Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament

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The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament is the non-partisan speaker and chief official responsible for chairing parliamentary debates, maintaining order, and representing the Parliament internally and externally.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf parliamentary office
presiding officer
speaker of a legislature
alsoKnownAs PO of the Scottish Parliament
Speaker of the Scottish Parliament
appliesToJurisdiction Scottish Parliament
appointedBy Scottish Parliament
country Scotland
createdBy Scotland Act 1998
electedBy Members of the Scottish Parliament
electionMethod secret ballot
firstHolder Sir David Steel
formationDate 1999
hasCharacteristic non-voting in normal divisions
politically impartial
hasPower cast a deciding vote in the event of a tie
hasRole act as figurehead of the Scottish Parliament
call members to order
certify bills for legislative competence
chair parliamentary debates
chair the Parliamentary Bureau
chair the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body
decide who may speak in debates
ensure parliamentary procedures are followed
interpret standing orders
maintain order in the chamber
oversee parliamentary business scheduling
protect the rights of all Members of the Scottish Parliament
represent the Scottish Parliament externally
represent the Scottish Parliament internally
suspend or adjourn sittings
inception 1999
isNonPartisanOffice true
jurisdiction Scotland
legalBasis Scotland Act 1998
legislativeBody Scottish Parliament
location Holyrood, Edinburgh
numberOfDeputies 2
officeHolderMustBe Member of the Scottish Parliament
non-partisan
officeHoldersCannot participate in party political activity while in office
vote in parliamentary divisions except to break a tie
partOf Scottish Parliament
reportsTo Scottish Parliament
seat Scottish Parliament Building
style The Presiding Officer
subordinateOffice Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
termLength duration of a session of the Scottish Parliament


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