Procedures Committee, 18 Jan 2000

Meeting date: Tuesday, January 18, 2000

Official Report 190KB pdf

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Standing Orders

Item 7 is quite a complicated matter, but we are fortunate to have the clerks to the Finance Committee and the Audit Committee present. They will give us a quick and easy definition of the issue. They will also tell us whose fault it is that it was not picked up in the earlier review of the standing orders. They need not address the last point, which was flippant.

The original standing orders that defined a budget bill were drawn up back in the mists of time. The more detailed definition of a budget bill—which was recommended by the financial issues advisory group to the consultative steering group—was omitted from the standing orders, but is included in the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000, which received royal assent yesterday.

It is important that the definitions in the two documents tally, because the budget bill that the Executive is about to introduce contains the provisions in the act. The definitions should be brought into line with one another so that the budget bill can be introduced in the next few days and meet the time scale that the Finance Committee has agreed with the Scottish ministers for the passage of a budget bill.

Thank you. The Daily Record will report this from the electronic version that appeared on its screens.

That definition was overlooked in our earlier work. The Presiding Officer has spoken to me about this and Mr McCabe's and Mike Watson's letters are included with the papers for this meeting. Michael Russell—who has had to leave early—is content with the proposal. It is largely a technical issue. Do members have any questions? The officials will be happy to answer them.

No.

The committee agrees to accept the report and that I should sign the motion, which should be lodged on Thursday. It is a motion to be moved without debate. Members can now witness my signature of the motion.

That concludes the meeting.

Meeting closed at 11:46.