Justice 1 Committee, 25 Jun 2002
Meeting date: Tuesday, June 25, 2002
Official Report
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Scottish Parliament Justice 1 Committee Tuesday 25 June 2002 (Afternoon)
[The Convener opened the meeting at 13:19]
I convene the 27th meeting in 2002 of the Justice 1 Committee. I remind members to turn off mobile phones and pagers. I should introduce the stranger at my side. He is Professor Neil Hutton, who is our adviser on the alternatives to custody inquiry.
As this is the final meeting before the summer recess, I will update members on the committee's outstanding work. The consultation on the "Regulation of the Legal Profession inquiry options paper" closes tomorrow. The responses will be collated and presented to members for consideration after the recess.
I have received a response from the Minister for Justice about our consideration of a number of petitions on dangerous driving that results in fatalities. We will pursue that matter, but I have just received the response and have not had a chance to digest or to circulate it.
There is outstanding information about our report on the inquiry into legal aid. A note will be ready for members on their return from what I hope will be a good holiday. Some members look pretty tired.
As we are the committee that never sleeps, I will whet members' appetite for the coming term. The main items of business will be the inquiry into alternatives to custody and the Title Conditions (Scotland) Bill. We will meet jointly with the Justice 2 Committee for a stock-taking meeting with the Minister for Justice and we will take evidence from HM chief inspector of prisons for Scotland on his annual report. I assume that that will be the present HM chief inspector of prisons. The justice committees will also meet jointly to consider stage 2 of the budget process 2003-04. A detailed note on the committee's work programme will be available for consideration in the autumn.