Plenary, 12 Jun 2003

Meeting date: Thursday, June 12, 2003

Official Report 721KB pdf

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Point of Order

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. You will recall that yesterday afternoon I raised the question of the inquiry into the Holyrood building project and I tried to amend parliamentary business so that a statement from you and the First Minister could be accommodated. In opposing the amendment to the motion, the Minister for Parliamentary Business suggested that First Minister's question time would be the appropriate vehicle for such statements. She said:

"I suggest that First Minister's question time is the correct vehicle for that."—[Official Report, 11 June 2003; c 563.]

The early edition of today's Edinburgh Evening News—under the front-page headline "Jack Unveils Parly Inquiry"—goes into specific detail about what is likely to be announced. I understand that some documentation is likely to be issued, but either the journalist is showing an extremely vivid imagination or some information has been leaked from the First Minister's office. If the information in the article proves to be reasonably accurate, I ask you to pursue the matter with the First Minister, as that would seem to be an insult to the Parliament.

There has been a great deal of speculation in the press over the past weeks and some of it has not been particularly well informed on the subject of Holyrood. We do not know what the First Minister will say, so I suggest that we listen to him later today. After that, I can make the comparison and decide whether there has been a case of vivid imagination.