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Chamber and committees

Local Government Committee, 30 Jun 1999

Meeting date: Wednesday, June 30, 1999


Contents


Interests

Donald Gorrie:

Getting straight to business, we have to declare any interest that might bias our views on local government. I am sure that most of us have a lot of experience in local government, but I take it that that does not constitute an interest. I get paid as a Westminster MP; although it makes me think how bad Westminster is, I do not think that it should bias my views on local government. Does anyone have an interest to declare?

No.

At home, I am a member of Tain Community Council.

My wife is a member of the highly successful West Lothian Council.

I am a member of the General, Municipal and Boilermakers trade union group of MSPs, which I should declare because the GMB has members in local government. However, I derive no financial benefit from the position.

I have no interest to declare.

I am married to a Glasgow Labour councillor and I worked for 20 years in local government, so I have a fairly positive attitude towards it.

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP):

I run a company that supplies high-tech coatings to a number of councils and police departments. I do not know if that could cause a conflict of interests but, if the issue seems relevant, I will certainly mention it to the committee at the appropriate time.

I am leader of the amalgamated union of former SNP councillors, of which my two colleagues here are also members. My mother is a councillor in Glasgow, so if we do not get things right she will stop my pocket money.

I am a former councillor, like most of us here, and I have two children who are employed in education in Scottish councils but, apart from that, I have no particular interest to declare.