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We move to agenda item 4, which is cross-party groups. At our previous meeting, we agreed to propose an amendment to the rules on cross-party groups to permit MSPs to make reasonable use of the Parliament's facilities to publicise meetings. The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has endorsed that proposal and has suggested that MSPs should also be permitted to make reasonable use of parliamentary stationery in conducting cross-party group business. Do members have any views on that?
For clarification, are we adding stationery but not postage?
That is correct.
That is a sensible addition to the code of conduct.
Members should have in front of them a copy of the revised motion to amend the code of conduct.
I suggest that we keep this item on the agenda and return to it to monitor the use of stationery and parliamentary facilities by cross-party groups. I am aware that some cross-party groups are better attended than others. I do not think that there will be abuse of the system, but the potential for that exists. We should keep an eye on the issue and return to it at a future date.
Is the committee content to lodge the motion that is set out in the paper?
Agenda item 5—our final item this year—is consideration of our draft committee bill, the standards commissioner bill. As we agreed at our previous meeting, we will now go into private session. I ask members of the public, press, official report and broadcasting to leave the meeting.
Meeting continued in private until 12:49.
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