We move on to agenda item 6. We have in front of us a paper that reminds us that, at our meeting on 24 January 2012, we agreed that, in principle, we would like to visit Glasgow to see the Commonwealth games venues prior to the summer recess. The provisional date that the clerks identified was Tuesday 12 June 2012.
Convener, I note that we are pressed for time and cannot do 12 June, and I note that 5 June is the public holiday for the Queen’s diamond jubilee, but I am keen to see the Commonwealth games structures that have been erected in Glasgow. Can I suggest that rather than leave it to the latter end of the year we look at Monday 4 June? I also have comments about sport—
We will come on to that part of the paper. Thank you, that was useful. I ask members to note that 4 June is also a public holiday. I am sure that you are not hung up on the date and that you are suggesting that, if it can be managed and the majority of members can come, a day could be arranged before the summer.
Yes.
People whom we need to see might be on holiday if we turn up on 4 June. That is a practical problem.
That is a practical consideration. Leaving aside the date, which is unconfirmed, do we agree to ask the clerks to attempt to get a suitable date, which is not a holiday, and to attempt to facilitate a visit before the summer break?
Yes.
Is that the majority view?
Under the heading “Inquiry work” in the paper, there is an opportunity for the committee to hold up to four oral evidence sessions during September 2012. The reason we are discussing that now is that we need to put arrangements in place before the summer recess and contact people who might participate.
Of course we should take the temperature of progress on the Commonwealth games at some point, but I do not think that we need to have an inquiry. We could have a focused, one-off session with the individual who is responsible for delivering the games, to get matters on the public record. I would nudge to one side the idea of doing an inquiry on that.
I agree with Bob Doris that there is no need for an explicit inquiry into Commonwealth games preparations at the moment, because there is already quite a lot of information about that in the public domain. We might want to come back to it later. However, we probably should get into discussing the health legacy of the games at some point, and that might combine quite well with the other suggestion of an inquiry into support for community sport and, as a second part of that, Bob Doris’s point about the health benefits from public funding of sport. I would be quite interested in following up the issues around community sports facilities, what is out there, and what is happening, particularly in the current economic environment, so I would certainly prefer an inquiry into that to a report on the Commonwealth games.
I agree with that. I have been a bit involved with the sporting side of things recently and there are concerns, particularly about issues such as opening up the school estate for communities to use. There are a number of questions about such issues that need to be answered. It would be useful for the committee to hold an inquiry into that.
I totally agree with all the comments that have been made. We have to look at some of the community sports and the sports hubs. We had a report some months ago about the success of some sports hubs and bringing them into other areas. Some councils could learn from what has been done in other areas and I am comfortable with the suggestion that we should look at community sports.
You have just done so.
We have to look at all sports—football, volleyball and all the various things—and at how coaching is done across the Scotland brand and supported, especially by the lottery fund.
Okay, thank you. There seems to be a strong consensus for doing some such work in September, and support for sport seems to be the preferred option. We have agreed to that in principle.
I endorse the views of the keen sportspeople on the committee, whose comments were well made. On access to medicines, I think that all members are probably experiencing through their postbag and e-mail inboxes a degree of public concern. I know that to be the case in my constituency, where there is concern about the operation and implementation of the individual patient treatment request process. I know that mine is not an isolated experience so I would welcome a one-off session on that process.
I agree with a significant part of what Jim Eadie said. Consideration of the issue represents on-going work, because we have looked at individual patient treatment requests in dealing with petitions. I would not use the term “inquiry”; we would be getting information on the record and asking key questions.
I made it clear that I was looking for a one-off session. When I referred to an inquiry, I meant a short-term inquiry that would take one day.
The issue is squeezing other people into that inquiry. I support Bob Doris’s view that the purpose of our session on newly licensed medicines should be more to draw out information. The subject will be part of on-going work, because we will deal with the petitions at a future date. We could broaden the witness panels in any subsequent session.
What about Lake Tahoe?
Perhaps we could use our imagination in how we use the two or three days that are allocated to sport.
Do I take it that we will select a Monday or another day in June to see Commonwealth games sites?
My apologies, Richard. Yes. That is an additional decision. We can ask the clerks to see how we can best make that happen and get a suitable date for the majority of committee members.
In our previous discussions about the work plan, I think that I mentioned health and safety, which I am keen for us to come to at some point. We have probably filled up a good part of this year, so we might be talking about next year. I simply want to flag up for the clerks’ information that health and safety remains an issue that I would like us to look at in the future. I think that the Scottish Affairs Committee will report on it during the summer. That could be the start of the process. We could take a look at that report and think about whether there is an opportunity next year.
Yes.
Yes.
That is helpful. I agree with both of those things.
Yes.
I suggest Aberdeen as an alternative venue to Glasgow. We have a fantastic new sports village, which involves the whole community and has been really highly spoken of. I recommend that the committee visit it.
Glasgow and Aberdeen have been commended. I expect no less from MSPs who represent those areas.
And thanks to the convener.
That concludes the meeting.