Public Petitions Committee, 15 Feb 2000

Meeting date: Tuesday, February 15, 2000

Official Report 185KB pdf

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Convener's Report

The final item on the agenda is the convener's report. We have received approval from both the conveners liaison group and the Parliamentary Bureau to meet in the Borders. The date proposed for the meeting is Monday 27 March. It is a shame that Christine Grahame is not here, because her preferred venue—Tweed Horizons Centre at Newton St Boswells—is not available on that day. Other venues are available that day, or we can postpone the meeting until Monday 3 April. Christine is happy to put the meeting off until 3 April in order to get the correct venue. What are members' views on that?

Are particular petitions being discussed at that meeting?

The Borders rail petition, which is a big petition, is coming to us.

Is that date okay with the petitioners?

We will check with the petitioners first to ensure that the date is okay with them. The Borders rail link petition is being submitted quietly next Tuesday, but will officially be presented down in the Borders at our meeting. As soon as we get the arrangements cleared up, a news release will be issued to publicise the meeting so that people may attend.

The final point is that there is a paper before the conveners liaison group today concerning the procedures to be followed in the event that a committee of the Parliament would like a petition to be debated at a meeting of the Parliament. That would happen when we believe that a petition is so important that it should go to the full Parliament, rather than just go to a committee or to the Executive. The paper asks for the conveners liaison group's views on that, because it might mean stealing half days from other committees so that the Parliament can debate the petition, therefore we would rather get the other committees onside before preparing a similar paper for the Parliamentary Bureau. Are there any questions? There is no other business so I declare the meeting closed. Thank you for your attendance.

Meeting closed at 15:43.