Public Petitions Committee, 04 Sep 2007
Meeting date: Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Official Report
288KB pdf
Interests
I thank members, the public and petitioners for coming to the Public Petitions Committee's third meeting of session 3. I ask everyone please to ensure that all mobile phones, BlackBerrys and other electronic devices are switched off during the meeting.
We have received apologies from Bashir Ahmad and John Farquhar Munro. Other MSPs may join us later to discuss petitions that they have expressed an interest in, or which they know about.
The first agenda item is a declaration of interests, because we have a member who is new—or perhaps reconditioned. In accordance with section 3 of volume 2 of the code of conduct for members, I invite Robin Harper to declare any interests that are relevant to the committee's remit.
Under the heading of remuneration in the register of interests, I say that I am occasionally rewarded for appearing on radio shows. I have no related undertaking, election expenses, sponsorship, gifts or overseas visits to declare. As for heritable property, I own a flat in Edinburgh. I have no interest in shares.
Under the voluntary heading, I have membership of several organisations, which include Friends of the Earth (Scotland), Greenpeace, WWF, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the National Trust, the RSPB, Historic Scotland, the Borders Forest Trust and other woodland organisations. I am the rector of the University of Aberdeen and the patron of several theatre companies, which include Forth Children's Theatre Group and Savoy Opera Company. I am an unremunerated member of the board of directors of Theatre Workshop in Edinburgh, Sounds of the Future Company and the Scottish Lime Centre.
I will add an interest that has just arisen in the past few weeks and is being registered. I am an unremunerated director of my wife's recently formed business communications consultancy—I might be called a silent partner.
Other than that, you are not very busy.