Committee
European and External Relations Committee 21 February 2013
21 Feb 2013 · S4 · European and External Relations Committee
Item of business
“Brussels Bulletin”
That is a different issue. It is a different portfolio.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Convener
Lab
Item 3 is the “Brussels Bulletin”, which Ian Duncan will talk us through.
Ian Duncan (Clerk and European Officer)
I will be brief. There are a couple of things to draw your attention to before I turn to the main issue. Tomorrow, there is an event on EU funding that may b...
Helen Eadie
Lab
Having seen some of the figures, not just in the bulletin but elsewhere, I think that we should probably be quite pleased about the fact that the horizon 202...
The Deputy Convener
Lab
I wonder whether you might approach the appropriate committees to pursue that on our behalf.
Helen Eadie
Lab
As I said earlier, if we all think that someone else is doing it, it might be that whoever ends up doing it does not bring to the issue the same passion and ...
The Deputy Convener
Lab
We could draw the attention of the other committee conveners to the issue.
Ian Duncan
We can do both those things. We can ensure that the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee, which is leading on the issue and has already declared a...
Clare Adamson
SNP
Yesterday, there was a bit of coverage in the media of the Deputy First Minister talking about the change in the allocation mechanism. I understand that it w...
Ian Duncan
The figures that I have given you show the settlement at a European level. Once the figures come down to the member state level, there are particular regulat...
Willie Coffey
SNP
I am conscious of the time that we have this morning, so I would appreciate it if we had a chance—at our next meeting, perhaps—to consider some of the implic...
The Deputy Convener
Lab
We could defer consideration of that suggestion until the next meeting and decide at that point whether we want to go down the road of inviting the cabinet s...
Jamie McGrigor
Con
It is pretty vital. We only have one year now in which to draw down the money.
Helen Eadie
Lab
There is a timescale issue. As Jamie McGrigor says, we have to get hold of as much of the money that is available as we can while we can. The issue that Will...
The Deputy Convener
Lab
That is why I suggested that we should consider the issue at the next committee.
Helen Eadie
Lab
Is there a timescale, though?
Ian Duncan
There is. The Parliament can say only yes or no to the budget, so no one wants to have that vote until it will be a yes vote, for obvious reasons. In the int...
Helen Eadie
Lab
So we have time.
Ian Duncan
Yes.
The Deputy Convener
Lab
I did not think that there was an emergency.
Ian Duncan
No. The thing to note about the cuts is that they are in the budgets where people did not expect money or where people did not have it in the past and were t...
The Deputy Convener
Lab
Okay.
Jamie McGrigor
Con
None of us has been invited to the half-day conference on 22 February, have we?
Ian Duncan
It is an open invitation.
Jamie McGrigor
Con
But it is incredibly short notice, with due respect.
The Deputy Convener
Lab
We are not organising it.
Ian Duncan
The short notice is my fault, because the information was made available on the website but not drawn to the committee’s attention.
Jamie McGrigor
Con
I am not blaming you, but we can go if we want, can we?
Ian Duncan
Indeed.
Jamie McGrigor
Con
I do not know how I am going to get there, though.
Helen Eadie
Lab
The issue was in a previous bulletin.