Hansard

Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I begin by sending the apologies of my colleague Jamie McGrigor, who is unfortunately ill, to you, to the committee convener and to other colleagues.

Jamie McGrigor asked me to begin by thanking the clerks for compiling the report, which—as Claire Baker has just said—has a lot of content. In fact, it is a very interesting report. Quite rightly, the committees of this Parliament do a great deal to ensure that there is full commitment to EU priorities. I think that we in this Parliament would all agree that our committees are, in one form or another, impacted on quite heavily by European affairs and legislation, some of which can be extremely complex—perhaps some of the most complex legislation anywhere. I am therefore sure that it is a difficult job at times for the clerks and conveners to help us to decide how we should proceed for effective scrutiny. It is extremely important for us to consider how the EU works, and what works well and what does not work quite so well for Scotland.

The Scottish Parliament’s committees’ EU strategy, which is now in its fifth year, also plays an important part in scrutinising the Scottish Government’s EU engagement. I pay tribute to the European and External Relations Committee for drawing together all the strands in the way that Christina McKelvie outlined, and for acting as a hub for the Scottish Parliament as it goes through its business. Some interesting issues are thrown up by discussion of the EU. I will perhaps say more about that in my summing up.

Quite clearly the report has led to a wide range of topics being discussed, and it shows how much they underpin all the work of the Scottish Parliament. I was interested to note in particular the very significant evidence that was taken at the time on Scotland’s possible membership of the EU if there had been a yes vote in the referendum. I do not want to rehash any of the politics of that, but I am aware of just how many politicians and members of academia came to Parliament to give evidence. Like many other aspects of the referendum that were invigorating for our democratic process, that in itself was good because it makes this Parliament a better place in terms of how we go through our democratic work, irrespective of our political views.

The Education and Culture Committee began its inquiry in January into the educational attainment gap, which I think all parties in this chamber agree is one of the greatest challenges that Scottish education faces. Obviously, that relates to the Europe 2020 targets and the Scottish Government’s action plan on European engagement. The committee’s findings on how to reduce the number of early school leavers and raise the number who enter higher education will be of particular interest. Similarly, the committee’s intention to look at the experience of other European countries on how to promote sign language will, in the context of new legislation, also provide very useful evidence.

The Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee looked at the proposed digital single market initiative, which is of huge significance to Scotland and to the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee as we continue to ensure improvements to access and connectivity here to the digital services that are enjoyed by many other EU states at better levels than parts of Scotland. As a member who represents Mid Scotland and Fife, I am well aware of the frustration that is felt by constituents in rural communities, so I look forward to the work that will be undertaken on that.

There have been inquiries into freight transport in Scotland, with a specific focus on transport links to mainland Europe. That is an important area of work, from which we hope to learn a lot more about European models of freight infrastructure. I know that my colleague, Alex Johnstone, has been taking a particular interest in some of that.

The Justice Committee has continued to monitor the negotiations on the proposed European public prosecutor’s office, in order to focus on protecting financial interests. That is also an important area. As two members have already said, the EU faces some challenges when it comes to accountability and transparency.

Of course, at a time when human trafficking is uppermost in our minds, it seems to be particularly appropriate that the Justice Committee’s 2015 work programme also includes the Commission’s European agenda on migration and related issues.

To sum up, we should all pay great tribute to Christina McKelvie and her committee, which has made all the committees of this Parliament sit up and take notice not only of legislative implications, but of how the European and External Relations Committee goes about its business. Nothing that improves Parliament’s scrutiny of EU legislation and makes it more democratic can be anything but a good thing.