The twenty fifth anniversary of the Scottish parliament

The Scottish parliament is celebrating its twenty fifth anniversary.

The inaugural assembly befell on 12 May 1999, lower than every week after Scots went to the polls to vote within the first Holyrood election.

First Minister John Swinney was one of many 129 MSPs elected into the brand new parliament all these years in the past.

Holyrood has had seven first ministers since 1999: Donald Dewar (1999-2000), Henry McLeish (2000-2001), Jack McConnell (2001-2007), Alex Salmond (2007-2014), Nicola Sturgeon (2014-2023), Humza Yousaf (2023-2024) and John Swinney (2024-present).

Alison Johnstone MSP, presiding officer of the Scottish parliament, advised Sky News that reaching 25 is a “significant milestone” for Holyrood.

She added: “And it’s right that we take this opportunity to both reflect on achievements and look forward to the future.

“In its comparatively quick life, the parliament has grow to be firmly established on the centre of Scottish public life. That is one thing we needs to be happy with.

“The parliament has always sought to stay true to its founding principles of openness, accessibility, sharing power and equal opportunity.

“Recognising that Scotland is a really totally different place to what it was in 1999, we should proceed to evolve and replicate that.”

As presiding officer, Ms Johnstone want to use the anniversary to “continue a conversation with the Scottish people about their hopes for their parliament for the next 25 years”.

She added: “I want to see a parliament that remains relevant and responsive and reflects the people it serves.

“I wish to see a parliament for all and one by which individuals’s voices are represented.

“We have good foundations on which to build and I look forward to the future with optimism.”

Key dates within the Scottish parliament’s historical past:

6 May 1999: The first election to the devolved Scottish parliament is held with Tom McCabe the primary member elected. Labour type a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, with respective leaders Donald Dewar and Jim Wallace taking over the primary minister and deputy first minister positions.

12 May 1999: The first assembly of the Scottish parliament is held. Presiding, SNP MSP and social gathering stalwart Winnie Ewing famously pronounces the parliament “reconvened” after the Parliament of Scotland had beforehand been adjourned and dissolved in 1707 following the ratification of the Treaty of Union between Scotland and England.

1 July 1999: Official opening of the Scottish parliament by Queen Elizabeth II.

13 September 1999: The Mental Health (Public Safety and Appeals) (Scotland) Act turns into the primary Scottish parliament invoice to obtain royal assent. The new act closed a loophole utilized by convicted killer Noel Ruddie to be launched from the State Hospital at Carstairs.

13 January 2000: The very first First Minister’s Questions (FMQs). Alex Salmond is the primary to place a query to Mr Dewar.

3 May 2000: The first official state go to from abroad by president of Malawi Dr Bakili Muluzi.

11 October 2000: First minister Mr Dewar dies on the age of 63 after struggling a mind haemorrhage following a fall.

8 November 2001: First minister Henry McLeish resigns following a scandal about his bills.

9 October 2004: Queen Elizabeth II formally opens the brand new Scottish parliament constructing, generally known as Holyrood. Enric Miralles, the Catalan architect who designed the constructing, died in July 2000 earlier than its completion. Holyrood would go on the next yr to win the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize for the UK’s finest new constructing.

24 August 2009: A particular sitting of the Scottish parliament takes place following the discharge of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al Megrahi, who was despatched again to Libya on compassionate grounds resulting from his terminal prostate most cancers prognosis. A full debate on the choice is later held at Holyrood on 2 September 2009. Opposition events unite to sentence the choice however cease in need of implementing a vote of no confidence in then justice secretary Kenny MacAskill.

18 September 2014: A referendum on Scottish independence is held. With greater than two million individuals voting no (55.3%) and 1.6 million voting sure (44.7%), Mr Salmond later steps down as first minister following the consequence and is changed by Nicola Sturgeon.

