Enterprise and Culture Committee, 28 Mar 2006

Meeting date: Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Official Report 218KB pdf

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St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Bill

Item 6 is the St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Bill. For the purposes of this item, I welcome the member in charge of the bill, Dennis Canavan. I ask Stephen Imrie to update us on the progress of commissioning the external research that we agreed to commission.

I thought that it would be useful to give the committee a verbal update on where we have got to in commissioning the research that the committee agreed to seek. We successfully formed a steering group of officials, which consists of myself, some colleagues from the parliamentary research unit, some staff from Mr Canavan's office and some officials from the Scottish Executive. That group reviewed the terms of reference and the specification for the research bid, which was sent to a small number of possible contractors—six or seven different organisations. I am pleased to tell the committee that, of those organisations, four have responded.

I have not yet had an opportunity to look at the responses, but on Wednesday I and my colleagues from the Scottish Parliament information centre will sit down and evaluate the tenders according to some agreed criteria and will select the successful bidder. We will be pleased to inform the committee of the successful bidder once the contract has been signed. The intention is to be as speedy as possible in getting the research under way. The research timetable in the specification that was given to the possible companies sets out that the deadline for having the research under way is 3 April; that a progress report will be given to officials by 28 April, with a draft report of findings submitted to the same team by 15 May; and that the research is to be completed by 29 May. At all those stages, I will be happy to give the committee information on how the process is going and on the relevant draft reports from the successful contractor.

Following discussions with the office of the Minister for Parliamentary Business, the view is that the stage 1 debate could take place this side of the summer recess. However, that will be dependent on the research being done and the committee having time to consider it and to produce another stage 1 report this side of the summer recess. The matter is for committee members to decide in the fullness of time, but my personal view is that that timetable is doable. I will do everything in my power to ensure that the contractor delivers the research to the timetable and quality that the committee would expect.

I remind committee members that the steering group of officials that is overseeing the study includes representatives from the Scottish Executive and from Dennis Canavan's office. They are responsible for ensuring that the research is a robust piece of work. The last thing that we want is any questioning of the methodology or the quality of the output; we want everyone to accept that the research has been conducted in a reasonable manner.

I ask for some clarification of what Stephen Imrie has said. Did the officials from the office of the Minister for Parliamentary Business say that it was their wish for the stage 1 debate in Parliament to be completed before the summer recess or did they simply want the committee's stage 1 report to be completed before the summer recess?

The view that was expressed to us was that the stage 1 report should be debated in Parliament before the summer recess. Therefore, both the agreed committee report and the debate in Parliament should be completed before the summer recess.

Thank you.

Obviously, we cannot make a final decision on that until we are sure that the research has been completed on time.

I am entirely content with what I have heard. It is a good way in which to proceed. I look forward to seeing the reports back from the consultants.

Is everyone happy with that?

Members indicated agreement.

A happy committee—good. Thank you, Dennis.

We will take item 7 in private. I ask all those who are not entitled to be here for the private session to leave. I thank them for their services. I suggest that we have a five-minute break for coffee before we go into private session.

Meeting suspended until 15:50 and thereafter continued in private until 16:51.