Public Audit Committee, 07 Oct 2009
Meeting date: Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Official Report
282KB pdf
Decision on Taking Business in Private
I convene the 15th meeting of the Public Audit Committee in 2009. I welcome our witnesses, members of Audit Scotland and anyone else who is in attendance. I ask that all electronic devices be switched off so that they do not interfere with the sound recording. There are name plates in front of all the witnesses, and I hope that they can see the names of all the committee members.
I thank the witnesses for coming along; we look forward to your evidence. I am delighted to see some familiar faces, albeit that I am in a slightly different capacity. I chose my words carefully, rather than saying "old faces", given the length of time that I have known some of you.
The issue that we will consider later this morning is significant not only for public expenditure, but for delivery of public services in Scotland. A number of people feel that it is not given sufficient attention and is often regarded as an afterthought, whether we like it or not.
When I was listening to the radio this morning, I noted that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde had commented on the issues, which have to some extent become pertinent because of the tragic events this week in Renfrewshire: the suicides of two young girls. Our condolences and thoughts are with their families. There may be a causal link to resources and services, but that remains to be seen, and I do not want to go into any of the detail today. It is right that we let proper procedures take their course. We can reflect thereafter on what happened. Today, we will consider the bigger and broader issues.
Before we go into the detail of today's discussion, I ask committee members to agree to take item 3 in public and item 4 in private.
Members indicated agreement.