Scottish Government: Discussions

Baroness Bryan of Partick Excerpts

Thursday 2nd May 2019 Lords Chamber

[Lord Duncan of Springbank]

I will very much undertake to write to my noble friend with those statistics—I do not have them to hand.

[Baroness Bryan of Partick (Lab)]

My Lords, we should take this opportunity to congratulate those present who were Members of the first Scottish Parliament. We should go beyond intergovernmental discussions to look into inter-parliamentary contact, and take this opportunity to consider a more federal approach to the UK. Having set that in motion in 1997, we cannot now step back and say that nothing else can change. This is a perfect opportunity to make those changes. I hope the Minister will agree.

[Lord Duncan of Springbank]

It is important that we continue to learn about what is going on. It is also true that, while we have very strong working relationships Government to Government, that might not be as well established Parliament to Parliament. There is no doubt that there would be a benefit in that—the learning of this House could well be useful in informing the Scottish Parliament. Beyond that, it will be difficult to see until we have the results of the intergovernmental review.