Chamber and committees

I agree in principle, but I think that we are none the wiser, and we almost need a back to basics understanding of legal language. I feel like I need to go back and look at the Official Report, because, at some point early on, in answer to question 3, the witnesses started saying that it is about two dogs per activity. We are talking about shooters and all sorts of things—

I know, but if, after hearing from the bill team, we do not get that it is per activity and we are not clear, I do not know that inviting a whole load of other people in will make things clearer. I know that the majority of members will say, “Let’s do it,” and I will go with the majority, but I do not know whether that will give us what we need. We have spent a lot of time on the issue already.

I would suggest writing a letter to the Scottish Government requesting further information, including a consultation timeline and the specifics of the proposed consultation on extending the framework for licensing of activities involving animals, including greyhound racing. I would also be interested in writing to the Dogs Trust, the Blue Cross and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to request an estimated publication date of their upcoming evidence-based report.

Good morning, and welcome to the 28th meeting in 2022 of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee. I ask all members and witnesses to ensure that their mobile phones are on silent and that all other notifications are turned off.

The first item on our agenda is to decide whether to take items 4 and 5 in private. Do members agree to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Given the current spending challenges, and given that, in real terms, councils now spend about 20 per cent more on social care than they did in 2010, what more could be done, without having a big structural change, to improve the current system and structures? For example, some of you touched on things such as giving IJBs more time to bed in.

Will you help the committee by expanding a little on one of the excellent examples?

When you say “empowerment”, what would need to happen to empower people through the measure that you talked about—the digital record?

You say that the bill should “start again”. In what way should it start again?

Under agenda item 2, we will take evidence, as a secondary committee, on the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill at stage 1. We will hear from two panels of witnesses.

For our first panel, we are joined by Simon Cameron, from the workforce and corporate policy team at the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities; Gerry Cornes, workforce portfolio lead at the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers Scotland; Tracey Dalling, Unison Scotland’s regional secretary; and Jane Fowler, president of the Society of Personnel and Development Scotland. I welcome our witnesses to the meeting.

I will ask the first questions. I will begin with a broad look at the bill overall. Last week, the committee heard from local government and third sector organisations. Although they were concerned about some aspects of the bill, most witnesses welcomed parts of it. What are the witnesses’ general views on the aims of the bill?

Is it your sense that, at the moment, we are not monitoring well enough?