Official Report 505KB pdf
Agenda item 3 is consideration of our “Brussels Bulletin”, which is pretty full this morning. I am happy to take comments, questions or clarifications from members.
Page 5 of the bulletin mentions broadband, which is one of the recurring subjects for the committee. You will note that the European Commission is launching a public consultation on what broadband should look like beyond 2020, and I wonder whether the committee might be tempted to submit a response outlining some of the thoughts and hopes that we have expressed on this matter over the past few years.
I see that the deadline for responses is 7 December and that those responses will be published by January. I very much hope that either individual members or the committee itself will submit a view, as it would be helpful and could make a good contribution to the argument.
I do not think that it is necessarily a case of either/or—we could do both if people were so minded. The committee has certainly heard enough evidence to put something together. Willie, would you be able to work with the clerk on that?
I would love to.
I know that you have been raising this issue for a number of years as a member of the committee, and the consultation gives us an opportunity to put our thoughts across.
Obviously members will have their own views, and they will be a valuable part of whatever the committee might say. We have said quite a lot on the matter over the past few years, and the consultation gives us an opportunity to shape the Commission’s thinking beyond 2020.
I am sure that we have taken enough evidence that we can draw on. We can certainly do that.
Super.
Do members have any other comments?
On the proposal to establish an investment court system for the transatlantic trade and investment partnership, the bulletin says:
“The Commission will ... discuss the proposal with the European Parliament and with Member State governments. Following these discussions, the Commission will present the Investment Court System proposal to US negotiators as part of the TTIP negotiations.”
Is there a timetable for that? Has anyone flagged up how that will progress?
We can certainly find that out.
Presumably the system will be put in place before the full TTIP agreement goes to the European Parliament and member states. Surely things must be happening quicker than that.
Indeed. As I have said, we can find out and bring it back to the committee.
On page 6 under the heading “Employment, Skills and Education”, there is an interesting little note on mobile workers. The European Court of Justice has decided that the journeys of workers
“without a fixed or habitual place of work between their homes and the first and last customer of the day constitutes working time.”
I hope that that will have positive implications for many people in a variety of sectors who travel to work in those circumstances, and it would be worth following up what the timetable for that will be.
We will keep an eye on that. I know that the Scottish Trades Union Congress and, I think, the Trades Union Congress are doing a bit of work on trying to identify the sectors and the groups of workers who are most likely to be affected. We could be talking about, for example, care workers or home helps who go straight from their own homes to somebody else’s and then travel around all day.
As I have said, the trade unions are looking at the matter, but we can certainly find out more information about it. After all, we need to see what categories of worker fall within the scope of this decision. We can certainly chase up the work that I believe is being done on the matter.
Good.
If members have no other comments to make on the “Brussels Bulletin”, do we agree to share it with other committees? Are there any specific topics that we should raise with individual subject committees?
09:45
I know that I am always going about fisheries, but I note that, under the heading in the bulletin “Environment, Climate, Rural and Fisheries”, there does not seem to be anything about fisheries at all. I find that rather odd, given that a big fisheries bill is going through Europe at the moment.
It is just the heading. There are headings for each area—
I know that but, as I have said before, I think that the bulletin is very badly set out. It was much better the way it used to be. I do not know why they do it this way—it is a much lesser report than it used to be.
I see that Ian Duncan has been named as lead rapporteur—
I know—he was the person who used to sort out the bulletin. The heading refers to “Environment, Climate, Rural and Fisheries”, but there is nothing about fisheries. That must be wrong. I do not know who is doing this.
Okay. We can have a—
There is a big fisheries bill is going through Europe, and the bulletin ought to say something about it.
If it is not there, we can ask for it to be there. We can request that information.
Is that always the heading?
Yes.
I see.
The headings in the bulletin are the portfolio headings.
There is also something about chemicals under that heading.
It is grouped according to committees, and that is the name of the committee. If you require additional information on the fisheries bill, we can ask for it. That is the whole purpose of this item.
Well, I would quite like to know what is going on.
Okay. I am sure that we will get a chance to talk to some people when we are in Strasbourg next week.
Obviously I keep in touch with people, too.
Just for clarification, I note that although there is an “Employment, Skills and Education” heading there is nothing about education under it. It is just a portfolio heading.
I take the point, but—
We will find out the most up-to-date position on fisheries, Jamie.
All right.
Are we okay with the “Brussels Bulletin”, then? Shall we ensure that the other committees are informed about it?
Members indicated agreement.
In that case, I suspend briefly to allow our witnesses to come in for our round-table evidence session.
09:47 Meeting suspended.