Transport and the Environment Committee, 27 Sep 2000

Meeting date: Wednesday, September 27, 2000

Official Report 276KB pdf

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Transport (Scotland) Bill

As members will be aware, we are starting our stage 2 consideration of the Transport (Scotland) Bill next week. I advise members that, under standing order 9.7.4, committees may decide the order in which the bill is to be considered. The usual order for consideration is to work through the bills from front to back, with the schedule being taken immediately after the section that introduces it. I have therefore lodged a motion in my name proposing that we follow that normal order of consideration.

I move motion S1M-1205,

That the Transport and the Environment Committee consider the Transport (Scotland) Bill at Stage 2 in the following order: Parts 1 to 5; and that each schedule is considered immediately after the section that introduces it.

The question is, that the motion be agreed to.

Motion agreed to.

Our first meeting on stage 2 will be on 4 October. Given where we expect to be by then, we do not think that we will progress beyond quality partnerships, or section 11. That gives members an indication of where they should focus their efforts with regard to amendments.

Convener, it would be helpful if you were to indicate what form of agreement you will expect at the end of each stage and what you will allow in terms of amendment or negation in relation to specific parts of the bill. That will not arise in the discussions on 4 October, but the information would be of assistance to me in the fullness of time when considering subsequent parts of the bill.

I will give members that information at the next meeting. We have also asked the minister to give us an overview of how she regards the bill. That fits in with Murray Tosh's request, as it will give me a better idea of the minister's approach.

This might be a wish rather than a reality, but, based on the number of amendments that we are likely to receive, our next meeting may be relatively short. We might therefore also want to discuss stage 2 of the budget process at that meeting. If that is agreed by the committee, can we also agree to take that part of the agenda in private?

Members indicated agreement.

It would be handy to have projected start and finish times for next Wednesday.

We will have a 10 o'clock start, unless we get a flood of amendments overnight. I think that we should always start at 10 o'clock, unless pressing matters disallow that.

Would it be helpful to the clerking team to have amendments as soon as possible, irrespective of the stage that the bill has reached?

Yes. We have written to the minister to say that we want her amendments as early as possible. She has indicated that, because of other pressures, time will be tight. However, she has assured us that the Executive will try to submit amendments as early as possible, as what the Executive does will impact on our activities.

That ends today's meeting. I thank everyone for attending.

Meeting closed at 12:55.