Justice Sub-Committee on Policing

Meeting date: Thursday, October 27, 2016

Official Report 309KB pdf

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Convener

The next item on the agenda is the choosing of a convener. I ask for nominations.

I nominate Mary Fee.

Mary, are you willing to serve as convener?

Yes.

Are there any other nominations?

Yes, convener. I nominate Margaret Mitchell, who has indicated that she is interested. I will say a few words on the nomination, if I may.

I am content to allow that. I will, however, allow Mary Fee to say a few words if she wishes to do so.

I am speaking more as a proposer.

Speak ahead.

We are fortunate in having two very good candidates. I was a member of a committee that Mary Fee chaired and I had every confidence in her ability to perform the role. Likewise, if she is the successful candidate today, she will have my full and unqualified support. However, in the letter that was sent from this sub-committee to the Presiding Officer, which we all undertook to go along with—it was circulated—part of the proposal on the membership was that the convener of the Justice Committee should convene the sub-committee. That was qualified by saying that the decision was for the sub-committee itself. Nowhere did the letter say that the convenership would be the subject of an arrangement between the business managers of the Scottish National Party and the Scottish Labour Party. It is disappointing if that is a feature of it. Nevertheless, whatever the decision, the convener will enjoy my full and unqualified support.

Those are helpful remarks. Without further ado, we will move to the vote.

Members voted.

Votes for Mary Fee

Fee, Mary (West Scotland) (Lab)
Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP)
Stevenson, Stewart (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)

Votes for Margaret Mitchell

Finnie, John (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD)

Mary Fee was chosen as convener.

Thank you for choosing me to be the convener of the Justice Sub-Committee on Policing. I look forward to working with you all over the coming session.

Before we move on to the rest of the agenda for today, I invite Rona Mackay, who has just joined us, to make any declaration of interests.

I have no interests to declare.

It is for the committee to decide whether it wishes to choose a deputy convener. There is no obligation on us to do so, and an alternative might be to appoint a temporary convener if the convener is unavailable. Do members wish to appoint a deputy convener?

I associate myself entirely with John Finnie’s earlier comments and offer my congratulations on your appointment as convener. In the circumstances, I am keen to nominate Margaret Mitchell for deputy convener. I think that that would help to ensure the continuity that was referred to in the committee’s letter to the Parliamentary Bureau.

Thank you very much. Do we agree to choose Margaret Mitchell as deputy convener?

Convener, I think that, procedurally, we need to agree to choose a deputy convener first.

Thank you. Do we agree to choose a deputy convener?

Members indicated agreement.

As Margaret Mitchell has been nominated, do we agree to appoint her as deputy convener?

Members indicated agreement.

Margaret Mitchell was chosen as deputy convener.

I add the caveat that, although I am content that she agreed to serve as convener, she has the right to inform us subsequently if she would not be content to serve as deputy convener. Nonetheless, I am content that we take that decision today. I do not think that we should hang our hats on procedure.

No. We have made that decision today. If Margaret Mitchell chooses not to serve as deputy convener, we can revisit the matter at a future meeting.