Transport and the Environment Committee, 08 Nov 2000
Meeting date: Wednesday, November 8, 2000
Official Report
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Scottish Parliament Transport and the Environment Committee Wednesday 8 November 2000 (Morning)
[The Convener opened the meeting at 09:32]
I welcome everybody to the 26th meeting of the Transport and the Environment Committee this year. I welcome the Minister for Transport and her officials, who are with us again for our main item of business, which is stage 2 consideration of the Transport (Scotland) Bill. We also offer a warm welcome to Linda Smith of British Energy, who is shadowing me for the day. I spent some time at British Energy, and the price of that is that Linda Smith must spend some time with me. I do not know who is the winner in that relationship.
No apologies have been received. I formally welcome Bruce Crawford and Fiona McLeod to the committee. They were with us at previous meetings, but the changes have now been officially made and they are formal members of the committee. They take the places of Kenny MacAskill and Linda Fabiani. I am advised that it is helpful if new members formally declare any interests that they think are appropriate to the work of the committee, and I ask them to do so now.
The only interest that I have to declare is that I own a Vauxhall Omega.
I do not think that I have any interests to declare that are relevant to the committee's work.
We will have a bonus from Vauxhall for that short advertisement.
In line with our previous practice, I would like to take decisions about whether we will discuss two items in private. Item 3 concerns a draft report on the Executive budget, and item 4 is on the draft terms of reference for our water inquiry. As I said previously, it is usual practice to discuss such matters in private. I therefore seek the agreement of the committee to take those items in private.
Members indicated agreement.