Health and Community Care Committee, 21 Jun 2000

Meeting date: Wednesday, June 21, 2000

Official Report 220KB pdf

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Invitation

We have received a letter from the Minister for Health and Community Care inviting up to six members of the committee to attend the healthy Scotland convention on 3 July. Unfortunately, the deputy convener, Dorothy-Grace Elder and I have already organised community care visits for that day. It was incredibly difficult to find a date that suited us all and I would be loth to change it. I would like to deal with those visits as quickly as possible. Are there any other members who would be able to attend the convention and represent the committee?

I appreciate that it is quite short notice. I leave the matter open. If members' plans change, they know the invitation stands. I will investigate whether it would be possible for a member of staff to attend if we cannot send a member of the committee.

The convention cannot have been organised recently. We can thank the minister for the invitation but mention that it would be useful to have a bit more warning of such events—two weeks' notice is not enough.

Perhaps a wee bit of forward planning would help.

That is an acceptable point. We are all very busy. I am keen to build a good working relationship. In the future, it would be helpful to have warning of such events to allow members to play a full part.

I suggest that we take a break while I discover whether our witnesses from Northern Ireland have arrived.

Meeting adjourned.

On resuming—

I have been informed that the witnesses from Northern Ireland are in a taxi in the west end and will be with us in 10 or 15 minutes' time. If members agree, we will now deal with item 8, which we agreed to take in private. That will save time at the end of the meeting. Unfortunately, it means that the hardy souls in the public gallery will have to bear with us and leave until we return to public session.

Meeting continued in private.

Meeting resumed in public.