MSPs may be allowed to WFH ‘forever’

POLITICIANS should be given the permanent right to work from home and attend Scottish parliament debates virtually, according to a new Holyrood committee report.

The standards and procedures committee said ‘hybrid’ working brought in during the pandemic should be ‘here to stay’.

During the pandemic, MSPs and witnesses could appear at committees and also in chamber debates via video conferencing. There was also an app set up to allow remote voting.

The arrangements are still in place despite Covid restrictions ending.

As well as recommending that the measures continue, the committee said a proxy voting pilot should be introduced, allowing MSPs to nominate another member to vote on their behalf if they are unable to.

It said that ‘while in-person participation in parliamentary business should be the normal expectation, the committee has concluded that hybrid meetings should continue’. It said the move would make parliament ‘more inclusive’, adding: ‘It is important we continue to evolve and take advantage of the technology around us.’