M EETING WITH THE F IRST M INISTER ................................................................................................................. 1 R URAL A FFAIRS .............................................................................................................................................. 2 Carbon Budgets ......................................................................................................................................... 2 Agriculture (Future Support) ...................................................................................................................... 2 Rural Support Plan and Policies ................................................................................................................ 4 C OMMITTEE E FFECTIVENESS ........................................................................................................................... 6 “Strengthening committees’ effectiveness” ............................................................................................... 6 Committee Size ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Committee Balance ................................................................................................................................... 7 Subordinate Legislation (Quality of Drafting)............................................................................................. 8 Cross-party Groups (Membership) ............................................................................................................ 8 Cross-party Group Membership (Civil Servants)....................................................................................... 9 G OVERNMENT T RANSPARENCY ...................................................................................................................... 10 GFG Alliance ........................................................................................................................................... 10 Exposure to Risk ..................................................................................................................................... 10 Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) Ltd ...................................................................................................... 11 Investment in Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) Ltd Shipyard ................................................................ 11 P ETITIONS ..................................................................................................................................................... 13 Defibrillators ............................................................................................................................................. 13 University Hospital Wishaw Neonatal Unit .............................................................................................. 15 S OCIAL J USTICE AND S OCIAL S ECURITY ........................................................................................................ 17 Two-child Cap .......................................................................................................................................... 17 Anti-poverty Measures ............................................................................................................................. 18 Child Poverty Policy Research ................................................................................................................ 18 E DUCATION , C HILDREN AND Y OUNG P EOPLE ................................................................................................. 20 Government Performance (Education) .................................................................................................... 20 College Funding ...................................................................................................................................... 23 Scottish Funding Council ......................................................................................................................... 24 C RIMINAL J USTICE ........................................................................................................................................ 26 Early Release of Prisoners ...................................................................................................................... 26 Long-Term Plans for Prison Population .................................................................................................. 26 Substance Use in Prisons ....................................................................................................................... 27 Synthetic Substances .............................................................................................................................. 28 CONVENERS GROUP th 8 Meeting 2025, Session 6 C ONVENER *Liam McArthur (Deputy Presiding Officer) G ROUP MEMBERS Karen Adam (Convener, Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee) Clare Adamson (Convener, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee) Ariane Burgess (Convener, Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee) *Jackson Carlaw (Convener, Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee) *Finlay Carson (Convener, Rural Affairs and Islands Committee) Kenneth Gibson (Convener, Finance and Public Administration Committee) Clare Haughey (Convener, Health, Social Care and Sport Committee) Daniel Johnson (Convener, Economy and Fair Work Committee) *Richard Leonard (Convener, Public Audit Committee) Stuart McMillan (Convener, Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee) Edward Mountain (Convener, Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee) *Audrey Nicoll (Convener, Criminal Justice Committee) *Douglas Ross (Convener, Education, Children and Young People Committee) Collette Stevenson (Convener, Social Justice and Social Security Committee) *Martin Whitfield (Convener, Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee) *attended T HE FOLLOWING ALSO PARTICIPATED : Bob Doris (Deputy Convener, Social Justice and Social Security Committee) John Swinney (First Minister) C LERK TO THE GROUP Sigrid Robinson L...