Plenary, 27 Sep 2001

Meeting date: Thursday, September 27, 2001

Official Report 702KB pdf

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Business Motion

The next item of business is consideration of business motion S1M-2256, in the name of Tom McCabe, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, which sets out the business programme. Any member who wishes to speak against the motion should press their request-to-speak button now.

Motion moved,

That the Parliament agrees—

(a) the following programme of business—

Wednesday 3 October 2001

2.30 pm Time for Reflection

followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions

followed by Executive Debate on a Forward Strategy for Agriculture

followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions

5.00 pm Decision Time

followed by Members' Business - debate on the subject of S1M-2118 Mrs Mary Mulligan: Oxfam

Thursday 4 October 2001

9.30 am Stage 3 Debate on the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Bill

followed by Business Motion

2.30 pm Question Time

3.10 pm First Minister's Question Time

3.30 pm Executive Debate on Sports Promotion in Scotland's Schools

followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions

5.00 pm Decision Time

followed by Members' Business - debate on the subject of S1M-2098 Christine Grahame: Borders' Children with Special Education Needs

(b) that the Justice 2 Committee reports to the Local Government Committee by 7 October 2001 on the Firemen's Pension Scheme (Pension Sharing on Divorce) (Scotland) Order 2001 (SSI 2001/310), and to the Justice 1 Committee by 22 October 2001 on the Parole Board (Scotland) Rules 2001 (SSI 2001/315), the Criminal Legal Aid (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2001 (SSI 2001/306) and the Criminal Legal Aid (Fixed Payments) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2001 (SSI 2001/307); and

(c) that Stage 1 of the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) (Scotland) Bill be completed by 8 February 2002.—[Euan Robson.]

Motion agreed to.

Meeting suspended until 14:30.

On resuming—

Before we begin, I have two announcements to make. First, I am sure that members will want to welcome 17 members of the Scottish Peers Association, headed by their chairman, Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, who are sitting in the gallery. Members will understand that Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, Mike Watson and I welcome them warmly as members of that particular trade union.

Secondly, I draw members' attention to the fact that the business bulletin has been reprinted because I have accepted an emergency question, which will be taken as an ordinary question at the end of question time. It is not a statement; it is simply an additional question.

We have just heard news that a gunman has killed 14 people in a Swiss assembly—I think one of the regional parliaments. We obviously condemn utterly what has happened and express our solidarity with those involved and the families that have been affected. I am sure that the whole chamber will join me in expressing those sentiments to those people.

I hope that you, Sir David, and I can write to the Assembly expressing those sentiments. That is partly David McLetchie's suggestion—we spoke before I stood up to speak. I thank David McLetchie for that; it is important that we register our sentiments in the Parliament today.

I thank the First Minister for that. I was going to say something, but as the news is still coming in, I think that we will want to wait until later in the afternoon and then act together on the matter.