, Pauline McNeill asked on behalf of the criminal justice committee what the first minister was doing to tackle repeat offending.

Question 5

Purpose of Committee:

Component Matter

Answer 5

• One purpose of committees in the Scottish Parliament is to focus on their component matter.
• A component matter is a particular topic that is the focus of a committees inquiries and research.
• For example, the Criminal Justice Committee focuses on Scotland’s criminal justice system as their component matter.

Question 6

Purpose of Committee:

Share Power Across Parliament

Answer 6

• One purpose of a committee is to share power across parliament.
• Committees are made up of MSPs from various parties, which allow for MSPs in opposition parties to have more equal power in the Scottish Parliament.
• For example, the Criminal Justice Committee has members such as Sharon Dowey from the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party, and Katy Clark from Scottish Labour.

Question 7

Comittees (Holding Goverment to Account):

Carrying Out Inquiries

Answer 7

• One way that committees hold the government to account is by carrying out inquiries.
• Committees investigate topics in relation to their component matter, and can gather witness evidence to strengthen their findings in order to hold the government to account.
• For example, the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee published their findings on Minimum Unit Pricing of Alcohol in March 2024.

Question 8

Comittees (Holding Goverment to Account):

Scrutinising and Questioning the Government

Answer 8

• One way that committees hold the government to account is by scrutinising and questioning the government.
• Committees are able to question the First Minister during events, such as the First Ministers Questions, on the governments work towards their component matter.
• For example, during the First Ministers Questions on the 14th September 2023, Pauline McNeill asked on behalf of the criminal justice committee what the first minister was doing to tackle repeat offending.

Question 9

Comittees (Not Effective):

SNP’s Dominance

Answer 9

• One way that committees are perhaps not effective is government influence.
• Currently the SNP run the Scottish Government, and because of their majority in parliament many believe that committees can’t properly scrutinise the government as MSPs are inclined to support their parties.
• For example, the SNP hold the most seats in the Scottish Parliament with 64 of 129.

Question 10

Comittees (Not Effective):

Committee Conveners

Answer 10

• One way that committees are perhaps not effective is the selection of committee conveners.
• Committee conveners are selected by party whips, and because of this many believe that this makes committees subservient to party’s wishes.
• For example, Audrey Nicoll is the convener of the Criminal Justice Committee and part of the SNP party.