SPCB(2015)Paper 40 22 April 2015

NAMING OF MEETING ROOMS

Executive summary

1. Following an initial request by a Member to the Presiding Officer, in relation to naming more of our meeting rooms after prominent Scottish women, the Member has asked if the Presiding Officer would consider the matter again with the SPCB. Contact: Jerry Headley, extension 85106.

Background

2. In 2009 the previous SPCB agreed to pursue the suggestion of naming meeting rooms at Holyrood but stressed that any process for determining names should be kept as simple as possible and employ a thematic approach. The SPCB was consulted on the categories of Scots to be considered and agreed the criteria to be applied:

 Born in Scotland  No longer living  A key figure in their field  Excluding categories such as political figures, sports persons and actors.

3. On 11 November 2009 the SPCB agreed that the six committee rooms, as the main public meeting areas, would be named and all MSPs were invited to put forward nominations for consideration and final agreement by the Corporate Body.

4. On 24 March 2010, the SPCB considered 77 nominations (Annex A). It was acknowledged that the pool of women candidates meeting the criteria was limited. The SPCB agreed the 6 names and the committee rooms to which they would be allocated and this included committee room 2, one of our larger committee rooms, being named after Mary Fairfax Somerville.

Issues and Options

5. In March this year a Member wrote (Annex B) to the Presiding Officer asking if the naming of committee rooms could be extended to our larger meeting rooms. The Presiding Officer’s response to the Member (Annex C) reflected the clear view of the previous SPCB that only the six committee rooms would be named. However the Member has written again (Annex D) to ask if this issue could be raised with the Corporate Body.

6. The SPCB is invited to consider the Member’s request and to agree that committee rooms remain the only named meeting rooms.

7. If the SPCB was to consider extending the naming of rooms to the larger meeting rooms it would be helpful if a steer could be given regarding the number of rooms and how the names would be selected.

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Resource Implications

8. If the SPCB agrees that the committee rooms remain the only named meeting rooms there will be no resource implications. If the SPCB agrees to extend the naming of rooms to the larger meeting rooms, the cost for the signage would be minimal and would be funded from existing budgets.

Governance Issues

9. If the SPCB agrees to extend the naming of rooms to the larger meeting rooms, it will wish, in due course, to give consideration to gender representation in its deliberations on selecting names.

Next Steps

10. If the SPCB agrees that committee rooms remain the only named meeting rooms, we will write to the Member to advise of the SPCB’s decision. If the SPCB agrees in principle to extend the naming of rooms to the larger meeting rooms then we will come back to the SPCB with proposals for consideration.

Publication Scheme

11. This paper will be published in line with the SPCB’s Publication Scheme.

Decisions

12. The SPCB is invited to agree:

a) The committee rooms remain the only named meeting rooms.

or

b) To extend the naming of rooms to the larger meeting rooms and to provide a steer on the process for identifying potential names.

Facilities Management Office April 2015

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Annex A

Names submitted for the Committee Rooms (alphabetical order)

Bashir Ahmad St Margaret Alan Armstrong Mary Queen of Scots John Logie Baird James Maxton J M Barrie James Clerk Maxwell Alexander Graham Bell John Loudon McAdam Henry Bell Hugh McDermid Berwick Flora McDonald Jim Boyack Bill Mclaren Mary Brooksbank Bob Mclean Robert the Bruce John McLean Robert Burns Thomas Muir Andrew Carnegie Prof. David Murison Saint Columba Na h-Eileanan Siar (The Western Isles) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle John Napier Brian Duncan Orkney Rev Henry Duncan Robert Owen John Boyd Dunlop Marion Reid Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott Winnie Ewing Shetland Alexander Fleming James Young Simpson Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun Mary Slessor Patrick Geddes Adam Smith Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham John Smith Sir Samuel Greig Solway Grimond Mary Fairfax Somerville Jane Haining Robert Louis Stevenson (James) Keir Hardie Thomas Telford Hamish Henderson Robert William Thomson Sir Chris Hoy Tweed John Hume William Wallace David Hume James Watt James Hutton Robert Watson Watt Elsie Inglis George Younger John Paul Jones John Knox Alan Lawson Jennie Lee David Livingstone Charles Rennie Mackintosh Sorley MacLean Kirkpatrick Macmillan Chrystal Macmillan St Magnus

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Annex B

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Annex C

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Annex D

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