Committee
Finance Committee, 05 Sep 2000
05 Sep 2000 · S1 · Finance Committee
Item of business
Budget Process
Yes. [Interruption.] I am being reminded that a paper on the budget process will be put before the conveners liaison committee next week, and these points could be fed into that paper.
I do not think that we can do anything else at the moment about the timing, with which the committees and we are stuck. We must consider this problem for the future, to try to find some way out of it, although I agree with Andrew Wilson that that will be difficult. Perhaps Callum Thomson could ask the other clerks what flexibility exists and how rigid the committees' work programmes are.
We may well divide the committee into groups when considering the budget process and subject committees. The paper that has been sent to members also suggested that approach for our autumn review. The four groups suggested are listed at the top of page 3, and members will note that the paper also suggests a new approach that Callum Thomson and I discussed last week. The first three subjects should be dealt with during the first part of the process, from the end of this month until the beginning of November. Thereafter, we would move into part 4—rather than stage 4, which is an unfortunate term—because we would then benefit from the committees' views about stage 2 of the budget process. Do members have comments on those proposals, which seem to be a sensible way of dividing the work and maximising our effectiveness?
I do not think that we can do anything else at the moment about the timing, with which the committees and we are stuck. We must consider this problem for the future, to try to find some way out of it, although I agree with Andrew Wilson that that will be difficult. Perhaps Callum Thomson could ask the other clerks what flexibility exists and how rigid the committees' work programmes are.
We may well divide the committee into groups when considering the budget process and subject committees. The paper that has been sent to members also suggested that approach for our autumn review. The four groups suggested are listed at the top of page 3, and members will note that the paper also suggests a new approach that Callum Thomson and I discussed last week. The first three subjects should be dealt with during the first part of the process, from the end of this month until the beginning of November. Thereafter, we would move into part 4—rather than stage 4, which is an unfortunate term—because we would then benefit from the committees' views about stage 2 of the budget process. Do members have comments on those proposals, which seem to be a sensible way of dividing the work and maximising our effectiveness?
In the same item of business
The Convener:
Lab
Agenda item 5 is on the budget process. Paper FI/00/20/9 is the appropriate one for this matter. It provides an overview.As members will be aware, the subjec...
Callum Thomson (Clerk Team Leader):
The past two comprehensive reviews have been announced in the summer, around July.
The Convener:
Lab
If that is the case, the CSR will always have an impact on stage 2 of our budget process. We need to give some consideration to that and to how it will affec...
Andrew Wilson:
SNP
Timing was an issue that we discussed in February. This is a problem that is going to arise all the time and I cannot see a solution to it, given the fact th...
The Convener:
Lab
We do not have to do that here; we can use our autumn review of the budget process to consider the problem.
Andrew Wilson:
SNP
It needs detailed consideration.
The Convener:
Lab
I agree with Andrew Wilson that it is difficult to think of a solution because of the tightness of the timetable.
Dr Simpson:
Lab
You are right to say that this will be an on-going problem. For that reason we must deal with it as part of the process; we cannot just say that it is happen...
The Convener:
Lab
We can do that in our review.
Mr Raffan:
LD
Obviously, there is a lack of co-ordination between Westminster and us, which will cause problems. I am not sure that our budget timetable, particularly stag...
Andrew Wilson:
SNP
Would it be helpful to get an indication from the financial issues advisory group—a sub-group of the consultative steering group that played an influential p...
The Convener:
Lab
Do you mean that we should examine the FIAG report to see whether this issue is mentioned? That group does not exist any more.
Andrew Wilson:
SNP
I know, but former members of FIAG could be approached for their views on the matter. I understand that the group is no longer formally constituted, but ther...
Mr Raffan:
LD
I am very supportive of that idea. We may want at the same time to put a number of other questions to them, based on our initial experience.
The Convener:
Lab
We could make that part of our autumn review. We can come back to that in a minute.
Mr Davidson:
Con
Keith Raffan has suggested that all we may need to do is put things back by two weeks. However, as Richard Simpson said, there is a requirement on the Execut...
The Convener:
Lab
A briefing.
Mr Davidson:
Con
I recommend that you meet him on behalf of the committee and report back to our next meeting on how he thinks that he can assist the process.
The Convener:
Lab
I did not read that part of the letter as meaning that I should have a meeting with the minister, but that the committee should receive a briefing. We should...
Mr Raffan:
LD
Convener, you misunderstood me. I am trying to give the committees more time and flexibility—whether they take advantage of that is up to them. At the moment...
The Convener:
Lab
I accept that. The point that I am making is that they may not have that flexibility in their work programmes for November onwards, which they may already ha...
Mr Davidson:
Con
I recall suggesting during the past year that we should divide our labours to assist the committees. The committee decided that that was not the way to go, b...
The Convener:
Lab
Yes. Interruption. I am being reminded that a paper on the budget process will be put before the conveners liaison committee next week, and these points coul...
Mr Raffan:
LD
I would like some elaboration of the four soundbite headings.
The Convener:
Lab
The style of the paper came from the comments that we made in our report.
Mr Raffan:
LD
I am clear about that.
The Convener:
Lab
The aims and objectives arose from how the proposals contained in the departmental reports met the stated departmental aims and objectives. The committees co...
Mr Macintosh:
Lab
The last point in the minister's letter is about end-year flexibility, and he asks for the committee's view on whether that should be included in the figures...
Mr Raffan:
LD
Why are we discussing the mechanics of the process, which are less of a priority?
The Convener:
Lab
It is proposed that the whole committee will feed in what we receive from the subject committees on their consideration of stage 2 of the process. The paper ...