SNP calls for Commons electronic voting

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-35146297

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Electronic voting should be introduced to speed up business in the House of Commons, the SNP has suggested.

The party said electronic voting in the Scottish Parliament - which allows MSPs to vote without leaving their seats - takes "just a matter of seconds".

But it can take 15 to 20 minutes for up to 650 MPs to funnel through the lobbies during divisions in the House of Commons.

The SNP said it was now time to ditch the "antiquated Westminster tradition".

SNP MP Hannah Bardell said the time "wasted" during divisions would have been "much better spent representing our constituents and tackling the issues that impact on their lives".

The Scottish Parliament has used electronic voting since it was reconvened in 1999. A similar system is also used in the Welsh Assembly.

How do MPs vote in the House of Commons?

Ms Bardell said: "Electronic voting has been shown to work in Scotland, Wales and in parliaments around the world.

"But the House of Common's reluctance to modernise its outmoded procedures is part of the reason that parliament is far from family friendly and continues to be considered alien and remote by the public."

Ms Bardell said the UK Parliament could get through much more business if it chose to "live in the 21st century, not the 17th".

'Essential opportunity'

The Livingston MP added: "As we move towards the start of 2016, it's well and truly time to create a modern parliament that is fit for a modern democracy."

The UK Parliament website states that proposals to adopt an electronic means of voting have been been considered in the past.

But it says alternative to the present system did not appear to command any great support among MPs.

It adds: "Many members view the procedure of voting in person through the lobbies as an essential opportunity to speak to or lobby senior colleagues".