Conference
Welcome to the sixth meeting this year of the Standards Committee. We have apologies from Donald Gorrie, who is at a meeting of the Communities Committee, and from Bill Butler and Ken Macintosh, who are detained at other committee meetings.
The only item of business is to deal with an invitation to the Standards Committee to contribute to a series of seminars in Bosnia and Herzegovina on codes of conduct. The seminars have been organised by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe as part of its parliamentary support programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The three Parliaments there are about to start work on developing their own codes of conduct and the seminars are intended to assist the process. It will not just be a one-way process. When anyone goes abroad they have the opportunity to exchange views. We may hear some interesting views about how they are dealing with their experiences and ideas. Undoubtedly, as they have strict views on members' interests, it might help us in dealing with our members' interests order.
We already have links with the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its clerks and Speaker have been over here, because they were interested in how the Scottish Parliament was set up. There is an opportunity to build on links.
All the costs will be met by the OSCE, which indicated that it is also willing to bear the costs for an official to discuss the drafting of the new code with the secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina. If members are of a mind to accept the invitation to a member and the clerk, they may wish to receive a report back in due course. If the committee agrees, we will seek the approval of the Conveners Group and the Parliamentary Bureau as soon as possible, as the seminars are only two weeks away. Do members have any questions?
Out of interest, do we have an indication of how many Parliaments will be attending the seminars?
I cannot tell you. The invitation was specifically to us. I am unsure whether other Parliaments have been invited to attend.
We do not have that information at the moment.
The invitation was received late in the day by the Scottish Parliament's external liaison unit and was then passed to the clerks.
It is an excellent opportunity, and I would not wish to stand in the way of it.
Presentations will have to be made to all three Parliaments and will take place in Sarajevo and in Banja Luka in the north-east. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will also be sending people to give a presentation and attend the seminar series. That is the only information that we have on other participants.
Is the committee of a mind to send a member and a clerk to the seminars?
Members indicated agreement.
Convener, I suggest that we indicate the importance of the visit by sending your good self, if you are willing to go.
I am willing to go, if that is the wish of the committee.
Your mastery of pronunciation determines that you should be the one to go, convener.
Thank you for your kind remarks. I hope that my pronunciation will have improved by the time I get back.
Meeting closed at 12:04.