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Scottish Parliament

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Prorogued in 1707, an restored in 1999...

Holyrood Parliament. Home : Scottish Parliament. BBC Parliament - Scottish Parliament. Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Parliament (Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba; Scots: The Scots Pairlament)[2][3][4][5] is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood",[6] is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). Members are elected for four-year terms under the additional member system.

As a result, 73 MSPs represent individual geographical constituencies elected by the plurality ("first past the post") system, with a further 56 returned from eight additional member regions, each electing seven MSPs.[7] The most recent general election to the Parliament was held on 5 May 2011. Following a referendum in 1997, in which the Scottish electorate gave their consent, the current Parliament was convened by the Scotland Act 1998, which sets out its powers as a devolved legislature.

History of the Scottish parliament[edit] Legislation.gov.uk. Scottish Parliament. Scottish Parliament - About my vote, produced by The Electoral Commission. What does it do? The Scottish Parliament represents the people of Scotland and has the power to make decisions and pass laws in the following areas: Economic developmentEducation and trainingThe environmentFarming, fisheries and forestryHealth and social servicesHousingLaw and orderLocal governmentPolice and fire servicesPlanningSport and the artsTourism. These are called devolved matters. While the UK Parliament can still make laws for Scotland it will not normally make a law on a devolved matter without the consent of the Scottish Parliament.

How is it made up? There are 129 elected Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and, if you live in Scotland, you are represented by eight of them. The Scottish Executive is the government in Scotland and is responsible for all devolved matters. How is it elected? When you vote in a Scottish Parliament election, you have two votes – one to elect your constituency member and one to elect your regional member. When is it elected? Share this page. The Monarchy Today > Queen and State > Queen and Government > Scottish Parliament. Records of the Parliaments of Scotland. Scottish Parliament - Yesterday and Today - The Early Years. The Earliest TimesIn medieval times, the concept of a "parliament" would have been unheard of at a time when clan chiefs or minor kings ruled without question.

There may have been groups of elders who gave "advice" but the leader of the society was often there by force of arms. After the Norman Conquest in England in 1066, the principle of king and vassals was reinforced. But the Normans did have a concept of a gathering of the most important nobles - though a strong king did not need to listen to them. In Scotland, the first Royal Council was convened by King David I in the first half of the 12th century and his grandson, King William the Lion, convened the "Curia Regis" - an early form of parliament, though there was no question of the participants being elected. When Charles I visited Scotland in 1633 (for the one and only time) he attended Parliament, sitting on a raised dais and overseeing the proceedings.