LABOUR AND TORIES FAIL TO HOLD GOVERNMENT TO ACCOUNT

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 20th May 2008

Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Robert Brown has attacked Labour and the Tories for failing to fulfil their duty to hold the Scottish Government to account.

Following widespread criticism of the Scottish Government for failing to announce its plans for a Scottish Futures Trust in Parliament before launching it, Robert Brown, speaking at Holyrood's agenda-setting body, the Business Bureau, demanded that Ministers should make an immediate statement in Parliament on the matter, and that Parliament should have time set aside to debate the issue as soon as possible.

Mr Brown also proposed that Parliament hold an early debate following last week's statement by the First Minister on the Government's plans for the year ahead. MSPs had been given only about thirty minutes last week to ask the First Minister about his plans. When, in a rare move in the Bureau, this proposal was pushed to a vote by Mr. Brown, it received no support from either Labour or the Conservatives.

Speaking after the Bureau meeting, Robert Brown said:

"It is now increasingly clear that only the Liberal Democrats are determined to put the Scottish Government under any sort of spotlight.

"For two weeks running we have seen the SNP government abuse the procedures of the Scottish Parliament to a degree that is truly shocking. Last week, the First Minister came to Holyrood and delivered his proposals for the year ahead. Commentators dismissed his statement as 'vacuous' but elected MSPs were given just over thirty minutes to ask questions on this statement and the SNP are going to all lengths to avoid being subject to proper scrutiny in the Chamber. This week, the SNP Government bypassed Parliament entirely and launched its Scottish Futures Trust with a conference speech by the First Minister and a media briefing.

"Due to this unprecedented contempt with which the current Scottish Government is now treating Parliament, I demanded at today's meeting of the Scottish Parliament's Business Bureau that the SNP Government should deliver an immediate statement to Parliament on the Futures Trust and that there should be a debate on this and on the Government's plans for the year ahead. It was deeply disappointing not to receive support when it came to a vote on the debate from either the Labour Party or the Tories.

"Nobody knows what Labour stand for anymore, and today we see that they are even totally incapable of holding the SNP Government to account.

"It has also become clear that, when the Tories said in the election campaign that they were the only people standing between Alex Salmond and the keys to Bute House, this was nothing but hollow words. Annabel Goldie has made life more than easy for the SNP over the last year. Her party have supported the SNP budget and most other key votes. The Tories have rolled over so quickly in the face of SNP blandishments that they are now willing even to allow the SNP Government to evade Parliamentary scrutiny. Lukewarm opposition is no good at all with a Government who will wriggle all ways to avoid bringing major issues before Parliament.

"Given a Labour Party that cannot stand up for Scotland and a Tory Party which will not stand up for Scotland, it is left to the Liberal Democrats to offer the only credible alternative to the current SNP Government."

Ends.

Notes to editors:

The main functions of the Parliamentary Bureau are set out in the Parliament's Standing Orders (Rule 5.1) as:

(a) to propose the Parliament's programme of business;

(b) to propose alterations to the daily business list;

(c) to propose the establishment, remit, membership and duration of any committee or sub-committee; and

(d) to determine any question regarding the competence of a committee to deal with a matter and, to determine the lead committee in relation to any matter that falls within the competence of more than one committee.

Standing Orders state that the Parliamentary Bureau shall consist of the Presiding Officer, a representative from each political party which has five or more MSPs and a representative of any grouping of five or more members from parties with fewer than 5 MSPs or from no political party.

Under Standing Orders (Rule 5.3.2), the Bureau meets in private. The Bureau always seeks to reach decisions by consensus, but where a vote is required, members carry one vote for each member of the party or group that they represent. In the event of a tie, the Presiding Officer has a casting vote.

The Bureau normally meets weekly on a Tuesday afternoon.