Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office, Edinburgh - Briefing Document Nine

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Parliamentary Officer:Rev Graham Blount
Phone:
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Briefing Document No 9 - Page 3 of 4

Making a Difference - Continued.

(c) Cross-party Groups
MSPs are forming cross-party groups focusing on particular areas of common interest (eg international development, refugees). Such groups often invite interested people outwith Parliament, and such involvement with the MSPs most interested in your issue could be very valuable. Regulations for these groups and their membership will be made public soon.

(c) Scottish Executive
Politically, the Scottish Executive has been formed by a coalition partnership of Labour and Liberal Democrats. The Executive (Ministers and civil servants) have the key responsibilities for policy and implementation, for which Ministers are accountable to Parliament; most proposals for legislation will be brought by the Executive (after consultation) to Parliament for enacting. Details of Ministers and their responsibilities are in "SCPO Access".

Obviously, Ministers will be important people to invite to key meetings and (for those who regularly work in their areas of responsibility) to build good working relationships with. SCVO's guide to Lobbying says "Government Ministers are the most obvious targets, and often the hardest to get to. It may be easier, or more appropriate, to meet with a Deputy Minister. In either case, it is important to present a good reason for the meeting, and why it needs to be with them rather than anyone else. Bear in mind that, although they are designated to speak on a given issue, they may well not have your level of technical expertise. What you present needs to be accessible, but not patronising".

Civil Servants are not (in theory) policy makers and should not therefore be "lobbied", but good relationships will be helpful for these in regular contact. They will also be key sources of factual information, and often will be able to discuss technical details of policy proposals. There is an expectation that they may be more accessible than has been the case, and the Freedom of Information Act should help them to give out more information.

Ministers are also MSPs, and you should make it clear in which capacity you are contacting them.

Spokespersons on specific issues are also appointed by other parties. Generally they will be easier to arrange meetings with, but of course do not make the crucial decisions.

Whoever you are contacting, remember that this should be a two-way relationship. Your experience and expertise can help MSPs do their job, so think about what will be helpful for them as well as putting your own case. That will include thinking about their interests, their constituency, their party and its line, etc. What can you offer?

Petitions

The Scottish Parliament has procedures and even a special Committee to deal with Petitions. There is no requirement for any specific number of signatures - you can present your own petition, but it must be in the correct form. Guidance is available from the Parliamentary Committee, or from clerks, or from SCPO. It remains to be seen whether the good procedures for petitions translate into an effective way of presenting your case.

Political Parties

Parties are part of the political reality, as alliances of broadly like-minded people (with an internal loyalty and discipline). Many Christians are involved in political parties - they are not necessarily dens of iniquity! But churches will want to be careful about pursuing causes that seem to identify them with one party. On the one hand, we cannot stop saying what we believe just because it becomes the view of one party and not another; on the other hand, we don't want to be hijacked into a party political cause, and lobbying that is seen as party-biased will be less effective.