BBC - Democracy Live - Scottish Parliament MSPs voted to agree the parliamentary reform recommended by the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee, after a debate on the reform on 6 June 2012. Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee convener Dave Thompson , whose committe's informed the changes, led the debate. Mr Thompson said the changes were "a significant evolution of the parliament's working patterns and procedures" and said the parliament "needs to be able to respond more quickly" which the changes would facilitate. The committee called for the number of days the chamber of the Scottish Parliament sits each week to be increased, amid concern the institution was not moving with the times. The chamber will meet on three days, rather than two, under plans which will now be made with effect from 20 August 2012. The measure was brought forward as part of reforms spearheaded by Holyrood Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick. They have been described as the biggest changes since the Scottish Parliament was created in 1999. Parliament's chamber currently sits on Wednesday afternoons and all day on Thursdays, while committees meet all day on Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings. Under the reforms MSPs will meet in the chamber on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, with committees convening in the mornings on each of the three days. Other reforms include: A new "topical question time" session, allowing MSPs to grill ministers at short notice on major, emerging issues. More time in the chamber for questioning ministers. A cut in the length of time between the lodging of questions and those questions being asked in the chamber. Increasing the number of member's debates, from two to three a week. Parliamentary Business Minister Brian Adam said: "Parliament must be relevant and must be seen to be relevant" and added it was important to debate the issues of the day and hold the government to account. Mr Adam said "there are inevitably conflicting pressures" but he added, to the government, "the committee does seem to have struck the appropriate balance." Scottish Labour's parliamentary business manager Paul Martin expressed concern that the "new arrangements could see the majority government place opposition business at the end of the parliamentary week." The second part of the debate can be viewed below: