Environment and Rural Development Committee, 24 Jan 2007

Meeting date: Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Official Report 295KB pdf

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Interests

Good morning. I welcome committee members, the public and the press. I remind everybody to switch off their mobile phones.

We have received apologies from Elaine Smith, whose place on the committee this morning will be taken by Trish Godman. Mark Ruskell may attend for agenda item 4.

The Parliament agreed on 17 January that Peter Peacock should replace Sarah Boyack as a member of the committee. I welcome Peter Peacock to the committee and, under agenda item 1, invite him to declare any relevant interests. The members' code of conduct states that it has been established as good practice that members should declare interests relevant to a committee's remit at the first meeting of that committee that they attend, in addition to declaring interests that are relevant to any particular items of business as they arise in the future.

Thank you, convener. I draw the committee's attention to my registered interests. Beyond that, it would be appropriate to draw to the committee's attention that I am a former member of the board of Scottish Natural Heritage, and a former member of Highland Regional Council and Highland Council. I participated in land use and nature conservation site designations that are still in force today. Further, I served on the Cairngorms working party prior to the establishment of the Cairngorms Partnership, which preceded the national park; I also served on the Cairngorms Partnership for a short period of time. Finally, I am a member of the Scottish Ornithological Club.

Thank you for that very full declaration of interests.