Official Report 241KB pdf
Under item 6 I am required to ask the committee to consider whether to discuss the committee's draft stage 1 report on the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill in private at its next meeting. I am inclined to recommend that we do not do that in this instance. It seems to me that the issues have been explored in public reasonably satisfactorily. I do not think there is a particular handicap to our discussing our report in public. Do members agree?
In this case we have taken a consensual approach. Although there are difficulties and areas of disagreement, I am sure that we can resolve them publicly without detracting from the report.
There is a separate issue of whether the draft report which is, after all, only the clerk's report and not our report at that stage, should be a public document and therefore available to people. I do not have a strong view on that.
The advice that the conveners got the other day on freedom of information was that whether we like it or not such documents are public documents from 1 January.
Is that right? I am not sure that I remember getting such advice. You might be right. In this instance, without prejudice to other situations or items that might be more contentious, I have no objection to dealing with the report in public. Does the committee agree?
I wish everyone a merry Christmas. Thank you for your attendance this morning. I hope everyone has a pleasant recess and comes back refreshed for the battles of next term.
Meeting closed at 12:02.