Official Report 245KB pdf
Agenda item 1 is a decision on taking business in private. Committee members will remember that when we considered our work programme, we agreed in principle to have brief private sessions after oral evidence sessions to allow us to make initial comments on the evidence that we had heard and to flag up specific issues for the clerks in order to allow them to begin the process of drafting a report. That approach will give the clerks a good heads-up steer on what we want to do and our areas of concern. Discussions on the drafting of reports would normally be held in private.
I am happy with that on the understanding that we go into private session only to consider the general direction of travel, rather than to make any decisions. Can I understand that we will not make any decisions in private?
We will simply have an immediate discussion of the evidence. That will be easier for us to do when the evidence is fresh in our minds, rather than in six weeks' time, when it might not be quite as fresh.