THE Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer has apologised to MSPs after a voting “fiasco”.
Ken Macintosh was forced to suspend voting last night after a fault with Holyrood’s new remote voting system raised fears that some members were unable to cast their ballot.
Labour MSP Neil Findlay described the incident as a "fiasco" and has tabled a motion stating the “Parliament has no faith in the ability of the new hybrid voting system to deliver fair and accurate results".
In an email to Holyrood representatives, Macintosh said an “administrative error” was to blame and apologised unreservedly.
He explained that a mix-up had been caused when a pin code was altered accidentally.
However, analysis by Parliament staff showed only one MSP entitled to vote was unable to do so.
READ MORE: Holyrood’s new system branded ‘a farce’ as MSPs left unable to vote
Macintosh said: "If that member’s vote had been recorded, the result of the vote would have been: Yes: 58, No: 58, with no abstentions.
"In these circumstances, I would have used my casting vote and, in line with convention, I would have voted against the amendment.
"The outcome of the vote would therefore not have been different had that member been able to cast their vote."
He added: "I do however understand that the administrative error followed by a lack of clarity as to what was happening has had the effect that some members are starting to lose confidence in the system.
"I would like to apologise unreservedly for this."
Findlay had initially raised a series of points of order with Macintosh after his amendment – calling on the Scottish Government to halt the development of a new specialist service for women affected by a vaginal mesh – appeared to be defeated by 58 votes to 57.
The Labour MSP told the Presiding Officer that confidence in the remote voting system was “ebbing away every single day we come here”.
Findlay insisted: “The system is self evidently not working to the satisfaction of all members.
“We have a major problem with this system and we can not continue in the farcical way we are just now.”
SNP MSP and Scottish Government Constitution Secretary Mike Russell agreed with the Labour politician, saying as it stands MSPs could have “no confidence” in the result of the vote.
Russell said: “I voted two weeks ago in a remote division on a Bill and I was terrified in each division that the vote was not being counted or not being counted properly.
“Today we have seen a vote which, at the very least, must be one in which this chamber will have no confidence. A vote by a single vote, and we do not know whether individuals have voted or not.”
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