Lord Wallace suggests increase in politician numbers at Holyrood

Lord Wallace of Tankerness has suggested Holyrood may need more MSPs with the new powers transferred from Westminster following Lord Smith’s review.

The former Advocate General for Scotland was an architect of the Scottish Parliament’s original rules, which he helped formulate in the 1990s.

He said: “With the advent of new powers the workload of MSPs will increase and will become more complex.

“Institutions need to evolve in the light of experience and it is nearly 20 years since the original devolution referendum.

“This would seem an appropriate time to take stock on how it is functioning and how it can be improved. That should include a look at how many members the parliament has.”

The leader of the House of Lords added that a small increase in politician numbers and some revisions to the rules on the Parliament’s operation would remove the need for a second chamber.

Ex-presiding officer George Reid is reported to be in agreement with the idea and has suggested raising the number of MSPs from 129 to 150.