Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Branch “Contributing to the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy”

REPORT OF THE SCOTLAND BRANCH 2018-19

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Office-Bearers President: Rt Hon Ken Macintosh MSP, Presiding Officer of the

Vice-Presidents: Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon MSP, First Minister of Scotland Rt Hon MSP

Branch Executive Committee: Claire Baker MSP Stuart McMillan MSP Margaret Mitchell MSP Tavish Scott MSP

Secretary: Margaret Neal MBE, International Relations Office

Introduction 1. Welcome to the Annual Report of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Scotland Branch for the year 1 September 2018 to 30 September 2019.

2. The CPA connects, develops, promotes and supports parliamentarians and their staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and the implementation of the enduring values of the Commonwealth. To achieve its goals the CPA collaborates with parliaments and other organisations, including the intergovernmental community. It brings parliamentarians and parliamentary staff together to exchange ideas among themselves and with experts in various fields, to identify benchmarks of good practices and new policy options they can adopt or adapt in the governance of their societies.

3. As a member of the CPA the Scotland Branch has the opportunity to participate and engage in plenary, regional conferences, seminars, visits and exchanges of delegations. The CPA's programmes and activities promote parliamentary democracy and co- operation with other networks and organisations dedicated to good governance. Programmes are aimed towards the achievement of goals including professional development, poverty reduction, support of human rights and Commonwealth promotion.

The CPA, Commonwealth and the Scottish Parliament: 20 years 4. In line with the CPA’s mission to identify benchmarks of good practices CPA Scotland Branch has continued to work with and on behalf of Members of the Scottish Parliament to support the CPA by delivering innovative and effective capacity-building programmes for parliamentarians and officials.

5. On 4 May 2000 the Scottish Parliament approved motion S1M-789 which established a Scottish Parliament Branch of the CPA. Membership allowed Members of the Scottish Parliament, particularly in the early days, to promote the institution as a modern, dynamic democracy on an international stage. Over the past 20 years the Scotland Branch has delivered a wide range of programmes and conferences and attended similar events organised elsewhere. The reputation of the Scotland Branch has been good with Members who have engaged with the CPA earning respect and trust from their Commonwealth colleagues. The success of the Branch is dependent on the commitment, expertise and enthusiasm of its Members.

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6. The following activities provide a flavour of the work undertaken under the auspices of the CPA Scotland Branch: • Around 450 inward visits from Commonwealth countries have been arranged for over 1,000 parliamentarians • Around 90 outward visits have taken place including Scotland Branch cross party delegation visits to other parliaments, seminars, conferences, election observing, post- election seminars and capacity building workshops • In 2001 and 2012 the CPA Scotland Branch hosted the British Islands and Mediterranean Region Annual Conference • In 2004 the Scotland Branch put forward “the Scotland Paper” which set out proposals (later adopted) to change the format of the regional conference to ensure shorter business focussed programmes. • Christine Grahame MSP was a member of the Working Group which produced guidance for parliaments on best practice for Freedom of Information • In February 2005 the Scotland Malawi relationship at a parliamentary level was established. A delegation of six MSPs visited South Africa and Malawi • In September 2005 the Scotland Branch began its three-year term as a member of the CPA International Executive Committee • In March 2006 the CPA Scotland Branch celebrated Commonwealth Week by inviting athletes from the 2006 Commonwealth Games team to visit the Parliament • The Scottish Parliament participated in a Working Group which produced the original CPA Benchmarks published in 2006 which comprised of 87 indicators • In October 2007 the Scottish Parliament hosted the 19th Commonwealth Parliamentary Seminar • In October 2009 then Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson MSP led a delegation to Australia and New Zealand to mark the 10th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament and celebrate the Year of Homecoming • In 2010 Annie Lennox OBE became the Scotland Branch Special Envoy for Africa and HIV/AIDS • In March 2014 the Scotland Branch hosted the first British Islands and Mediterranean Region Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Conference

Scottish Parliament’s International Strategy (SPIS) 7. The Scotland Branch is an important component of the Scottish Parliament’s international work. The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body agreed that the Parliament should continue, through the Scotland Branch, to participate and engage in CPA plenary, regional conferences, seminars, visits and exchanges of delegations which promote parliamentary democracy and co-operation with other networks and organisations dedicated to good governance.