9 April 2020: FMQs happen nearly for the primary time as a result of COVID pandemic and lockdown.

16 January 2023: The controversial Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill turns into a constitutional dispute after Westminster takes the unprecedented step of utilizing a Section 35 order to cease it from receiving royal assent and changing into legislation. The Scottish authorities has since dropped a authorized battle in opposition to the choice.

15 February 2023: Ms Sturgeon pronounces she is stepping down as SNP chief and first minister.

28 March 2023: Humza Yousaf is elected as first minister. He is the youngest to carry the job and the primary Muslim chief of a Western nation.

29 April 2024: Mr Yousaf pronounces he’s stepping down as SNP chief and first minister amid two votes of no confidence following the ending of the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens.

8 May 2024: John Swinney is legally sworn in as Scotland’s seventh first minister.

Visitors:

• Since the Scottish parliament constructing opened in 2004, there have been nearly 5.5 million guests passing by means of its doorways – together with round 170,000 faculty pupils.

• Notable guests to Holyrood have included Queen Elizabeth II, the Dalai Lama, former US president Donald Trump, legendary James Bond star Sir Sean Connery, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

• The parliament’s cafe has bought round 570,700 cups of tea and low, and round 123,360 slices of do-it-yourself shortbread have been served up by way of the cafe and hospitality service, together with at VIP occasions.

Petitions:

• To date, 2,019 petitions have been thought of by MSPs.

• The youngest petitioner has been Callum Isted, who in 2021 on the age of simply seven, known as on Holyrood to induce the Scottish authorities to offer each main faculty little one in Scotland with a reusable water bottle. The petition is at the moment into consideration and might nonetheless be signed.

• Other petitions through the years have led to a life-prolonging bowel most cancers drug being made obtainable on the NHS, in addition to the introduction of laws to permit ladies affected by painful transvaginal mesh procedures to hunt reimbursement for personal surgical procedure undertaken to take away the mesh.

• A complete of 356 payments have been handed to make new legal guidelines or change current legal guidelines – 290 Scottish authorities payments, 32 members’ payments, 22 personal payments, 10 committee payments and two emergency payments. A complete of 53 payments have fallen or been withdrawn.

Milestone laws:

• MSPs voted in 2000 to abolish clause 28 of the Local Government Act, the legislation that banned the promotion of homosexuality in colleges.

• In 2002, the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act launched free private take care of over-65s, no matter revenue or whether or not they reside at house or in residential care. In 2013, Amanda Kopel introduced ahead a petition to increase the free care to these below 65 after her husband, footballer Frank Kopel, was recognized with dementia on the age of 59. Legislation to allow this was handed by the parliament in 2018 and got here into pressure in 2019.

• The Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act – which was handed in 2005 and got here into impact in 2006 – prohibits smoking in nearly all enclosed public locations.

• The Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act was handed in 2012, with Scotland in 2018 changing into the primary nation on the planet to ban retailers from promoting alcohol under 50p per unit. MSPs not too long ago voted to extend the minimal unit value (MUP) to 65p in a bid to deal with deaths and hospital admissions linked to alcohol hurt. The enhance will come into pressure on 30 September.

• In 2014, the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act allowed same-sex {couples} to marry.

• The Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Act – which was handed in 2019 and got here into pressure in 2020 – protects youngsters from all types of bodily punishment, together with smacking.

• In 2020, Scotland grew to become the primary nation on the planet to go laws making interval merchandise freely obtainable to all. The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act – which got here into pressure in 2022 – was unanimously backed by MSPs and places a authorized responsibility on native authorities to make sure that free merchandise can be found of their amenities, together with colleges.

Scottish Tory chief Douglas Ross was on the official opening of the parliament in 1999.

He was a Forres Academy pupil on the time and was one among a gaggle of scholars from Moray chosen to participate within the procession.

He wore a kilt for the occasion and walked the route alongside a number of senior politicians, together with then chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown.

Mr Ross advised Sky News: “We also lined up on The Mound as the late Queen walked in to officially open the parliament.

“I’d by no means seen a member of the Royal Family earlier than, so it was an actual honour to see the Queen and be a part of such an important day.”

Mr Ross noted that although his party didn’t support the smoking ban at the time, he stated that legislation like that has made a difference to people’s lives.

He said: “It’s straightforward to neglect what it was like earlier than this grew to become legislation, however you would depart a restaurant or pub together with your garments reeking of smoke.

“There have been a few transformative pieces of legislation like that, which have delivered a massive change to our lives.”

Mr Ross mentioned successful a guess in opposition to rival Ms Sturgeon has been one among his highlights in parliament.

He mentioned: “I don’t often gamble, but I was delighted Children’s Hospices Across Scotland were the recipients of my successful £100 bet with Nicola Sturgeon on which one of us would step down first as our party leader.

“Since then, I’ve seen off one other first minister, Humza Yousaf, although he was not fairly as assured at outlasting me as his predecessor was when she agreed to the wager in 2021.”

Mr Ross said it’s “laborious to imagine” Holyrood is now 25.

Thinking ahead to the next 25 years, he said: “As my very own youngsters develop up, I need them to see a Scottish parliament that fulfils its potential and makes use of the intensive powers at its disposal.

“All too often since I have been a member, debates have been dominated by the constitution, rather than the real priorities of Scotland.”

Scottish Labour chief Anas Sarwar highlighted how devolution was delivered all these years in the past by a Labour authorities.

He advised Sky News: “The Labour-led campaign for a Scottish parliament united the country and now two-and-a-half decades on the parliament is at the heart of modern Scottish society.

“In that point the Scottish parliament has delivered many progressive reforms which have modernised Scotland – from same-sex marriage to the smoking ban.

“But after 25 years it is clear that the politicians in power are now holding Holyrood back from fulfilling its true potential.

“For too lengthy, the Scottish parliament has been an economics-free zone – which means that there’s much less and fewer cash to help our public providers.

“And at the same time, there has been less transparency and more sleaze – damaging the precious link of trust with the Scottish people.

“It falls to Scottish Labour – the social gathering that delivered devolution – to reset and restore devolution to its guiding rules and make it work for Scots.”

Alex Cole-Hamilton, chief of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, mentioned he’s “proud” to have performed a component within the successes delivered by the Scottish parliament.

He advised Sky News: “In government, the Scottish Liberal Democrats delivered pioneering legislation like the abolition of upfront tuition fees, the introduction of free personal care and the smoking ban.

“We additionally legislated for the constructing of the Borders Railway, gave communities the precise to purchase land, made dental and eye exams free, launched free bus passes, and opened up the enterprise of presidency to correct scrutiny by means of freedom of knowledge legislation.”

As a youth worker, Mr Cole-Hamilton helped to shape an amendment to Scottish parliamentary legislation that changed the age of leaving care in Scotland from 16 to 21.

He said: “Since I grew to become a parliamentarian in 2016, Scottish Liberal Democrats have secured £120m further for psychological well being in finances negotiations, and pushed parliament to declare a psychological well being emergency.

“We won the argument on the importance of funded childcare and ensured that the SNP eventually delivered a pupil premium, learning from the success of the policy elsewhere in the UK.

“We additionally efficiently pressured a authorities U-turn on their proposals to abolish jury trials throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

“As party leader I am proud to have been ahead of the curve, raising issues like long COVID, dodgy concrete in the roofs of our schools and hospitals, sewage in rivers and the rise of synthetic opioids long before these became mainstream concerns.”

In the longer term, Mr Cole-Hamilton hopes the Scottish parliament will again colleague Liam McArthur’s assisted dying invoice.

He additionally needs for a authorities that may take motion to “boost local health services” and “recognise the importance of accessible, high-quality care for all, close to home”.

Mr Cole-Hamilton added: “I also want to see more devolution within Scotland, with councils given longer-term funding deals and more powers over economic development.”