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This instrument comes under the negative procedure. No motion has been lodged to recommend that nothing further be done under the instrument. After consideration of the instrument, the Subordinate Legislation Committee determined that the attention of Parliament need not be drawn to it. Therefore, I suggest that nothing be done with the instrument. Is the committee agreed?
I suggest that, when we consider the Stracathro petition at the meeting on 24 November, we agree to meet in private for the first 15 minutes, at 9.15 am, to discuss how we will question the witnesses who will be in attendance. They will be from Tayside Health Board, Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brechin and District Patients Association, the Stracathro hospital staff action committee and Angus and Mearns Action to Save Stracathro. Two of those parties will attend jointly.
Will we receive any papers in advance?
We have asked for various submissions, and people have asked whether they can make submissions to us. I have also circulated details to all the local members, including list MSPs as well as constituency MSPs, so that they will know that the meeting is taking place and will have the opportunity to submit any information that they have in advance. We have been trying to get a wide range of submissions.
I assume that that meeting will take place in Edinburgh.
Yes.
When was that decision made?
I cannot remember whether it was formally put on record that any member wanted to challenge that fact. I circulated an e-mail to members, the vast majority of whom said that they were happy for the meeting to be held in Edinburgh, although one or two said that we should consider going to the Brechin area. I went ahead with that as a convener's decision; I do not think that it ever came before the committee. Had the majority of members intimated by e-mail that they wanted the meeting to be in Brechin, I would probably have had to bring the matter before the committee. I did not do so because they did not so intimate.
I do not recall ever being given a choice about where the meeting should be held.
Was an e-mail not circulated?
I remember expressing an interest in participating, as I thought that it was a unique opportunity for us to go out and meet the people.
An e-mail was circulated.
I do not remember receiving an e-mail. As I said, this was a unique opportunity for us to go to meet the people, particularly bearing it in mind that the petition had 25,000 signatures.
From what you are saying, I take it that next time we should give more consideration to such matters. Some people who responded pointed out that, because this was the first time that we had considered a petition, there was a question of precedent. I will ask the clerks to look into the matter and to get copies of all the answers that we received, but I am pretty sure that we e-mailed all members about it. I remember receiving comments from several people.