Holyrood’s committee system needs to be beefed up – Nicola Sturgeon

The Scottish Parliament’s committee system should be “beefed up” considerably, to give ministers more challenging scrutiny, Nicola Sturgeon has said, at an event marking 25 years of devolution.

The former first minister said she was not suitably “terrified” when she was called to appear before Holyrood committee conveners when she was in government.

Ms Sturgeon appeared alongside former deputy first minister Jim Wallace, who is now a Lib Dem peer, at an event organised by the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh.

They reflected on the 25 years since the Scottish Parliament was established, discussing how politics had evolved and what the future may hold.

Both said they would like to see the committee system strengthened.

Ms Sturgeon said that as first minister she would periodically appear before a group of all of the committee conveners at Holyrood.

She said: “I’m not sure it’s an experience that was as terrifying as it should have been for a minister or a first minister.

“And therefore I do agree with you, I think the committee system, which is right in theory, needs beefing up considerably.”

She suggested Holyrood should follow the example of Westminster, where committee chairmen are elected by the whole parliament.

This would break “party political divisions” on committees, she said.

Ms Sturgeon went on to say there is now “much greater polarisation, toxicity” in Scottish politics.

She also said Holyrood could benefit from more “spontaneity” in debates, saying speeches are often scripted and short.

Lord Wallace said he doubted that committees would hold ministers’ “feet to the fire” in the same way as they did in earlier parliamentary sessions.

He recently called for “significantly more” MSPs to sit in the parliamentary chamber at Holyrood, saying that since the Parliament has more powers, the current number of 129 MSPs should be reviewed.