Chamber and committees

We will leave it at that, but with the caveat that things have not gone exactly smoothly in the process. Who knows what could come from that negotiation?

I appreciate that Mr Mountain is trying to find common ground. I have done that myself over the past six months. However, key parts of the proposed legislation make that extremely difficult for us all—it is very difficult to find that common ground.

Let us see what is in my bill in 2023, Mr Mountain. I know that you are enthusiastic and want to know what is happening here and now but, as I said, there is a process that we have to go through, and we need to get—

Mr Mountain—

A more accurate way to summarise it would be to say that I can understand where the UK Government is going on the issue but I want to consult on it and get more information and data, so that I can see what the main benefits would be for us when our bill comes to the Scottish Parliament in 2023.

Mr Mountain, we are going through a process. I have accused the UK Government of putting things before this Parliament at the very last minute, telling us how we should take things forward and assuming that we would do so. For me to make a solid commitment on any aspects of the bill at this stage would be to do likewise; I would not be giving the Parliament and you, as fellow MSPs, the opportunity to engage with the process.

I am saying at this stage that we will consult, go through the process and consider the matter ourselves.

We have had a number of bilateral meetings with the Westminster Government and with my Welsh colleague. My Welsh colleague and I are of the opinion, in respect of the Electoral Commission, that there is work that we could do on our side that might be a lot better than what Westminster has proposed. Westminster seems to see the Electoral Commission almost as the enemy, while I and my Welsh colleague are trying to find a way forward by working with the commission. We have, for example, suggested that the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd might have a role in relation to the commission, but that suggestion has been left to one side and has not really been accepted.

That is at the heart of what we are trying to discuss. My Welsh colleague and I have been very open and up front in the discussions about what we want and what we want to do, but we have come to the same conclusion: we would rather have a process ourselves. The Scottish Parliament and the Senedd should make the decisions.

We have recently had arguments in the chamber about the idea that there seems to be a push back from Westminster against the devolved nations. That is not a political statement; it is purely a statement of fact. We are trying to ensure that we get the best under devolution and that we retain the powers that we currently have. We have been pushing with regard to the Electoral Commission, and we have serious concerns about what is almost a threat from Westminster to the commission.

We are proposing to bring forward our own legislation to ensure that we decide what happens in devolved elections. The process in general will cause confusion when there is a UK election. As I said in my statement, an unfortunate point about the UK Elections Bill process is that we were given what was published at the very last minute and were expected just to toe the line. My Welsh colleague and I believe that that is not showing respect to the devolved Administrations.

In the process that we have been going through, we have tried to work with the Electoral Commission to find a cohesive way forward. As I said earlier, one of my concerns is that the approach seems to be an attack on the Electoral Commission. It feels as though the UK Government does not want the positive engagement that we all want. The Electoral Commission is there to do a job that probably helps us rather than hinders us and makes everything open and above board, so I cannot see why any Government, regardless of its party colour, would not want to ensure that the commission has an independent view and is able to do its job. I do not see why anybody would have a problem with that.

I am happy to have given you my standpoint already, in response to your earlier questions. For more technical answers, it is probably better to go to Iain Hockenhull.