Holyrood rule change could help committee conveners with parental leave
Holyrood committee conveners will no longer have to resign their position to take extended parental leave, if a rule change is endorsed by the Scottish Parliament.
Holyrood committee conveners will no longer have to resign their position to take extended parental leave, if a rule change is endorsed by the Scottish Parliament.
Current rules mean only the committee deputy convener, often a member of a different party, can stand in if a convener takes maternity or paternity leave.
In practice, this often leads to a convener resigning so a replacement from the same party can be appointed.
The new rule proposed in a Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments (SPPA) Committee report will allow an acting convener of the same political party to stand in, enabling the new parent-to-be to return to the post once maternity, paternity or parental leave ends.
SPPA convener Clare Adamson said: "This requires only a minor change to the Parliament's Standing Orders and it may in time only benefit a small number of people, but there's an important message here.
"It means you will not be disadvantaged as a result of taking maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave or shared parental leave.
"It might only be a minor change but it removes another barrier in the workplace for women and for men.''
Parliament is expected to be asked to agree the rule change before the Easter recess.