---

Scottish Parliamentary Pensions Act 2009 (Consequential Modifications) Order 2009

These Benches also thank the Minister for introducing the order. I think it is the first time, either in Committee or in the House, that I have seen a bench of officials that is entirely female, which is very nice. I look forward to the day when we have not only a bench of officials that is entirely female but a female Minister as well. We broadly support this measure. However, I heard the noble Lord say that there is a separate unfunded pension scheme for Scottish Ministers, which is indeed the case here down south in the United Kingdom. I am not as familiar as I should be with the scheme for MSPs. Is there a separate funded scheme and, if so, what is the contribution that their employers—the Scottish taxpayer—make to the Scottish parliamentary pension scheme as a percentage of Members’ salaries?