Environment and Rural Development Committee, 06 Mar 2007

Meeting date: Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Official Report 198KB pdf

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Annual Report

Agenda item 4 is our draft annual report, which is fairly factual. I have a couple of points to make. The draft report does not mention our meeting in Stornoway, although we mention the meetings in Oban and Inverness. I believe that that is because the meeting in Stornoway took place last year, but do members agree that we should just include it anyway?

It belongs with the other meetings.

Yes.

My other point is about our visit to Arran, which was an away day, although we did some work on crofting and the marine environment when we were there. Perhaps we could reflect that in the report.

Do members have any points to make?

The draft report does not mention specifically our videolink to Finland, which I thought was a highlight.

The report mentions videolinks, but not that one specifically. Perhaps we could put that in.

We should mention that the committee was up for an award.

That we did not get.

Nevertheless, we were nominated.

Why not? Let us make ourselves seem as important and as hard working as we are.

Absolutely.

This conversation is on the record.

I realise that.

The draft report does not reflect the change of convener that resulted from our previous convener's promotion to the dizzy heights of deputy minister.

Okay.

Do members agree to the draft annual report, subject to the changes that we have discussed?

Members indicated agreement.

The report will be published after our final committee meeting of the session—probably on Wednesday 28 March.

As was agreed at our meetings on 24 January and 28 February, we will now move into private session to discuss two draft reports. The first is our draft legacy paper for any successor committee or committees in session 3, and the second is a draft report on our inquiry into the marine environment. I ask members of the public and press, any visiting members and the official report and broadcasting staff to leave.

Meeting continued in private until 12:25.