A contender for the role of Presiding Officer at Holyrood has described the Scottish Parliament as "dull" and called for measures to make it more engaging.
SNP MSP Kenny Gibson, who represents Cunninghame North, entered the race for the top parliamentary job this week, with a vote scheduled for Thursday afternoon. He will face off against former deputy presiding officer and Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, as well as fellow SNP members Stuart McMillan and Clare Haughey.
Speaking at a hustings event organised by Tory MSP Stephen Kerr on Wednesday, believed to be the first of its kind at Holyrood, Mr Gibson said: "I think the chamber has become, frankly, dull. It can be a place which is not the most exciting environment, and I do think we need to do more to liven it up."
Mr Gibson proposed that MSPs' speaking time should be automatically protected when another member intervenes during a debate. Currently, it is up to the Presiding Officer or their deputies to decide whether MSPs get time back for interventions. "The reason for that is to encourage more interaction, but also I believe it will build their confidence, it will make them bolder and I think they will feel more confident and happy in the work that they actually do," he said. "So what if we run on for 10 or 15 minutes, big deal." He also suggested greater flexibility in speaking times for those with a particular interest in a topic compared to other MSPs.
Reform MSP Graham Simpson asked the candidates about potential changes to the weekly First Minister's Questions sessions. Mr Gibson again described proceedings as "pretty dull" and argued that backbench MSPs need more time to ask constituency questions. "Sometimes what we have is the leader of the opposition in the last parliament was given 11, sometimes 12 minutes to kick off and by the time we went round the party leaders, it was really difficult for people to get in," he said.
Mr McArthur acknowledged that "some people management" would be required given the makeup of the new Parliament, but he does not support extending the time for FMQs, instead pushing for more "discipline" in timekeeping. "A greater degree of spontaneity, I think, would help, but still I think a tightening up the time taken to ask the question and answer them is what is required," he said. "You get through far, far more business, it's more, I think, entertaining for those that are watching online and in the gallery."
Mr McMillan told assembled MSPs there had been a "lack of discipline" in recent Holyrood sessions. "I do genuinely think that there has to be a lot more respect of and tolerance of each other, and also of the different views and opinions that people have," he said. "We're all from different political persuasions, we all have our views and our beliefs, but it's also how we actually attempt to engage with each other, and I think it's going to become more important in this session because of the number that each party actually has."
Ms Haughey was unable to attend the hustings but remains a candidate for the position.
