Looking how to sack unworthy Holyrood MSPs? Join the queue - Susan Dalgety

Martin Whitfield MSP

Tempting though it is to get rid of a few of the Scottish parliament’s most controversial characters, the public are not being offered the chance to vote politicians out of the MSPs’ ‘Big House’.

The Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee has asked for people’s thoughts on a private member’s bill put forward by Scottish Conservative MSP Graham Simpson.

Under the current rules, an MSP can lose their seat if they are sentenced to 12 months or more in prison, similar to UK arrangements for MPs at Westminster.

But the UK parliament also allows voters the power to initiate a recall petition if an MP is sent to prison for less than one year or if they are suspended from the House of Commons for more than ten days.

Simpson’s proposals suggest that an MSP should automatically lose their seat if they are jailed for six months or more, or if they fail to attend the parliament at least once in a six-month period – unless they have a valid reason for being absent.

And he also proposes a recall process for voters if an MSP is found guilty of serious misconduct or if their conduct in office is deemed unacceptable.

Readers may recall former Health Secretary Michael Matheson, who was suspended from parliament for 27 days over his £11,000 bill for data roaming charges run up during a family holiday to Morocco.

If you or I had misused a work device in a similar way, the chances are we would be facing the sack.

But at the end of his suspension, Matheson came slinking back into parliament to pick up his £74,500 salary.

And only recently, Health Secretary Neil Gray had to apologise to his fellow MSPs after it was revealed he had used his ministerial car on numerous occasions to take friends and family to football games involving his favourite team, Aberdeen.

Simpson’s sensible bill is complicated by Holyrood’s voting system, which gives us two types of MSPs.

There are 73 constituency members, elected by the traditional first-past-the post system, and a further 56 regional members who are elected by the additional member system.

On this second ballot, voters choose a political party, not an individual candidate, and the seats are allocated depending on the number of constituency seats a party has already won, and the percentage of votes the party received in the regional vote.

So, any recall system will have to take account of Holyrood’s complex voting process.

That is why Martin Whitfield, convenor of the Standards Committee, is keen to hear what voters think.

We have until 4 April to tell him and his fellow committee members the most effective way for voters to hold MSPs to account. Just Google ‘Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments committee’ and you will be directed to where you can leave your thoughts.

Or write to Martin Whitfield at the Scottish Parliament. Don’t be afraid to say what you think. After all, MSPs are chosen by the public.

Our tax pounds pay for their generous salaries. If they behave badly, the voters should have the right to hand them their P45.