Health Committee, 16 Nov 2004

Meeting date: Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Official Report 90KB pdf

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Item in Private

I call the meeting to order—we start on time. Jean Turner has sent her apologies; she is unwell and is unable to attend today.

The first item on the agenda is the proposal to discuss in private item 5, which is the paper on the work programme. It would be appropriate to take that item in private because doing so will allow members to give preliminary consideration to a range of options for our forward work programme, a number of which the committee might not agree to pursue and a number of which will in any case require to be negotiated with a number of bodies. It would therefore be premature for us to discuss some of those matters in public as a number of things might not pan out.

Does anybody object to item 5's being discussed in private?

I understand entirely why you suggest that we should discuss the item in private. I understand that it will involve, as you say, preliminary discussion of things that "might not pan out." However, I do not like to go against the presumption in standing orders for openness in our dealings. We should be as open as we can be in all our dealings. We have already decided to discuss item 4 in private, so our discussing item 5 in private would mean that apart from legislation—which we are not allowed to discuss in private—we would discuss everything today in private.

I understand the argument, which is a legitimate one. However, I will give an example. If the committee wanted to go to Inverness, Aberdeen or wherever, but our application was knocked back, our having held the discussion in public would mean that at least people knew that we were interested in going there to discuss a particular issue, rather than their having the impression that we were not interested.

I understand that. However, there are other matters in the paper on the work programme today that we need to discuss in private because they have not yet been put in the public domain by the Executive. We would not be able to discuss the upcoming legislation and matters pertaining to it if we discuss the item in public. I appreciate what you say, however. Do you wish to move against the item being discussed in private?

If other members of the committee feel as you do—that we should discuss the item in private—I will not force a vote. However, I have yet to hear other members comment on the matter.

Is any other member of the view that we should not take item 5 in private?

Members indicated disagreement.

There appears to be no support for the view that has been expressed by Mike Rumbles.

We have our answer.

Item 5 will be discussed in private.