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The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament (Scottish Gaelic: Oifigear-Riaghlaidh, Scots: Preses o the Scots Pairlament) is the speaker of the Scottish Parliament, elected by the Members of the Scottish Parliament, by means of an exhaustive ballot. He or she also heads the Corporate Body of the Scottish Parliament and as such is viewed as a figurehead for the entire organisation. Two Deputy Presiding Officers are elected to help fulfil the role. The office of the Presiding Officer is in Queensberry House.

The first person to hold the position was Sir David Steel, appointed in 1999.

List of presiding officers

List of Deputy Presiding Officers

• Patricia Ferguson (1999–2001)
• George Reid (1999–2003)
• Murray Tosh (2001–2007)
• Trish Godman (2003–2011)
• Alasdair Morgan (2007–2011)
• Elaine Smith (2011–present)
• John Scott (2011–present)

Proposal in the event of independence

In the event of Scottish independence, the Scottish National Party proposes that the historic title Chancellor of Scotland be used instead of Presiding Officer, with additional constitutional powers during the absence of the Monarch from Scotland.^[1]

See also

• Presidency of the old Scots Parliament (pre-1707):
  • Monarch of Scotland
  • Lord Chancellor of Scotland
  • Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland
• Presiding Officer (disambiguation page)
• Speaker (politics)
• Chairman
• Convener
• Moderator
• Preses

External links

• Official website

References