Public Service Reform Committee [Draft]

Meeting date: Thursday, June 18, 2026

Official Report 422KB pdf

Decision on Taking Business in Private

10:03

We now move to agenda item 3, which is a decision on whether to take business in private. We are asked to decide whether to take item 4, on the committee’s work programme, in private, and to decide whether our consideration of our work programme should also be taken in private at a subsequent meeting.

For the benefit of those watching and new members of the committee, although committees normally meet in public, under rules 12.3.4 and 12.3.5 of standing orders, they can agree to take items in private where appropriate. Work programme discussions are typically taken in private. That is because they involve planning future business and discussing possible witnesses or approaches, and it could be more effective for that to be done in private. Decisions taken in private will be recorded in the committee’s minutes.

With those caveats, I ask members whether they agree to take item 4 in private.

Members indicated agreement.

Do members also agree that consideration of our work programme should be taken in private at our next meeting?

Members indicated agreement.

Before we move into private, I put on record the committee’s thanks to the Finance and Public Administration Committee in session 6 for its legacy report in relation to public service reform. More generally, I thank that committee for its excellent wider work in session 6.

With that on the record, we will now move to the private part of our meeting.

10:04

Meeting continued in private until 11:17.