European and External Relations Committee
Meeting date: Thursday, September 20, 2012
Official Report
407KB pdf
Interests
Good morning, colleagues, and welcome to the 12th meeting in 2012 of the European and External Relations Committee. I ask everyone to ensure that their electronic devices, mobile phones and so on are switched off, as they interfere with the broadcasting equipment.
We have two new members on the committee who are colleagues of mine. I formally welcome Willie Coffey MSP and Rod Campbell MSP. The first agenda item is to ask them to declare any relevant interests.
I declare an interest as a member of the Faculty of Advocates.
I declare that I am the Parliament’s Scottish National Party member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and serve on its European affairs committee.
Thank you very much and welcome to the committee. We look forward to working with you.
Before we move on to the substantive issues on the agenda, I want to say something about the events that members may be aware unfolded last week following our business planning away day. Several articles appeared in the media last Friday and over the weekend about our private discussions. Despite my caution on the private discussions, they were reported to the media, which I find very troubling. I pointed out clearly that day that until we deem it to be in the public interest to disclose our work programme it is a private document, but some of that information was given to the public.
I remind members that any unauthorised disclosure of confidential committee discussions constitutes a breach of section 7.4.4 of volume 2 of the code of conduct. As I said, I am very disappointed and concerned that this situation has occurred. I hope—and ask—that it does not happen again. I understand that members may wish to intervene but, given the clear constraints of the need for confidentiality, I caution members to hold fire on that. I suggest that we move on to the substantive items on our agenda for today’s committee meeting. Is the committee in agreement with that?
Members indicated agreement.