Chamber and committees

We touched on reforms earlier, but I would like to talk about the specific reforms to the regulation of legal services and some of the recommendations that came from the Roberton review. How do you plan to manage the relationships that are involved in this area as you go through the reviews that have been proposed?

Item 2 is the choosing of convener. The Parliament has agreed that only members of the Scottish National Party are eligible for nomination as convener, and I understand that Joe FitzPatrick is the party’s nominee.

Joe FitzPatrick was chosen as convener.

Good morning, and welcome to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee’s first meeting in session 6. As the oldest member of the committee, I have the pleasure of convening the meeting for the first two agenda items. I welcome all members and I look forward to working with them. I remind all individuals present to ensure that their mobile phones are switched to silent.

Agenda item 1 is for each of us to declare any interests that are relevant to the committee’s work. I will go first, and I have no relevant interests to declare.

Congratulations, Joe.

Congratulations, Martin.

I welcome everyone to the first meeting in session 6 of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee.

As the oldest member of the committee present, I have the pleasure of convening the meeting for the first two items of business. I welcome all members to the committee and I look forward to working with them during this tenure. I remind all members present to switch their mobile phones to silent.

We have received apologies from Edward Mountain.

Under agenda item 1, I invite members to declare their interests. I will go first: I have no relevant interests to declare.

Item 2 is to choose a convener. The Parliament has agreed that only members of the Scottish Labour Party are eligible for nomination as convener of this committee, and it is my understanding that Martin Whitfield is the party’s nominee.

Martin Whitfield was chosen as convener.

I echo many of your comments about the legacy paper. The committee is vital in ensuring that we are seen by those in the Parliament and by the general public in Scotland to be performing our roles and responsibilities. I had the opportunity to be a member of the previous committee, and I very much concur with the approach that is suggested in the legacy paper. It mentions specific areas that might require to be revisited for further development.

For example, it is vital that we get the scrutiny and governance right for members’ work outside Parliament. Tackling sexual harassment has been very high on the agenda both inside and outside the Parliament, and that will have to be looked at. Lobbying will also have to be looked at. We need to take a firm stance on those three areas. As we progress as a committee, we will need to make developments in those areas to ensure that we have the confidence of the Parliament, communities and Scotland as a whole. I look forward to going through the legacy paper with members, finalising our priorities for the committee’s first year and then progressing those.