Official Report 230KB pdf
Item 5 on the agenda is consideration of the committee's forward programme.
We have not tackled that aspect of the law before. We will be short of time, as usual, but we should take proper evidence.
The alternative view is that, as the Executive is taking evidence in that way, we should wait to see what its conclusions are and take evidence at that stage.
I support what Pauline McNeill said. Postponing evidence taking until after the Executive has taken evidence makes sense. When we have decided which groups we want to hear from, I would like to hear their evidence. We can decide in which cases written evidence will be sufficient.
Is that the consensus of the committee?
Are there any other comments on the forward programme?
On the prison estates review, the paper states:
I was not privy to the decision to take evidence. I assume that it was a chance to interrogate Tony Cameron on the outcome of the review. If we interrogate him before the outcome of the review, the answer will be that they are working on it and to watch this space.
It is just that we now know that the review will not come out until December. It is unfortunate that it is taking such a long time to come out. I do not suppose that we, as a committee, can do anything about that.
I do not think so. The minister was asked about that earlier; members heard the answer.
Meeting continued in private until 12:23.