Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee

Meeting date: Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Official Report 462KB pdf

Decision on Taking Business in Private

I welcome everyone to the 14th meeting in 2019 of the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee. I ask people to ensure that their mobile phones are on silent.

Agenda item 1 is to consider taking item 3 in private to allow the committee to discuss its response to a letter from the Finance and Constitution Committee on European Union withdrawal-related scrutiny. I believe that Mike Rumbles has a comment.

I am not sure that it is appropriate to go into private session on this occasion, because the seven-page letter from the Finance and Constitution Committee is already in the public domain and all that we are being asked to do is to suggest some general principles of effective scrutiny to that committee rather than provide detailed responses to each question asked. Given that we are, quite correctly, considering the stage 1 report on the Restricted Roads (20 mph Speed Limit) (Scotland) Bill in private, considering item 3 in private would skew our business to an extent. I therefore suggest that we consider item 3 in public.

I agree with Mike Rumbles on this occasion. Item 3 is about scrutiny relating to withdrawal from the EU, which I think should be discussed in public.

On the basis that two committee members have spoken in favour of considering agenda item 3 in public and no member has spoken against that suggestion, does the committee agree that we should consider item 3 in public? It seems reasonable to me, from a transparency point of view, that people can see what the committee is doing and what our views are on that subject. Is that agreed?

Members indicated agreement.