Committee
Subordinate Legislation Committee, 27 Mar 2007
27 Mar 2007 · S2 · Subordinate Legislation Committee
Item of business
Legacy Paper
Paragraph 32 is on financial transparency—I think that it is okay now. Paragraph 34 is on European issues, which is a big area, and I think that the alterations that have been made are all right. Everything on page 7 seems okay. I thank members for their contributions.As this is our final meeting of the session, I thank the legal advisers, Margaret Macdonald, who is not here today, Mairi Gibson and Greg Thomson—everyone will agree that we could not do without them. I also thank the clerking team—we could not do without them, either—particularly Ruth Cooper, who is the lead clerk to the committee. I thank her for the legacy paper as well as for all her patience and hard work. I thank David McLaren, without whom we could not have done the regulatory framework inquiry, as well as Iain Jamieson, our adviser, who is not with us today. I also thank our clerks Jake Thomas and Andrew Proudfoot, who have always supplied us with all the necessary material. Finally, I thank members. We have worked together fairly well as a team. Some of you have been on the committee for some time—Murray Tosh and Stewart Maxwell in particular. After the meeting closes, we have the thrill of cakes.
In the same item of business
The Convener:
Lab
We will go through the various changes that were made to our legacy paper last week. I have been trying to find out who made which changes, so members should...
Mr Maxwell:
SNP
In the previous version, our three years' work on the inquiry and a large amount of time and effort were boiled down to one paragraph. I felt that it should ...
The Convener:
Lab
You never know—we might all be gathered here again after the election. We will have to see.The next change is in paragraph 7, which states that, on several o...
Murray Tosh:
Con
Convener, I am momentarily stunned by your suggestion that we might all be gathered here again for a further four years.
The Convener:
Lab
I wondered what you were going to say there.
Murray Tosh:
Con
As far as the textual changes are concerned, they cover the points that were made last week.
The Convener:
Lab
Good. Do you agree with paragraph 9 as well?
Murray Tosh:
Con
Yes.
The Convener:
Lab
The clerk wondered whether a footnote should be added.
Ruth Cooper:
Yes. I wondered whether the committee wanted specifically to mention the Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Bill, which was held up as a good example.
The Convener:
Lab
We thought that such a footnote would add to the paper.On page 3, did Stewart Maxwell have a point about tracking reports?
Mr Macintosh:
Lab
I think that that was me.
The Convener:
Lab
Does what we added address the issues that you raised about tracking reports?
Mr Macintosh:
Lab
Yes.
The Convener:
Lab
Further down the page, a comment was made about reports to lead committees and when it is important to flag up matters.
Mr Macintosh:
Lab
The legacy paper now reflects well my concern about the language used in such reports.
The Convener:
Lab
Over the page, there is a paragraph on consolidation. When I met Margaret Curran, she said that the Executive was keen to take up our recommendation about co...
Mr Maxwell:
SNP
It is fine.
The Convener:
Lab
Everything else on page 5 seems to be okay. Interruption. I dread to think what members are muttering about.In paragraph 30, on page 6, I picked up that ther...
Murray Tosh:
Con
It is a common error. Well spotted.
The Convener:
Lab
Is it? Ruth Cooper thought so.Our big concern is with the use of combined powers. Paragraph 31 seems to be okay. Are members content?Members indicated agreem...
The Convener:
Lab
Paragraph 32 is on financial transparency—I think that it is okay now. Paragraph 34 is on European issues, which is a big area, and I think that the alterati...
Meeting closed at 10:49.