European and External Relations Committee, 28 Feb 2006

Meeting date: Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Official Report 209KB pdf

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Convener's Report

The final item is the convener's report. First, I seek members' comments on a response from the Executive to two issues that Phil Gallie raised on the biomass action plan and energy issues.

I refer members to my earlier comments. I think that it would be well worth the committee's time to take some interest in this matter.

It is understandable that the Executive should draw attention to the current UK energy review. Interestingly, on clean-coal technologies, it says first that it does not think that there is any inconsistency in its approach in that respect and then ends up saying that any "inconsistencies" can be ironed out in the energy review.

In the meantime, the world has moved on. I am greatly encouraged by Scottish Power's recent announcement of its major investment in clean-coal technology: it will invest £170 million to extend the working life of Longannet power station, among others. We are in a dynamic situation, however. It may therefore be tricky for us to get in behind the issues without the risk of slowing things down. A major policy review is also under way. I understand that that will culminate in the summer, in about June.

Charlie Gordon has a point on the energy review. It prompts me to congratulate him and the Labour Party on seeing the light on nuclear energy. That is a major step forward. I look forward to supporting Tory policy when I support the Labour Administration in future energy debates.

I would like us to debate the issue again, once the energy review has reported. We need to bear it in mind that the issue is very much a European one. We need look only at the Lisbon agreement to see the emphasis that the EU places on energy policy. It is therefore appropriate for us to pick up the issue and run with it, but we should do so at the appropriate moment.

We are tracking it; we will keep on doing so.

I remain convinced of the other points that I made earlier on waste. That issue should be seen in parallel, but we should look at it on its own merits.

We are tracking energy policy, but I am not sure about waste.

It is energy issues in general.

Right. So, we will ensure that we also track waste.

As it relates to the previous item, on the pre and post-council agenda.

The third issue is a response from the Executive to a request that we made—I think that it came from Mr Wallace—for further information on the Alcatel ruling. Are you pleased with the response, Jim?

I welcome it. I am not sure about its practical implications, however. My understanding of the situation is that the Executive is saying that, after an award of a public procurement contract, a period of time has to elapse—although it is not a very long one—during which an aggrieved bidder can raise an issue. I note that the ruling has been incorporated into the most recent Scottish statutory instrument on public sector procurement. Clearly, the Executive has carried it through.

The proof of the pudding will be how it works out in practice. The time period involved is not long. I am not entirely clear about the level of evidence that would be required to get the Court of Session to put a brake on the award of a contract, pending a further inquiry. That said, I am content; we have received an explanation.

You are content that we should note it.

Yes.

Okay.

We move on to the final item in my report. Members may recall that we were quite annoyed at Ross Finnie's department for not responding to us in due time on the question of the agriculture and fisheries council. We have now received the minister's reply to the letter that we sent about the problems that we experienced in terms of our pre and post-council scrutiny. The minister is contrite; he says that the situation is not acceptable and that he has put in place steps to put the matter right. I suggest that we write to thank him for his response.

It is a welcome response, provided that he lives up to it.

There is always a condition at the end with you, Phil. Do you propose to track him every fortnight?

Why not? We are tracking everything else.

That brings us to the end of the meeting. I thank the three members who attended today. For our next meeting on 14 March, we will be back at our usual time of 2 pm. The meeting is in the week before our visit to Brussels.

Meeting closed at 14:59.