Back to basics! MSPs get £13k lessons... in how to ask a question

AS the people we entrust with important decisions about Scotland’s future, they should perhaps be able to do it already – but it seems our MSPs need to be taught how to ask questions.

Specialist trainers from a company in England have been brought in to help Holyrood politicians grill Scottish Government Ministers and other witnesses.

Three committees have already undergone training, with Scottish parliament bosses putting money aside for seven more sessions at a total cost of £13,000.

Last night, a taxpayers’ watchdog criticised the spending at a time of austerity when schools and hospitals are faced with making spending cuts. Critics argued that politicians should be expected to have the skills necessary to ask questions – and those incapable of doing so should pay for training themselves out of their salary of at least £61,778 a year.

The three committees to receive the training so far are public audit; environment, climate change and land reform; and rural economy and connectivity.

The training plan was signed off by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, which includes MSPs from all parties, and awarded to Capital Training based in West Sussex.

The firm’s director, Colin Fletcher, said: ‘The tender was for training aimed at supporting MSPs in their committee duties by focusing on how to undertake their role of effectively questioning a range of different witnesses.

‘Each workshop is an interactive mix of theory, discussion and reflecting on examples of good, and not-so-good, questioning.’

Voters might expect candidates put forward by parties to have good questioning skills already, but events at Holyrood have cast doubt on the assumption that their questions will be sensible. Midlothian Nationalist MSP Colin Beattie infamously lodged a parliamentary motion bemoaning the reduction in chocolate in Toblerone bars, and asked if the UK Government could force the makers into a U-turn.

There have also been accusations of the Scottish Government ‘manipulating’ the parliament system by using ‘slavish’ Nationalist MSPs to water down criticism or even shield Ministers from it.

In the past year, MSPs have been called on to question Government Ministers, charities, primary school children, vulnerable individuals and senior professionals across a wide range of subjects.

Now, at a time when NHS bosses are facing £333 million of cuts and councils are battling huge deficits, there are questions over whether the two-hour workshops are the best use of scarce public funds.

Harry Davis, campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Can anyone really think that this is a good use of MSPs’ time or taxpayers’ money?

‘All politicians should be looking for ways to rein in their spending, not finding extra ways to increase it. If these courses are so vital then maybe the politicians can pay for them themselves.’

But the Scottish parliament insisted it was money well spent and said Holyrood, like Westminster, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly, provides ‘continuous professional development opportunities for MSPs and staff’.

A spokesman said: ‘To help MSPs get the most from parliamentary committees and the wide variety of witnesses that appear in front of them, we run courses on asking effective questions.’

‘Is this a good use of time or money?’