Gail Ross's decision to quit should spark rethink at Holyrood

Gail Ross has said her decision to stand down at the next Holyrood election was not an easy one to make. She cited the pressures of spending five nights a week in Edinburgh, missing out on family time and being away from her young son.

READ MORE: Holyrood: SNP MSP Gail Ross to step down at 2021 election

What a needless loss to the talent pool at Holyrood her departure will be. Gail Ross was only elected in 2016 and, before her announcement, it was thought that she could – and should – become a Scottish Government minister one day.

As we saw from the outpouring of good wishes and warm statements from her Holyrood colleagues, Ross is well-liked and held in high regard, even by her political opponents.

Her decision not to stand for re-election sparked a conversation about what more needs to be done to improve the flexibility and working conditions for MSPs. While the role is well compensated, it is also incredibly demanding – both personally and professionally.

There is a currently a disparity in what the role entails for members, depending on the location of the constituency they represent. The working week of a Central Belt MSP is very different to that of somebody who represents the Highlands or Islands.

There are measures that could be put in place, relatively easily, that would lessen the strain on MSPs with constituencies that are some distance from Edinburgh, as well as those who are parents or carers.

In most workplaces, initiatives like job-sharing are an option and this is something that could be considered in Holyrood too. The New Zealand parliament allows for proxy voting by whips. As Gail Ross herself suggested, we could make use of video links into conferences when appropriate and necessary.

There will be debate about the nuts and bolts of proposals for flexible working, how they would work in practice and what their scope would be.

READ MORE: SNP MSP Gail Ross announces her exit from Holyrood in 2021

But we can all agree that representing your constituents should not be incompatible with family life.

To be the best it can be, the Scottish Parliament should be comprised people who look like the country it represents. That means improving the woeful gender balance and black and minority ethnic representation. It means making politics more accessible to people from all backgrounds, including those with caring responsibilities. It means doing everything possible so that talented young women, like Gail Ross, don’t need to decide between being an MSP and spending time with their children.

Holyrood was designed to be a more modern and family-friendly place to work than Westminster. In many ways, it has achieved that aim. Recess falls at the same time as school holidays and there are no late-night votes in the chamber. There is a creche on site that is available for use by both MSPs and visitors.

That good work doesn’t mean that there’s still not much more that can be done.

The big issue of the moment is climate change and how we tackle it. I think the public would be receptive to the idea that it’s not necessary for MSPs to take a 500-mile round trip to attend parliament on occasions when they could work remotely instead.

There are some occasions that require MSPs to be present in the chamber. But for a lot of parliamentary business – committees, conferences and meetings – we could utilise technology to make our procedures work better and smarter, for both MSPs, their staff and their constituents. Many of the working public will have themselves experienced the frustration that comes with attending a meeting to discuss something that could have been covered on the telephone or via email.

Attending parliament is only a small part of the wide-ranging and demanding job of being an MSP. Gail Ross has spoken about how she has struggled to visit all the areas of her vast constituency as often as she’d like. In thinking about what changes need to be made, we should reflect on the experience of MSPs and listen when they tell us we need to be bolder in our approach.

Whenever we talk about making parliament more flexible, there is a suspicion that politicians will try and game the system to their own advantage. While this may be in part due to the lack of trust in politics, that shouldn’t be a barrier to considering sensible proposals that would improve our parliamentary processes.

Most MSPs are diligent public servants, motivated by a desire to represent their constituents to the best of their ability. Flexibility would allow us to attract the brightest and the best to our parliament.

At a minimum, it would avoid another unnecessary situation like this. Where we’re losing a talented and well-rounded politician from public life at a time when we need them most.