Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee, 08 Sep 2009

Meeting date: Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Official Report 166KB pdf

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Decision on Taking Business in Private

Good afternoon. I welcome everyone back for our first meeting after the summer recess—I hope that you all had an enjoyable break. This is the 18th meeting this year of the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee. I have received apologies from Alison McInnes, and apologies for lateness from Rob Gibson, who is expected. I ask members and everyone present to switch off all mobile devices.

There are five items on the agenda. Item 1 is a proposal to take item 4, which is consideration of the work programme, and item 5, which is consideration of our approach to scrutiny of the budget, in private. Do members agree to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

I have no wish to object to the idea of taking those items in private, but I am keen that, in the long term, we do whatever is necessary to preserve and defend the right of committees to take business in private. Are we confident that there is no alternative but to take those items in private at this stage?

It is for the committee to choose. In some instances we have discussed our work programme in public, but we have sufficiently wide options to consider this year—given the lack of legislation—that it would be reasonable to discuss them in private before we adopt and publish the work programme.

I agree.

I see that no one else wants to comment. We will take items 4 and 5 in private.