8. This is done by seeking opportunities offered through by the CPA such as those of the British Islands and Mediterranean Region, the Commonwealth Plenary Conference and the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians to engage with parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth to discuss the key policy issues to benefit Members and the Scottish Parliament. Opportunities are also provided for Members to meet with inward delegations from other parliaments.

9. One of the key aspects of the Parliament’s international work is to develop relationships and share information with other parliaments and organisations and the CPA is an ideal

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vehicle in which to support this. Such relationships provide opportunities for Members and staff to learn from the common experiences of other parliaments across the Commonwealth thereby supporting the continuous professional development of MSPs and officials through engagement with other .

10. The opportunities to collaborate with other Commonwealth parliaments have increased significantly this year. These opportunities provide the Scotland Branch with the means to provide interesting professional development opportunities for Members and enhance the Parliament’s reputation as a trusted partner by collaborating with other parliaments in the delivery of parliamentary strengthening programmes.

CPA Scotland Branch highlights (including other Commonwealth related activities) • On 6 November 2018, Maurice Corry MSP met Dr Ahmad, Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) to discuss the CWP and the role of the ‘male champion’ • Stuart McMillan MSP attend the CPA ExCo meetings in London and Ottawa as Acting Regional Representative • Steve Rodan, President of , visited the Scottish Parliament with a delegation for a study visit to learn about scrutiny and outreach. • Jamie Greene MSP participated in a BIMR Election Observing Mission to the British Virgin Islands • Jackie Baillie MSP facilitated sessions at the CPA UK Overseas Forum which took place in Miami • Kenneth Gibson MSP and Maureen Watt MSP delivered parliamentary strengthening workshops at Parliament • Stuart McMillan MSP and Margaret Mitchell MSP attended the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Uganda

The 48th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) British Islands and Mediterranean Regional Conference 11. Claire Baker MSP, Stuart McMillan MSP, Margaret Mitchell MSP and Tavish Scott MSP along with over forty parliamentarians from more than thirteen Commonwealth countries and territories met in Guernsey to discuss the impact of ‘fake news’ and the media challenges for Parliamentarians and democracy. The 48th CPA BIMR Conference, was hosted by the States of Guernsey and CPA Guernsey Branch from 19 to 22 May 2019 in St Peter Port. Parliamentarians discussed the impact ‘fake news’ and digital disinformation on media freedoms in the Commonwealth and the importance of quality journalism in the reporting of parliamentary proceedings and elections.

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Tavish Scott MSP, Margaret Mitchell MSP, Claire Baker MSP and Stuart McMillan MSP at the BIMR Conference, Guernsey

12. Guest speakers included Dr Victoria Nash, Senior Policy Fellow and Deputy Director of the Oxford Internet Institute at Oxford University; Rita Payne, Journalist and President Emeritus, Commonwealth Journalists Association; Professor Dr Horst Risse, Secretary- General of the German ; Victoria Schofield, Historian and Doug Wills, Managing Editor of The Evening Standard and The Independent. Other topics discussed included ‘No-platforming’ which is the practice of preventing someone from discussing their ideas by refusing them a platform either physically at an event or online via a website or social media.

13. Delegates also heard presentations on the CPA Secretariat’s roll-out to CPA Branches of self-assessment against the updated CPA Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures and the CPA UK Branch’s work on Commonwealth Election Observations. They were also briefed by the Secretariat on preparations for the 64th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) in Uganda in September 2019.

14. The CWP BIMR held a meeting of the regional Steering Committee in the margins of the Guernsey conference at which Roberta Blackman-Woods, MP (UK) was elected as the new Steering Committee member before she reported back to the delegates on CWP activities for the region. The regional conference also incorporated the BIMR Annual General Meeting where the revised BIMR strategy was agreed.

Inward visits 15. The International Relations Office arranged 11 inward visits from eight Commonwealth countries during the report period, a decrease from 23 visits in the previous year. The main areas of interest for inward delegations were political developments in Scotland, Brexit, public audit, financial scrutiny, institutional management and parliamentary processes and procedures. The Scottish Parliament received visits from four Speakers from Commonwealth legislatures. (see Annex A).

