[The Convener opened the meeting at 13:31]
We are now in public and the microphones are on, so members should be wary. I ask members and anyone else in the vicinity to turn off mobile phones and pagers. I have received apologies from Donald Gorrie, who has an extra Procedures Committee meeting this afternoon—my goodness, how he must love procedures. I welcome Scott Wortley, our adviser, who at present is communing with Michael Matheson.
To keep us right, convener, should we formally declare our interests?
We will consider the report on the Council of the Law Society of Scotland Bill later. We can declare interests then—or now, if you like.
With regard to the Council of the Law Society of Scotland Bill and the Title Conditions (Scotland) Bill, my interests are as declared in the register of members' interests. I am a non-practising Queen's counsel, an unpaid trustee and director of a family company and an unpaid executor for my father.
To put the matter out of the way, I, too, will declare my interests now. I am a registered member of the Law Society of Scotland and I was a practising solicitor until I became a member of the Scottish Parliament.
My husband is a solicitor and a former member of the council of the Law Society.
That has cleared away the preliminaries.
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