The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Westminster MPs will visit Scotland regularly
Improve voter engagement
MPs on the Scottish Affairs Committee will “regularly” travel north formeetings in a bid to challenge the perception Westminster is too remote.
The committee said while “most of” its meetings in Scotland would be held in the central belt – where the majority of the population live – it would also visit more far-flung locations.
Members of the committee have been carrying out an inquiry into its role and how it works in the wake of the changes in Scottish politics after the SNP recorded a landslide victory inMay’s Westminster elections and newpowersbeingdevolved to Holyrood.
While they found interest in politics “is at an unprecedented level” north of the border, the MPs said: “We are clear that tobe fully effective we must tap into this significant upsurge in political engagement.
“Too often during this inquiry we were told that Westminster is a remote institution.”
A report looking at the work of the committee said itwas“crucial forustobeas accessible as possible”, with the MPs adding: “Not only do we need to be aware of the concerns that people in Scotland have, but we also need to receive as wide a range of evidence as possible in order to help us to address them.”
They continued: “Respondents to our inquiry were unanimous in their view that, although we were a committee of the House of Commons, we should meet frequently in Scotland.
“We heard how people in Scotland felt disconnected fromWestminster, that not only was it geographically distant from Scotland but that theUKParliamentwas considered far less accessible than the Scottish Parliament. “
In the repor t , the committee pledged it would “aim to challenge the perception that committees inWestminster are remote institutions” over the course of the Parliament.
It added: “As part of this process we will regularly visit and take evidence in Scotland.”
“Were told that Westminster is a remote institution”