Official Report 213KB pdf
Item 4 is on how we will conclude our food supply chain inquiry. We have just completed our final oral evidence session. At our next meeting we must consider how to take the inquiry forward and what we think about the evidence, and come to our conclusions. I suggest that we hold that discussion in private—obviously our final conclusions will be made public. We have received a lot of evidence, so we should sit back and reflect on what we will do with it next. Are members content to consider the evidence that has been received today in private at our next meeting?
I will need to read the Official Report to refresh my memory. Did we ask the minister to clarify a couple of points and to give us factual information that will be useful for us in coming to our conclusions?
He said that he would provide us with one or two bits of factual information. You got a commitment out of him today on procurement.
There may be scope to have one more evidence session.
We have not programmed another evidence session, so we would have to come back and discuss that suggestion. I suggest that we do that in private when we come back after the recess. That would be our normal practice.
Does such a discussion have to be in private?
That is my recommendation. I suggest that if we discuss witnesses or whether to open up the inquiry further we should do that in private. That has been the committee's normal practice.
Okay. I do not understand why, but if it is the committee's normal practice—
We have agreed to date that we would have two evidence sessions. We have now had those two sessions, so to do something different would mean revisiting a previous agreement. If we wanted to have extra evidence sessions with specific witnesses I assume that we would want to discuss names; the convention is to do that in private.
Okay. For clarification, will we discuss in public our reflections on the evidence that has been received so far before we come to conclusions or take further evidence?
No. I recommend that, as normal, we meet in private first and then put decisions on the record. If we want to change course on the inquiry, we will obviously have to put that on the record in public. The approach that I have outlined is what we have done with every other inquiry.
Okay. I just thought that this was a good opportunity to reflect on the need for more evidence, but if there will be a further discussion that is fair enough.
Okay. Do members agree to have the follow-up discussion in private?
The next meeting will be on 22 February.
Meeting closed at 12:42.
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Food Supply Chain Inquiry