Official Report 89KB pdf
I welcome everyone to the 32nd meeting in 2008 of the Local Government and Communities Committee. As I always do at this point, I remind everyone to switch off their mobile phones and BlackBerrys.
My initial view is that we have little time to take any evidence, but I am sure that other members will have views that they want to put on the record.
Yes. We have the opportunity to do that. The clerks will take a note of the discussion and pass it on.
Yes. I am aware that that is under way. Do you want my view on it?
I just wanted to check whether you had any views on it.
As far as the Local Government and Communities Committee is concerned, our most obvious, direct experience of SPCB-supported bodies is our work with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, who comes to give evidence with her staff, usually on her annual reports. We have had a successful relationship in that regard.
I note the commissioners that have been included in the inquiry's remit. I do not know whether it is appropriate to bring this up, but the issue of bringing organisations together and trying to reduce the burden of government has arisen in response to the Crerar report. There is an issue around the Scottish Housing Regulator, in which the Local Government and Communities Committee takes an interest. I just want to put down a marker that there are concerns about the Scottish Housing Regulator being amalgamated with any other regulator, and I expect that we would want to make representations on that, although it is not mentioned in the brief that I have in front of me. I just want to flag up the issue to the clerks. If the Review of SPCB Supported Bodies Committee covers the issue, we might want to return to it.
The paper that we have sets out the six bodies that are covered by the review. I know that the Local Government and Communities Committee's schedule is tight over the next few months but, given that we do not have any written evidence from those bodies at this stage, it would be helpful if we could get the heads of each of them along to give us their views and their understanding of the situation, to see whether we can find any common ground before we report back.
I support what Jim Tolson said. Given the timing of the consultation, we do not have sufficient time to take evidence before the initial report must be submitted. However, we should put on record our desire to consider the issue at a later stage. We can ask the Review of SPCB Supported Bodies Committee to come back to us with its initial findings so that we can perhaps have an evidence-taking session with the bodies to which members have referred.
We can ask to be kept informed of the work of the Review of SPCB Supported Bodies Committee, which has been set up on a cross-party basis under the convenership of the Deputy Presiding Officer, Trish Godman. I presume that the committee will consider issues of resourcing and duplication. In light of members' comments today, we will express an interest in being kept up to date with, and monitoring, the committee's work. If points of interest arise, we can communicate with the committee. In extreme circumstances, we could find out what evidence the committee is taking. We do not want to duplicate the work of the committee, and we are also free to send one of our number to attend its meetings to keep a watching brief on things.