Official Report 380KB pdf
Good morning, colleagues, and welcome to the 23rd meeting in 2006 of the Education Committee. We have a lot to get through this morning. I hope that we will today be able to complete stage 2 of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Bill. I warn members that if we do not manage to get through the amendments, we will have a special committee meeting tomorrow at lunch time because we have to complete stage 2 consideration by the end of this week to meet Parliament's timetable. That might encourage you all to be brief.
I agree to consider item 3 in private, but I disagree that it should be normal practice always to consider draft reports in private.
That has been our committee's normal practice.
I do not agree that it should be.
It is a matter for each committee to determine on each occasion and it has been our practice to consider such reports in private. Do members agree to take item 3 in private?
Members indicated agreement.
Before we move to item 2, I draw members' attention to two additional papers that have been circulated—they came in late yesterday afternoon. One letter from the Minister for Education and Young People responds to committee members' questions about the budget process, and another—which is also relevant to stage 2 of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Bill—contains an update about the national fostering strategy. That information will be useful when we reach the appropriate section of the bill.