Skip to main content

Language: English / Gàidhlig

Loading…
Chamber and committees

Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee, 14 Jun 2000

Meeting date: Wednesday, June 14, 2000


Contents


Scottish Parliament Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee Wednesday 14 June 2000 (Morning)

[The Convener opened the meeting at 10:01]

The Convener (Mr John Swinney):

I bring the 16th meeting of the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee to order. We have received apologies from Nick Johnston, who is ill, and Marilyn Livingstone will join us later. We have been joined for item 1 by Margaret Ewing, the member for Moray, who has expressed an interest in the issues of concern under that item. I will give her the opportunity to ask questions.

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD):

On a point of order. At our previous meeting, at which the proposal was made to hear evidence about the Barmac situation from Highland Council and Inverness and District Chamber of Commerce, it was suggested that we might send two members to Inverness to take evidence from several organisations. You suggested that arranging that would be a long process, which could not possibly be done before the recess.

I would like clarification on how that process works. When the issue of rural school closures arose at the Education, Culture and Sport Committee, we took a decision on the Wednesday and by the following Tuesday had permission to send Cathy Peattie to Argyll and Bute to investigate the council's programme of rural school closure. Can we have clarification on how another committee managed to complete within five or six days a process that you understood could not be done in a five-week or six-week time scale?

The Convener:

We can certainly provide that clarification. In our experience, it has taken a long time to process the bids that we have made, for example, for the research visits to other parts of the country as part of our local economic inquiry. I am quite happy for the clerks to present to the committee the guidance that will clarify that issue.

I would appreciate that, as making visits is an important tool for carrying out investigations.

It would be unfortunate if one committee received preferential treatment.

We will present the guidance on that point.