Education, Culture and Sport Committee, 28 Sep 1999

Meeting date: Tuesday, September 28, 1999

Official Report 211KB pdf

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Scottish Parliament Education, Culture and Sport Committee Tuesday 28 September 1999 (Afternoon)

[The Convener opened the meeting at 14:02]

Good afternoon. I welcome the representatives of Children in Scotland who are joining us this afternoon. I will give them the opportunity to introduce themselves in a moment. There are two apologies: one from Karen Gillon and the other from Mike Russell, who has another meeting. Jamie Stone will be slightly late.

I would like to make a point of order before we begin. As you know, convener, I asked for the millennium final hour appeal to be put on today's agenda. Since making that request, I have contacted David Watt, the Scottish partnership manager of the New Millennium Experience Company—he will be attending the meeting at 3 pm. This morning, when I asked the clerks, I was told that, as his name was not on the agenda, he would not be able to talk to the committee.

Can I have some guidance about how that situation arose? Although we are talking about the appeal this afternoon, one of the most instrumental parties in that appeal in Scotland was not invited to address the committee.

I think that there was a misunderstanding, Fiona—nothing more than that. I assumed—as did Gillian Baxendine, although she can speak for herself—that you were simply suggesting that the matter should be put on the agenda; I was not aware that you were asking for someone to speak on it. As I did not think that there would be any opposition to the children's promise, it did not seem necessary to have somebody to speak about it and David Watt was not included on the agenda. Unfortunately, because there is no space for him on the agenda, he cannot, under standing orders, be allowed to speak to the committee. However, it would be okay for you, having had an opportunity to speak to him, to say something to the committee on the matter.

I have some points to raise when we reach the item on the children's promise. However, perhaps it would be better to postpone that discussion until the next meeting, so that we can invite David Watt to address the committee.

The only difficulty with that is time. The next meeting, as I am sure you know, is next Wednesday, and we have invited members of the Scottish Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff in School Education to attend—unfortunately, that meeting will be fairly full. The matter could not be addressed until after the two weeks of recess, which would be a little late. I would prefer us to deal with it today. I will give members the opportunity to make comments.

Perhaps we could ask David Watt to send us a briefing.

Yes.