Official Report 66KB pdf
I welcome everyone to the 36th meeting of the Subordinate Legislation Committee in 2001. I am happy to say that we have a short agenda. We have received no apologies, and there are no intimations that we wish to make.
Scottish Public Sector Ombudsman Bill
The committee noted that schedule 4 of the bill lists matters that the proposed ombudsman must not investigate. The Executive responded that, in the case of a body with public and private functions, it is in order for the ombudsman to investigate only the public functions. The committee feels that such a stipulation should appear in the bill, to line it up with the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill. Although I do not think that that request is in any way remarkable, the Executive does not quite agree. As a result, we should recommend to the lead committee that the power to make subordinate legislation under the bill should be exercisable only in relation to public functions and that that stipulation should be clear in this bill, as in the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill. Are members agreed?
Good, because you were going to get skelped if you disagreed.
Then I disagree. [Laughter.]
There is always one.
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Executive Responses