Procedures Committee, 16 Mar 2004

Meeting date: Tuesday, March 16, 2004

Official Report 241KB pdf

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Guidance for Conveners

As we are quorate, we will make a start. The agenda is not long, but the meeting could be lengthy. I have received apologies from Cathie Craigie—Irene Oldfather is here as her substitute. As I have not heard from other members, I assume that they will turn up in due course.

Agenda item 1 is on draft guidance for conveners, which the Conveners Group has already considered twice. The normal protocol is for the Procedures Committee to give such guidance documents a once-over to ensure that they are acceptable. I ask Elizabeth Watson, the clerk to the Conveners Group, to give a brief introduction, after which members can ask questions.

The note by the clerk sets out the background. The genesis of the document was the Conveners Group away day, which took place at the start of this session of Parliament. The conveners agreed that it would be useful to have their own source of reference on certain matters. The guidance is very much a source of reference for conveners rather than for the public. More information will be provided about the role of convener when we redo the guidance on the operation of committees, which is more general. The present guidance is aimed specifically at conveners. To use the current jargon, the document is organic and may be added to and developed if conveners identify other issues on which it would be helpful for further guidance to be provided.

I am glad that it is not genetically modified.

As there are no questions, are members happy to approve the guidance?

Members indicated agreement.

I thank Elizabeth Watson for coming.