Justice 2 Committee, 24 Jan 2001

Meeting date: Wednesday, January 24, 2001

Official Report 89KB pdf

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Convener

The Parliament has agreed, on a motion of the Parliamentary Bureau, that the convener will be chosen from among the Labour members of the committee. I invite nominations.

I nominate Pauline McNeill.

I accept that nomination. Are we agreed that Pauline McNeill be chosen as convener?

No.

In that case, I declare that Pauline McNeill has been duly chosen.

I said that I do not agree.

I know, but I had counted those who are in favour. Please excuse me for not having a formal count. We will have a division now.

For

Barrie, Scott (Dunfermline West) (Lab)
McIntosh, Mrs Lyndsay (Central Scotland) (Con)
McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab)
Robson, Euan (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD)
Whitefield, Karen (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab)

Against

Grahame, Christine (South of Scotland) (SNP)
Macdonald, Ms Margo (Lothians) (SNP)

The result of the division is: For 5, Against 2, Abstentions 0.

Pauline McNeill was chosen as convener.

I congratulate Pauline McNeill and hand over to her. That was short but sweet.

Good morning and thank you for electing me as convener. I thank Margo MacDonald for taking the chair. Who is to say that we would not have voted for her as having the most beautiful eyes, if we had been asked to vote on that basis.

I am conscious of some members' strong feelings, to which I will be sensitive. By my count, five members of the committee previously served on the Justice and Home Affairs Committee, so there will be some continuity.

When we have our discussion under item 6, which may be taken in private, I hope that we will take the approach of allowing members who had a specific interest while they served on the Justice and Home Affairs Committee to continue that interest—if they would like to—and, perhaps, of looking at new areas of interest to develop. I hope that members will be able to continue their commitment to the whole area of justice and home affairs.