Outward visits 16. As well as participating in programmes for inward visits, the Scotland Branch received invitations to apply for/attend 11 outward visits. Parliamentary officials participated in workshops in Malawi organised by the CPA UK Branch and the Deputy Lobbying

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Registrar was selected to participate in the CPA professional development programme for parliamentary staff which involved a week-long residential course at McGill University, Montreal. (see Annex A.

CPA UK Overseas Territories Forum 17. The CPA UK Branch has formed a consortium (National Audit Office and Government Internal Audit Agency) to deliver a three-year project of activities to support relevant UK Overseas (OT) stakeholders. The programme brings together parliamentarians and audit officials from the Territories and UK to discuss frameworks for good practice and priorities in public financial management.

18. Jackie Baillie MSP was selected by the Scotland Branch Executive Committee to act as an expert speaker at the multilateral forum held in Miami from 5-7 March 2019. The forum was attended by chairs and clerks to parliament public audit committees as well as heads of internal and external audit from across the UK Overseas Territories.

19. The Project was launched in 2017 where OTs identified areas where support would be welcome, and activities were tailored to address those areas. These included clerk attachments from the UK devolved legislatures and Crown Dependencies to PACs in the OTs; multilateral training for external auditors; secondments to the GIAA; and workshops for parliamentarians and officials in the OTs, Westminster, Scotland and Wales.

20. The Oversight of Public Finances Forum 2019 explored progress in OTs to date, addressed some of the common challenges faced by PACs, Internal and External Audit agencies and explored future activities in the next phase of the project to ensure long- lasting impact.

Jackie Baillie MSP during the CPA UK Overseas Territories Forum in Miami

Parliamentary Strengthening Programme - 21. From 11-16 April 2019, a CPA delegation visited , Namibia to participate in a series of diplomatic meetings as well as lead a capacity-building workshop for Members and clerks of the Parliament of Namibia. The workshop broadly focused on management of committees and parliamentary business and was aimed at strengthening the skills and

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knowledge of Members and clerks to undertake their parliamentary duties in an effective, accountable and inclusive manner.

22. The programme forms part of CPA UK’s three-year Parliamentary Partnership Programme with the Parliament of Namibia, designed in collaboration with the . The delegation included Kenneth Gibson MSP, Maureen Watt MSP.

The Delegation meet with the Minister of Justice, Hon. Sakeus Shanghala L to R Kenneth Gibson MSP, Hon. Sakeus Shanghala, Lord Purvis of Tweed, Maureen Watt MSP

23. The Members’ programme was well-attended, with over 30 participants on both days. The delegates led topical sessions on areas including the role of committee chairs; legislative timetables; delivering effective chamber speeches; and fostering better Member-clerk relations.

Group Photograph with delegation and participants

24. The Branch Secretary will continue to e-mail all Branch Members inviting applications to apply to attend overseas conferences and seminars.

Commonwealth Week 25. The theme for Commonwealth Day 2019 was A Connected Commonwealth. The Branch Executive Committee arranged a programme which included an address by Ted Arnott MP, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. However due to travel disruptions the Speaker was unable to arrive for the start of the meeting. A meeting was also arranged

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with the Commonwealth Consuls to discuss what the key concerns were which were relevant to the Scottish Parliament for citizens from other Commonwealth countries post- Brexit. The discussion noted that whilst there were common issues each country had differing challenges and opportunities to pursue.

26. Madeleine Brown MSYP attended the CPA Observance Ceremony and other events in London on Monday 11 March 2019 to mark Commonwealth Day 2019.

Commonwealth Plenary Conference (CPC) 27. There was no CPC in 2018 because no branches offered to host. The 2019 CPC took place in Kampala, Uganda from 22-29 September 2019. Both Stuart McMillan MSP and Margaret Mitchell MSP attended and also led workshops (respectively) on ‘the possible effects of Brexit on small branches’ and ‘fostering a culture of respect, fairness and dignity: sexual harassment has no place in legislatures’.

Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP)

British Islands and Mediterranean Region Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (BIMR CWP) Steering Committee 28. Margaret Mitchell MSP represented the Scotland Branch at two meetings of the BIMR CWP Steering Committee. It was agreed at the Steering Committee meeting which took place prior to the BIMR Regional Conference on 20 May 2019 that to strengthen the Steering Committee each Branch should nominate two women Members to participate. The Branch Executive Committee agreed that as the CWP work was closely aligned to the work of the wider CPA, Claire Baker MSP should take up the remaining place.

BIMR CWP 2019 29. The 2019 BIMR CWP Conference took place in Jersey from 19-21 September 2019 with the theme “The Next 100 Years” and Jenny Gilruth MSP, Claire Baker MSP and Margaret Mitchell MSP, who was appointed Vice Chair of the Steering Committee, attended.

BIMR CWP delegation visit to Cyprus: Gender equality and female political participation 30. Margaret Mitchell MSP visited the Cyprus Branch (13-14 June 2019) as part of a BIMR delegation to deliver workshops to Cypriot women parliamentarians and others to encourage women to participate in politics and public life. Delegates from the UK, Scotland, Wales and Guernsey Branches shared information with Cypriot women on the development of gender equality and the evolution of women participating in politics and public life within their jurisdictions. Ms Mitchell undertook to share more information about gender budgeting and vulnerable witnesses with several stakeholders including women MPs. Delegates also met with Demetris Syllouris, President of the House of Representatives.

Male Change Agents 31. Maurice Corry MSP attended meetings in London (November 2018) with the Hon. Noraini Ahmad MP, Chair of the CWP, to discuss the CPA’s ‘male champion’ initiative and other matters. He also met CPA officials to discuss wider CWP work.

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Hon. Noraini Ahmad MP, Chair of the CWP and Maurice Corry MSP

32. Mr Corry has spoken about the CWP in debates and co-ordinated arrangements for the photograph to mark White Ribbon Day. He also submitted an article about this CPA initiative for The Parliamentarian which was published in February 2018.

CWP Chairperson 33. A new CWP Chairperson was elected at the Triennial Women’s Conference in Kampala in September 2019.

Election Observing Missions 34. Periodically BIMR branches are invited to apply for a place to participate in a BIMR Election Observing Mission. The elections are usually in overseas territories or crown dependencies. The BIMR invite branches within the region to note an interest and nominate a Member. The BIMR representatives on ExCo will normally select Members taking into account information submitted by each nominee.

35. The CPA BIMR Secretariat received an invitation from John Duncan, Governor of the British Virgin Islands to draw together an Election Observing Mission (EOM) team mainly from BIMR Branches to observe the election on 25 February 2019. The preliminary report was published on 27 February 2019 and included references to the legal framework, election administration, and suffrage rights, as well as campaign finance, voter and candidate registration, and several other key topics. The EOM assessed the electoral process in accordance with international standards of elections and domestic legislation.

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Members of the EOM present the preliminary report l-r.: Felicity Herrmann, Election Coordinator; Jamie Greene MSP, Observer; Matthew Salik, Election Analyst; Hon. Palmavon Webster MHA, Head of Mission; Merce Castells Vicente, Election Analyst; Glenn Bedingfield MP, Observer

The Parliamentarian 36. Three articles were published in The Parliamentarian quarterly journal. The Presiding Officer wrote an article to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Scottish Parliament. Maurice Corry MSP submitted an article about the CWP and the Parliament’s Business Continuity Manager, in collaboration with colleagues from Canadian and Australian parliaments, submitted an article on business continuity.

Relationship with the National Assembly of Malawi 37. Scotland has a close bond with Malawi, and a concentrated part of the CPA’s international activity over the last 14 years has been through parliamentary focused advice and assistance to the National Assembly of Malawi. In October 2018, a Clerk Team Leader joined a team from the CPA UK to deliver parliamentary strengthening workshops to committee clerks at the National Assembly. Following on from that visit, a Senior Assistant Clerk participated in the next stage of the programme delivering workshops to officials at the National Assembly (March 2019) to strengthening capacity around pre and post- election planning.

