A contender for Presiding Officer at Holyrood has said the Parliament has become “dull”.
SNP MSP Kenny Gibson threw his hat in the ring for the job this week, with a vote due to be held on Thursday afternoon.
The Cunninghame North MSP will face former deputy presiding officer and Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur, and Stuart McMillan and Clare Haughey from his own party.
Speaking in a hustings event hosted 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 suggested ensuring the speaking time of MSPs was automatically protected during debates if another member intervenes.
It is currently up to the Presiding Officer or their deputies to decide if MSPs get time back for making an intervention.
“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 more flexibility in speaking times for those with an interest in the particular topic compared to other MSPs.
Reform MSP Graham Simpson asked the candidates about any changes they would make to the weekly First Minister’s Questions sessions.
Mr Gibson again described proceedings as “pretty dull”, adding 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 said there would be “some people management” required given the make-up of the new Parliament, but he does not favour the idea of extending the time allotted for FMQs, 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 the 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 not able to attend the hustings, but will still be in the running for the job.
