§ Lord Selkirk of Douglasasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the standing orders for the proposed Scottish Parliament will be published, and, if so, when; and whether there will be public consultation on them.
§ Lord SewelThese are matters for the Scottish Parliament itself. However, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland announced on Friday 14 November the establishment of a consultative steering group which will take forward consideration of how the Scottish Parliament should operate. The group will include representatives of all the main political parties in Scotland along with the Scottish Constitutional Convention and local government. The group may choose to involve other interests. The group will be charged with reporting to my right honourable friend by the end of 1998. He will then prepare draft standing orders which he will present to the Parliament as a starting point for its deliberations.
The Government believe that this approach, drawing on the views and expertise of political parties and others with an interest in Scotland, will permit the development of draft standing orders which are likely to command widespread acceptance.