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The Scottish Parliament and law making
The Scottish Parliament and law making

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3 The Committee System

The way in which the Committee system operates and works is a unique feature of the Scottish Parliament. There are a number of Committees (shown in Box 5) with allocated areas of responsibility. They have between five and fifteen members and scrutinise the work of the Government. They work much more on cross-party lines than do Committees of the UK Parliament. There tends to be much more agreement among MSPs from different parties when they are scrutinising or challenging the Scottish Government’s legislation as it passes through Parliament. The Convenors of the Committees are responsible for organising the meetings. These Convenors are drawn from across the main political parties.

You should now watch this short video in which Iain Gray explores the work of the Scottish Parliament and its committees.

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Iain Gray on the work of the Scottish Parliament and its committees
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