External organisations and people can’t become members of committees, which are made up of MSPs, but they can become members of Cross-Party Groups (CPGs). CPGs meet to discuss a shared interest in a cause or subject. CPGs are made up of:
To form a CPG, an MSP must:
CPGs are not part of the Parliament's formal business and shouldn’t be confused with the Parliament’s committee system. They do not have the power to formally ask the Parliament or the Government to consider issues.