38. In August 2019 Maureen Watt MSP joined a CPA UK delegation to deliver the next stage of the CPA UK Parliamentary Strengthening programme in Malawi. The National Assembly of Malawi elections took place on 21 May 2019.

Twitter Account 39. The International Relations Office amalgamated with the CPA Scotland Branch Twitter account on 1 January 2019. The new handle is @SP_IntRelations. This new account has allowed the International Relations Office to better showcase the wide range of the Parliament’s international work.

Future activities • Falkland Islands will host the BIMR CWP Annual Conference in February 2020 • Malta Branch will host the BIMR Annual Conference in May 2020

Branch funding 40. The SPCB funds the International Relations Office (IRO) to implement the Scottish Parliament’s International Strategy which includes the activities of the Scotland Branch. The IRO supports planned activity including annual membership fees of the CPA; attendance at regional and annual conferences; hospitality for visiting parliamentarians; outward visits by the Branch; and other ad-hoc activities. As the Scotland Branch is wholly funded by the SPCB expenditure is audited along with the SPCB’s accounts.

41. For further information about this report or Scotland Branch activities please contact the Branch Secretary.

Margaret Neal Secretary, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Scotland Branch [email protected]

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Annex

Inward visits from Commonwealth legislatures 15 September 2018 – 30 September 2019

Date Country Delegation 23 October 2018 Australia Public Audit Clerks from Legislative Assembly of Victoria 25 October 2018 Kenya Senate Standing Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs & Human Rights 30 October 2018 Botswana Members of the Trade Committee 6 November 2018 Australia John Graham MLC, New South Wales 24 January 2019 Turks & Caicos Islands Hon. Maxovonno Thomas AM and 2 officials from Turks & Caicos Public Accounts Committee 31 January 2019 India Consul General Anju Ranjan 27-28 January 2019 President and Members of Tynwald 13-14 March 2019 Canada Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, the Hon. Ted Arnott MPP 14 March 2019 Canada Québec Agent General, John A Coleman 9 May 2019 Australia Speaker of the Parliament of Tasmania House of Assembly, Honourable Sue Hickey MP 16 May 2019 Australia Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Parliament of Victoria, Hon. Colin Brooks MP 21-22 May 2019 Pakistan Members of the Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Outward visits to Commonwealth legislatures 15 September 2018 – 30 September 2019 Date Country Delegation 28 Oct- 1 November Malawi Ali Walker (Clerk) attended planning workshops for 2018 committee officials at the National Assembly of Malawi 6-8 November 2018 UK Stuart McMillan MSP attended the CPA International Executive meeting in London 21 January 2019 UK Margaret Mitchell MSP attended the BIMR CWP Steering Committee Meeting in London 23-27 February 2019 British Virgin Islands Jamie Greene MSP - BIMR Election Observing 5-7 March 2019 USA Jackie Baillie MSP attended the Commonwealth Public Financial Management Forum in Miami 18-22 March 2019 Malawi Andrew Proudfoot (Clerk) election planning workshop for officials at the National Assembly of Malawi 11-15 April 2019 Canada Stuart McMillan MSP attended the CPA International Executive Committee in Ottawa

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9-18 April 2019 Namibia Kenneth Gibson MSP & Maureen Watt MSP joined a CPA UK delegation to deliver parliamentary workshops to MPs at the Parliament of Namibia 19-22 May 2019 Guernsey Branch Executive Committee attended CPA BIMR Regional Conference in Guernsey 26-31 June 2019 Canada James Drummond (Deputy Lobbying Registrar) attended the CPA Professional Development Workshop in Montreal 13-14 June 2019 Cyprus Margaret Mitchell MSP visited the Cyprus Branch as part of a BIMR delegation to deliver workshops to Cypriot women parliamentarians and other stakeholders to encourage women to participate in politics and public life 19-21 September Jersey Jenny Gilruth MSP, Claire Baker MSP and 2019 Margaret Mitchell MSP attended the BIMR CWP Conference 22-29 September Uganda Stuart McMillan MSP and Margaret Mitchell MSP 2019 attended the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference which incorporated meetings of the ExCo and CWP

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