Communities Committee, 27 Oct 2004

Meeting date: Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Official Report 201KB pdf

---

Convener

The next agenda item is choosing a convener. Under the Parliament's allocation of convenerships, the convenership of the Communities Committee is held by the Labour Party. On that basis, I invite members to propose a convener.

I propose Karen Whitefield.

There are no other proposals.

Karen Whitefield was chosen as convener.

I have great pleasure in saying that Karen Whitefield has been chosen as convener, and I hand over the chair to her. Good luck.

I thank the deputy convener for his warm words of endorsement and am delighted to have been given the convenership of the Communities Committee. In some ways, I feel that I have come home, as I had the privilege of serving on the committee for four years in its previous forms in the previous session.

I pass on the committee's best wishes to my predecessor, Johann Lamont, who was undoubtedly a formidable convener of the committee and who worked hard to shepherd through important legislation in the Parliament, particularly on antisocial behaviour. I am sure that she will also be determined and hard-working in her new ministerial role. I wish her well in the future and look forward to her coming back to the committee in her new role, when the tables will be turned a little, with the committee having the opportunity to question her.

I look forward to working with all members of the committee as we deal with issues such as affordable housing and the reviews of planning legislation and charity legislation. As in the past, the committee will have a key role to play in making progress on those important issues. I look forward to the hard work that lies ahead for us all.