Agenda item 4 is the approach to developing our work programme. I refer members to the clerks’ paper, which suggests that, as an initial step, we agree in principle to holding a business planning meeting during the summer recess. The clerks will prepare a detailed paper for us. We can look at it at our next meeting and discuss in more depth what the agenda will be. In my experience, a business planning meeting during the recess has always proved to be useful for members of committees. It gives us a chance to go over a range of issues and give our initial thoughts as to how our work programme should be developed.
Do members also agree to invite the Scottish Government to give a briefing at our next meeting, which will be on 28 June?
Once we identify which minister is likely to appear, do we anticipate inviting wider stakeholder groups to contact us to tell us which issues they wish to put on the record at an early stage, or will the meeting be very much about inviting ministers to set out an agenda and probing what they say?
I hope that the ministers will set out their priorities for the forthcoming session. We do not yet have the Government’s legislative programme and will have to wait until the autumn for it. However, I think that the ministers will be able to set out priorities in their areas of responsibility. That meeting will give the committee an initial opportunity to probe the minister on those areas. Outside bodies have absolute freedom to contact us with any issues that they want to have raised either at that meeting or, more important, subsequently, when we get into the detail of the Government’s programme, and the committee has agreed its policy priorities and how we will proceed with our work programme. I would be happy for any organisation or outside body to contact members of the committee with suggestions or helpful advice.
Convener, you are using interchangeably the terms “minister” and “ministers”. Given the fact that we are the Education and Culture Committee, it might be useful for us to have representation from both portfolios, depending on who is sent.
I have already asked the clerks to approach the Government about the availability of both sets of ministers, including the cabinet secretaries. They will see who is available and whether one or both of them can attend on 28 June. Their availability is up to them, but I hope and expect that a minister or a cabinet secretary will be available for that meeting. The committee is not just about the education side; it is about education and culture, so both cabinet secretaries have been approached.
Given the possibility that two ministers might attend the away day, can we ensure that the committee has sufficient time to set out its own agenda before giving both ministers an appropriate amount of time in which to lay out their agendas? My fear is that, if we have two visits, the day will become about the Government’s agenda rather than about the committee’s agenda. Perhaps we can set aside four hours for the committee to set out its agenda and then be briefed by the ministers at the end of the day.
I am talking about the next formal meeting of the committee, on 28 June. I expect and hope that a Government minister will attend that meeting, at which we will also discuss what we want from the away day. At that meeting on 28 June, we can talk about the detail of that: whether we want one, two or no Government ministers to be available; whether we want other outside advice, information or presentations to the committee; and how much time we should allocate for those things and for other discussions that we want to have at our away day in the summer recess. The two are separate.
Is it going to be an at-home away day, if you know what I mean?
The convener was using the old terminology.
Yes, I was using old terminology. I am happy to suggest that the business planning meeting should take place here, in the Parliament, and not be an away day, as such. However, it will happen during the recess rather than in normal parliamentary meeting time.
I wondered whether you were thinking of Paris or somewhere.
I probably was thinking of Paris, but I am not sure that that would be appropriate or welcomed—by a number of people.
That completes today’s business. The next meeting of the committee will be on the morning of Tuesday 28 June at 10:30.
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Deputy Convener