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Chamber and committees

Public Petitions Committee, 20 Nov 2001

Meeting date: Tuesday, November 20, 2001


Contents


Consultative Steering Group Principles

The Convener:

Item 3 is the Procedures Committee's inquiry into the application of the consultative steering group's principles in the Scottish Parliament. A draft submission has been prepared by Steve Farrell, the clerk, and it is open to the committee to amend it. How do members want to do that? Are you happy with the submission in general, or do you want to go through it paragraph by paragraph?

Phil Gallie:

I am happy with it in general, but I have an observation to make. You refer specifically to the Bundestag, but the whole structure in Germany—the Bundesrat and the federal Governments—treats petitions in much the same way as the Bundestag does. It would improve the story if the document referred to the Länder as well.

So, as well as the Bundestag, the document should refer to the Bundesrat and the Länder.

At least once, so that we make it quite clear that the practice cuts right across the whole structure.

The Convener:

A further draft will be written, based on any amendments that are suggested this morning, which we will consider at our next meeting. [Interruption.] Sorry. The clerk informs me that we have to finalise the document this week and that it will not come back to the committee. Phil Gallie's suggestion will be incorporated in the submission. Do members have any other suggestions?

I am quite happy with it.

I think that it is a good draft and very well prepared by the clerk. It was certainly not me who prepared it.

We would never have guessed.

The Convener:

We will also report back on our Berlin visit. We agreed to produce a paper on that visit. Consideration of that draft report will be included in the committee's next agenda.

The submission on the CSG principles will be presented to the Procedures Committee on 11 December. I shall give evidence at that meeting. Committee members are welcome to come along. With the inclusion of Phil Gallie's amendment, is the draft report agreed?

Members indicated agreement.