Edinburgh Airport Rail Link Bill Committee, 19 Dec 2006

Meeting date: Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Official Report 249KB pdf

---

Decisions on Taking Business in Private

I welcome everyone to the ninth meeting of the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link Bill Committee. I ask everyone to ensure that they have switched off all portable electronic equipment. Apologies have been received from Iain Smith, who is convening the Education Committee this afternoon, and from Jamie McGrigor. There are five items of business on the committee's agenda. Item 1 is to seek members' agreement to consider items in private at this meeting and at future meetings. The items are the assessor's report on outstanding objections; the committee's approach to its phase 1 consideration report; and the committee's draft appropriate assessment report.

The assessor's report will be annexed to the committee's consideration stage report and the committee's appropriate assessment report will be published in due course. However, at this stage, neither of the draft reports may reflect the final views of the committee. It is my view that, in considering the committee's approach to a draft report, although discussion will be helpful to us in identifying the areas to include in our final report, our initial discussions may not reflect the final views of the committee. I therefore seek members' agreement to take those items in private today and at future meetings. Is that agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

Item 2 is to ask members' agreement to consider our draft consideration stage report and our draft European protected species report in private at future meetings. Although the reports will be published in the future, the draft reports may not reflect the final views of the committee. For that reason, it is the convention that committees hold discussions on draft reports in private. Is that agreed?

Members indicated agreement.