Justice and Home Affairs Committee,

Meeting date: Monday, May 15, 2000

Official Report 232KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

Agenda item 4 is a technical matter.

I move motion S1M-841,

That the Committee agrees to consider the draft Census (Scotland) Amendment Order 2000 and the Census (Scotland) Regulations 2000 at its meeting on 22 May, and that debate on the two instruments be limited to 30 minutes.

Motion agreed to.

I remind members that next week's meeting is also on Monday afternoon. The clerks are attempting to finalise witnesses for next week. At present, the first item on the agenda is the census motions. The minister will be here to answer questions. If members have any substantive issues to raise, they should notify the clerks.

We will deal with the stage 1 evidence on the draft bail, judicial appointments bill. The Executive team will attend the meeting. We will also hear evidence from representatives from Victim Support, who will want to talk about the bail issues, and the District Courts Association, who will want to talk about the issue of councillor justices of the peace. Those members who have not yet received the letters that have started to come in might want to contact their local councillors independently to establish the general feeling.

The last item of the meeting will be a discussion on our draft response on the budget process. That item will be held in private. I regret to say that other statutory instruments are appearing on the horizon. We will decide whether it is appropriate to put those on the agenda.

On the draft regulation of investigatory powers bill, I was struck by the fact that sweetness and light was breaking out. Everyone says that there is no problem with it. I asked the ACPOS witnesses what the people on the ground—the detective constables and sergeants—thought about it, and they assured me that there is unanimity throughout the ranks. I was rather sceptical about that. I would like to know what the operational officers think about the burdens that the bill is imposing on them.

Do you want to hear evidence from the Scottish Police Federation or the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents?

I would like to hear from the Scottish Police Federation, to get the detectives' point of view.

It would be useful to contact the Scottish Police Federation and ask for an initial comment on the bill. We might be able to squeeze in the SPF to give evidence.

Meeting closed at 15:54.