Procedures Committee, 02 Nov 1999

Meeting date: Tuesday, November 2, 1999

Official Report 176KB pdf

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Scottish Executive (Discussions)

Item 10 on our agenda is a note of the meeting that I had with Mr McCabe. His suggestion is that we should meet regularly to discuss matters of common interest, as the First Minister likes to put it. I propose that we do that, and that I report back verbally on the discussions that took place.

We met last week. The gist of the meeting was that Mr McCabe asked me to express his gratitude to the committee for the way in which it conducted the review of the standing orders. I reported specifically on question time, on summing up on non-Executive days, and on the proposed additional half day, which I felt were the areas where we had not necessarily accepted all the evidence that he gave to the committee. I raised concerns about ministerial discussions along the lines of the discussion earlier in the agenda. Mr McCabe raised the issue of the financial resolutions.

That is what we discussed, and we will continue to communicate on that basis in future, if the committee is happy.

As delighted as I always am to discuss matters with you, convener, it is not necessary at the moment for you to meet the shadow Minister for Parliament, as I am here anyway. In future circumstances, were that not to be the case, meetings should take place not only with the Minister for Parliament, but regularly with the other parties, so that their views and those of the business managers or shadow Minister for Parliament are taken into account.

I am perfectly happy to meet anybody whose role fits in generally with what you are saying.

Given how the Parliament operates, meetings should be bilateral.

I understand your point. Obviously, I have chats with Lord James Douglas-Hamilton from time to time, purely on a party basis. The logical consequence is that, whoever holds the post of convener of the Procedures Committee should always deal on an informal and regular basis with all the relevant people in the main parties.