MSP pay debate goes ahead despite Patrick Harvie objection
MSPs who are jailed will have salaries cut
(35 minutes later)
An emergency debate on a cut to the pay of MSPs who end up in jail has gone ahead in Holyrood despite an objection.
Holyrood has voted to dock the pay of MSPs who are jailed.
The motion was lodged following the case of Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker who was convicted of 23 domestic abuse charges.
It followed the case of the Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker who resigned under pressure after being found guilty of 23 counts of domestic abuse.
He initially resisted calls to go but stepped down on Saturday.
The measure was only backed after protests from some MSPs that the plan was being rushed through.
The objection came from Green MSP Patrick Harvie who questioned why the measure was still being put through as an emergency motion.
Despite SNP MSP, Christine Grahame, urging further thought on the matter, the move was backed by 105 votes to seven, with four abstentions.
He believed that in light of Walker's departure, the parliament should have been considering a wider range of options.
Earlier on Tuesday, Scottish Green Party leader Patrick Harvie urged MSPs to drop the motion and to consider other possible options in tandem with Westminster.
But the move was defended by Parliamentary Business Minister Joe Fitzpatrick who said the bureau had unanimously agreed to take forward the debate.
During a 15 minute debate in the Holyrood chamber, Ms Grahame called for "careful consideration" and said "on the hoof legislation" often ended up causing unexpected problems.
The majority of MSPs agreed that the emergency debate should still take place.
However, the vast majority of MSPs backed the plan to remove 90% of the salary of any MSP who was jailed.
Electoral law, which is reserved to Westminster, states that MSPs can only be ejected from Holyrood if they are sentenced to more than a year in prison.
Further talks will examine whether the rules on removing such MSPs altogether should be reformed and perhaps devolved to Holyrood.
In a summary trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Walker was convicted of a string of domestic abuse offences against his ex-wives and step-daughter.
However, the court only has power to imprison him for up to a year when he is sentenced on 20 September, which would have given him the option of continuing as an MSP.
Proposals to dock imprisoned MSPs' pay had already been presented by the Scottish Parliament corporate body (SPCB).
Announcing the amendment to MSPs last Thursday, Holyrood Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick said: "The SPCB is strongly persuaded by the proposition that any member who is unable to carry out their full range of functions as a result of being imprisoned should not receive their full salary.
"From reviewing the core functions of a member as set out in the SPCB paper, we recommend that 90% of salary should be withheld for the duration of imprisonment.
"In recommending this course of action to parliament, it should be made clear we do not seek to encroach upon the role of the courts. Our approach should in no way be interpreted as a punishment; that is for the courts."
