Committee
Procedures Committee, 28 Nov 2006
28 Nov 2006 · S2 · Procedures Committee
Item of business
Members' Bills
It very much depends on the bill and the committee's work programme, so we really have to factor in a little bit of extra time. Rosemary Byrne's bill was lodged towards the end of September, but the Parliament first had to agree which would be the lead committee. The first opportunity the Health Committee had to consider the bill was at the beginning of October. Every piece of proposed legislation has a 12-week call for evidence—we would not want to treat members' bills any differently. For a major piece of legislation, a committee would have at least four evidence sessions and possibly two or three further weeks to consider the stage 1 report before presenting it. Within the timetable that is normally given to legislation, we probably would not even have been able to take the member's bill to a stage 1 debate in Parliament. The Health Committee would have spent quite a few weeks taking evidence. Hard-pushed organisations would have given evidence, essentially for nothing to happen, because the bill would not have reached the end of stage 1, let alone stage 3. The Health Committee is already considering legislation and a member's bill. Some committees might have time to take a member's bill through at this point in the session, although I doubt that any committee could take a member's bill through to stage 3. I will be surprised if the Justice 1 Committee is able to do that. A lot more time has to be factored in to take account of the position that different committees find themselves in. I find it difficult to sit on a committee and decide not to take a bill through when it is something that I feel strongly about, which is the case with drugs issues. I would have been happy to consider the bill, but the committee did not have time to do it.
In the same item of business
The Convener (Donald Gorrie):
LD
The first item of business this morning is consideration of various papers—from Rosemary Byrne, the Health Committee and the Communities Committee—on members...
Kate Maclean (Dundee West) (Lab):
Lab
As a member of the Health Committee, I took part in the consideration of Rosemary Byrne's member's bill. You might be right to suggest that the matter be fla...
Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
Having read through the papers—and having only just scanned the late paper that we received—I have to say that my views on this issue are not as hard and fas...
The Convener:
LD
Kate Maclean said that the matter requires proper scrutiny and consultation before any decision can be reached.
Mr McFee:
SNP
Indeed.
Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green):
Green
This matter raises quite a few issues. I have a certain amount of sympathy for Rosemary Byrne, who, I assume, met the deadlines that she was given and theref...
Kate Maclean:
Lab
It very much depends on the bill and the committee's work programme, so we really have to factor in a little bit of extra time. Rosemary Byrne's bill was lod...
Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab):
Lab
We cannot equate members' bills with simple issues, and Rosemary Byrne's bill was not a simple one. The Health Committee had no other option but to decide no...
The Convener:
LD
The deadline says, "If you submit your bill after this date, you're dead." It does not say, "If you submit your bill before this date, you're guaranteed to g...
Mr McFee:
SNP
You are probably right, convener. Including the matter in our legacy paper is probably the right way to deal with it.Some members' bills are designed to fail...
Chris Ballance:
Green
I note that the Communities Committee commented:"it might be appropriate to introduce a mechanism whereby an assessment of the workload of Committees might b...
The Convener:
LD
It has been alleged that bills are sometimes sent to a committee because it has a relatively light workload rather than because the bill is relevant to the c...
Chris Ballance:
Green
Indeed, but the comment was made in the context of changing the standing orders to alter the Communities Committee's remit to allow it to consider the Execut...
The Convener:
LD
We have given the subject good coverage. Our legacy paper will note some of the relevant points and invite the committee in the next session to consider them.