Finance Committee

Meeting date: Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Official Report 354KB pdf

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Convener

Item 2 is the selection of a convener, which requires a member to be nominated by at least one other member of the committee. The Parliament has agreed that only members of the Scottish National Party are eligible for nomination as convener of this committee. That being the case, I seek nominations for the position of convener.

I nominate Michael Russell.

Are there any other nominations? As one nomination has been received, I ask the committee to agree—

I have a point to raise about your nomination.

I think that we should probably proceed with the process, unless you wish to object to the process or make an observation about it.

I wish to object.

You object to the process. Please do so.

The basis of my objection is that I believe that you have a conflict of interest. As you declared in the previous agenda item, you hold the position of professor at the University of Glasgow, for which you are remunerated to the sum of £17,000. As the committee will be considering matters of finance, including the budget and the allocations of that budget to universities, you have a conflict of interest—you have a paid interest in a university that has an interest in the budget process. Therefore, there is an issue with your nomination.

There is nothing in the standing orders about objecting to a nomination so, in my view, this becomes a matter of an election. If you wish to object, I suggest that we put the matter to a vote and you can vote as you wish. Is that acceptable to the committee? Is that acceptable practice?

Yes, but does the member wish to push the matter to a vote? That is the issue.

Yes, I wish to push it to a vote, because the matters that I have raised are relevant.

In that case, I will put the nomination to a vote and members can vote for it or against it. As one nomination has been received, I ask the committee to agree that I be chosen as the convener of the Finance Committee. Are we agreed?

Members: No.

There will be a division.

For

Coffey, Willie (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)
Denham, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (SNP)
Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP)
Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green)
Johnstone, Alex (North East Scotland) (Con)
McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP)
Russell, Michael (Argyll and Bute) (SNP)
Tomkins, Adam (Glasgow) (Con)

Against

Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab)
Kelly, James (Glasgow) (Lab)

The result of the division is: For 9, Against, 2, Abstentions 0.

Michael Russell was chosen as convener.

Thank you for the nomination and for my election to the role.