Official Report 123KB pdf
The fifth item on the agenda is an update on videoconferencing. There do not seem to be any difficulties in standing orders about videoconferencing, but there are severe practical limitations. That is a matter that the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body can address, using the substantial financial resources at its disposal.
Is it inappropriate to suggest that videoconferencing be considered for the Holyrood building?
As long as by "Holyrood building" we mean any building that might ultimately house the Parliament.
It might even be this one.
Perhaps. It might not be the building at Holyrood, but that is enough of such mischief.
We would not be able to make full use of videoconferencing facilities for committee meetings for at least two years, even according to the original timetable for the Holyrood building. I recently took part in a videoconference with representatives of the Finnish Parliament. I have not taken part in a videoconference before and I found it to be an excellent facility. I hope that the SPCB will consider adapting one of the committee rooms to make videoconferencing facilities available at an earlier date, otherwise we will lose an opportunity to increase our access to people in the more remote communities in Scotland. We cannot wait for completion of the new building until we make use of such facilities.
That is a fair point. We are likely to be here for some time and despite the limitations, it would better if the videoconferencing facilities were in one of the committee rooms, rather than in the basement, where they cannot be used to any great extent.
The option of having remote witnesses is very helpful and would enable many less professional witnesses—if I can call them that—to participate. I accept the argument that we miss something in terms of body language and so on. If a committee is grilling somebody who is suspected of doing all sorts of naughty things, the witness should be there so that we can see the guy squirm. Videoconferencing would, however, allow a committee to get a genuine view from a scallop fisher from North Uist, for example.
There is nothing to add to that at the moment.