Our next item of business is the committee's proposed protection from abuse bill. Members will be aware that the Parliament agreed last week that we should proceed with the bill. They will have seen the lengthy correspondence that has been winging its way between me and Jim Wallace, the Minister for Justice. I draw members' attention to the letter that I received this morning, copies of which they will have received. Having read the letter twice, it seems that Jim Wallace is happy for us to proceed with the bill as it is, rather than wait for further input from the Executive. I take it that everybody shares my interpretation of the letter. We can now proceed as planned and instruct the drafting of a bill to give effect to the proposal that Parliament has approved. Does the committee agree to that?
The non-Executive bills unit has told me that it expects to have a draft bill ready for the committee's approval before Easter, with a view to introducing the bill to Parliament shortly after the recess. Work has started but there is still much to be done. The unit must consult the Presiding Officer, who must say whether the bill is legislatively competent. I assume that there will also be ECHR considerations. We will be kept up to date on progress.