This section includes the agendas of the forthcoming committee meetings and outlines proposed future business, which may be subject to change. Committees have the right to take items in private and this will be notified as far in advance as possible.
Many committees include details of their future business on their webpages, which can be accessed on the committee hub page.
Finance Committee
21 December 2011
14th Meeting, 2011
The Committee will meet at 10.00 am in Committee Room 6
1. Declaration of interests: Mark McDonald will be invited to declare any relevant interests.
2. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take items 4, 5 and 6 in private.
3. Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill: The Committee will take evidence on the Financial Memorandum of the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill from—
John Drummond, Chief Executive, Scottish Grocers Federation;
Campbell Evans, Director, Government & Consumer Affairs, Scotch Whisky Association;
Valerie Tallon, Lanarkshire Alcohol & Drug Partnership Co-ordinator, NHS Lanarkshire;
and then from—
Mary Cuthbert, Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill Team Leader, Donald Henderson, Deputy Director for Public health, and Marjorie Marshall, Health Economic Advisor, Scottish Government.
4. Land Registration (Scotland) Bill: The Committee will consider its approach to the Financial Memorandum of the Land Registration (Scotland) Bill.
5. Criminal Cases (Punishment and Review) (Scotland) Bill: The Committee will consider its approach to the Financial Memorandum of the Criminal Cases (Punishment and Review) (Scotland) Bill.
6. Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill: The Committee will consider the key themes arising from the oral evidence sessions.
Proposed future business
At its next meeting, on 11 January 2012, the Committee will hold a round table evidence session on fiscal sustainability and changing demographics.
Local Government and Regeneration Committee
21 December 2011
15th Meeting, 2011
The Committee will meet at 10.00 am in Committee Room 2
1. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take items 5, 6 and 7 in private.
2. Inquiry on a living wage in Scotland: The Committee will take evidence from—
Iain Moore, Head of Procurement Policy Branch, Scottish Government;
Dorothy Cowie, Director, Scotland Excel;
Patrick McGuire, Thompson Solicitors;
and then from—
John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, Iain Moore, Head of Procurement Policy Branch, and Calum Webster, Policy Officer, Employability and Tackling Poverty Policy, Scottish Government.
3. Inquiry on a living wage in Scotland (in private): The Committee will consider the evidence received on a living wage in Scotland.
4. Public services reform and local government: strand 1 – partnerships and outcomes (in private): The Committee will consider a list of candidates for the post of adviser in connection with its forthcoming inquiry.
5. Public services reform and local government: strand 1 – partnerships and outcomes: The Committee will consider its approach to the inquiry.
6. Petition PE1405: The Committee will consider its approach to a Petition by Andrew Muir calling on the Scottish Parliament to request the Government to carry out urgently an independent “fit for purpose” review of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman which encompasses opening a public inquiry to collect evidence to scrutinize the high rate of case closures since Mr Jim Martin took office in May 2009.
7. Scottish Public Services Ombudsman: The Committee will consider its approach to the to Scottish Public Services Ombudsman’s 2010-2011 annual report .
Proposed future business
At its next meeting, on 18 January 2012, the Committee expects to take oral evidence on dangerous buildings and building MOTs.
Public Audit Committee
21 December 2011
10th Meeting, 2011
The Committee will meet at 10.30 am in Committee Room 1
1. Declaration of interests: Colin Keir will be invited to declare any relevant interests.
2. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take items 5 and 6 in private.
3. Section 23 report - Overview of the NHS in Scotland’s performance 2010/11: The Committee will take evidence on the Auditor General for Scotland’s report entitled "Overview of the NHS in Scotland’s performance 2010/11" from—
Mr Robert Black, Auditor General for Scotland;
Barbara Hurst, Director, Claire Sweeney, Portfolio Manager, and Ally Taylor, Project Manager, Performance Audit Group, Audit Scotland.
4. Section 22 report - The 2010/11 Audit of the National Library of Scotland: The Committee will take evidence on the Auditor General for Scotland’s report entitled "The 2010/11 Audit of the National Library of Scotland" from—
Mr Robert Black, Auditor General for Scotland;
Bob Leishman, Portfolio Manager, Best Value and Scrutiny Improvement Group, Audit Scotland.
5. Consideration of approach - Overview of the NHS in Scotland’s performance 2010/11: The Committee will consider its approach to the Auditor General for Scotland’s report entitled "Overview of the NHS in Scotland’s performance 2010/11".
6. Consideration of approach - The 2010/11 Audit of the National Library of Scotland: The Committee will consider its approach to the Auditor General for Scotland’s report entitled "The 2010/11 Audit of the National Library of Scotland".
Proposed future business
At its next meeting it is expected that the Committee will take evidence from the Auditor General for Scotland in relation to reports he has recently published.