Agenda item 2 is an invitation to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy annual dinner.
The invitation was sent to us by Ian Doig who has been acting as committee adviser on financial memoranda. He is keen for the committee to be represented. Apparently the dinner is very well attended; it is a big annual event in CIPFA's calendar. I have been in touch with Ian Doig to see who else is likely to be at the dinner. He expects that a number of individuals from Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will attend. Some of them have already confirmed that they will be there. I think that it would do the committee good to have a presence at the dinner.
Do members have views?
I do not really have a view. Jamie Stone and I have received invitations, although I cannot attend it so I cannot play any part.
I cannot attend the dinner either, which makes it all the more important that the convener go.
It is important that the committee be represented. If the convener is able to take up the invitation, he should attend.
The dinner is an annual event. Have we had an invitation before? I have not been a member of the committee for very long and I do not recall having seen such an invitation.
The first invitation I got was to the London version of the event.
Ditto.
I do not know.
I do not know of any previous invitations. Perhaps it is because we have been working more closely with CIPFA in the past few months that we have been invited this time.
I am a bit sceptical about the amount of useful interchange that can take place over one dinner. How many of the relevant people can someone meet and usefully interact with over that time, given the nature of those large dinners? I know that it does not involve much cash, but I do not think that we should exaggerate the importance or usefulness of the dinner in the glowing terms that the clerks have used in their note.
What is the committee's view? Should one of us attend?
You are the convener of the Finance Committee of the Scottish Parliament.
Are we agreed that I should attend?
As agreed previously, the next item will be discussed in private.
Meeting continued in private until 11:10.