Michael Matheson Resignation
The result of the division on motion S6M-13365, in the name of Douglas Ross, as amended, is: For 68, Against 55, Abstentions 0.
Motion, as amended, agreed to,
That the Parliament believes that Michael Matheson has been investigated by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), and that decisions on sanctions are a matter for Parliament on the recommendations of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee; rejects the calls for sanctions that go far beyond those recommended by the committee; believes that the Parliament requires a sanctions process that can retain confidence across all political parties; recognises that concerns have arisen in relation to the lack of a consistent tariff of sanctions, the potential pre-judging of a case by an MSP who did not recuse themselves from the process, and the leaking of draft recommendations by the committee; agrees, therefore, that reform of the current arrangements for considering sanctions against MSPs is urgently needed, and further believes that the people of Scotland should have the same right to recall MSPs as they do to recall MPs from the UK Parliament, if they are found to have behaved inappropriately by the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee.