Questions 'a tedious ritual'

LOTHIANS Labour MSP George Foulkes has called for a shake-up of the weekly First Minister's Questions slot at the Scottish Parliament.

He claimed the 30-minute opportunity to quiz the First Minister lacked spontaneity and had become a "tedious ritual".

He said: "There is almost no opportunity for spontaneous supplementaries as issues arise or develop and so the whole procedure appears too rehearsed and less spontaneous or 'real' compared with other legislatures."