European and External Relations Committee, 21 Jun 2005
Meeting date: Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Official Report
200KB pdf
Scottish Parliament European and External Relations Committee Tuesday 21 June 2005
[The Convener opened the meeting at 14:03]
Good afternoon. Welcome to the 12th meeting this year of the European and External Relations Committee. I have received apologies from Irene Oldfather, who is on Committee of the Regions business in London. Dennis Canavan has intimated that he will have to leave for the dubious privilege of attending part of the Parliamentary Bureau's meeting this afternoon on his St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Bill, which has wide support.
I have also received apologies from Phil Gallie, who is attending the meeting of the Edinburgh Tram (Line One) Bill Committee. He has asked me to raise in his absence an issue that came up at our meeting on 24 May and was the subject of commentary at our meeting a fortnight later, as recorded in the Official Report. I have agreed to raise the matter simply because Mr Gallie cannot be here because of his obligation to be at the Edinburgh Tram (Line One) Bill Committee meeting.
At our meeting on 24 May, Mr Gallie remarked on a vote on the working time directive in the European Parliament and stated that Liberal Democrat MEPs voted against the opt-out. Iain Smith denied that; he stated at the next meeting that no Liberal Democrat MEP had voted against retaining the working time directive opt-out and that those who voted on the amendments voted to retain the United Kingdom opt-out. As I said, Mr Gallie cannot be here today, but he has asked me to read out a brief statement in response to comments that are in the Official Report of our last meeting.
Must you?
I will come to that in a moment. The statement reads:
"At the meeting on 24 May the Official Report indicates that I made comment along the lines that Conservative MEPs had stood against the ending of the Working Time directive opt out ‘as did Nationalist MEPs.'
Mr Smith interjected ‘as did the Lib. Dems.'
I responded that ‘Unfortunately they had not.'
I accept that the Scottish Lib. Dem. Elspeth Attwooll abstained on the initial vote but she then voted for the legislative resolution which allowed the pursuit of the ending of the opt-out to continue.
I see no reason therefore why I should withdraw my earlier remarks."
Mr Home Robertson asked whether I had to read out the statement. Indeed, I am beginning to regret allowing any comments on the matters to go in the Official Report, which is a salutary lesson for even the most experienced among us. If Iain Smith wants to say anything, I will give him the opportunity to do so—then that is it.
I emphasise that we are talking about the first reading of the legislative proposals and that, as would be the case at stage 1 in this Parliament, members may comment on aspects that they will come back to later in the debate. The Liberal Democrats have made it clear that they will continue to oppose the removal of the British opt-out. That is all that needs to be stated on the record.
Thank you for that.
This is pantomime stuff: "Oh yes they did;" "Oh no they didn't."
The matter is now well and truly concluded and I have no intention of revisiting it at all. I hope that that goes into the Official Report.