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Official Report to Be Forwarded to Them Should Give Notice at the Document Supply Centre EUROPEAN COMMITTEE Tuesday 19 November 2002 (Afternoon) Session 1 £5.00 Parliamentary copyright. Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body 2002. Applications for reproduction should be made in writing to the Copyright Unit, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich NR3 1BQ Fax 01603 723000, which is administering the copyright on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. Produced and published in Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body by The Stationery Office Ltd. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office is independent of and separate from the company now trading as The Stationery Office Ltd, which is responsible for printing and publishing Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body publications. CONTENTS Tuesday 19 November 2002 Col. ITEM IN PRIVATE .................................................................................................................................. 1725 SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE (SCRUTINY) ......................................................................................................... 1726 CONVENER’S REPORT .......................................................................................................................... 1729 SIFT .................................................................................................................................................. 1731 EUROPEAN COMMITTEE 14th Meeting 2002, Session 1 CONVENER *Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab) DEPU TY CONVENER *Mr John Home Robertson (East Lothian) (Lab) COMMI TTEE MEMBERS *Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab) *Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP) *Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West) *Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab) *Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP) *Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD) Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con) COMMI TTEE SUBSTITU TES Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD) *attended CLERK TO THE COMMITTE E Stephen Imrie ASSISTANT CLERK Dav id Simpson LOC ATION Committee Room 3 1725 19 NOVEMBER 2002 1726 Scottish Parliament Scottish Executive (Scrutiny) European Committee The Convener: Item 2 is our pre and post- meeting scrutiny of the European Council. The Tuesday 19 November 2002 recommendations are on page 3 of the briefing paper. (Afternoon) On the economic and financial affairs council, [THE CONVENER opened the meeting at 14:03] the recommendation is to note the agenda but to ask to be kept informed of developments in The Convener (Irene Oldfather): I welcome relation to the employment package. Is that members to the 14th meeting in 2002 of the agreed? European Committee. I have apologies from Ben Members indicated agreement. Wallace and I understand that Nora Radcliffe will be a bit late. The Convener: On the competitiveness council, the recommendation is to note the agenda. Is that agreed? Item in Private Members indicated agreement. The Convener: Do members agree to take in The Convener: The paper for the transport, private item 5, on our report on the future of telecommunications and energy council was Europe? Taking such an item in private is normal tabled this morning. I have not had a chance to practice. Is that agreed? look at it, but it is only an agenda so, if colleagues are agreeable, we will simply note it. Is that Members indicated agreement. agreed? Members indicated agreement. The Convener: On the employment, social policy, health and consumer affairs council, the recommendation is that we note the agenda, welcome the details and ask to be kept informed of developments in relation to the employment package and corporate social responsibility. Is that agreed? Members indicated agreement. The Convener: On the agriculture and fisheries council, the recommendation is to note that the fisheries part arrived this morning, which is a little late. On the agricultural component of the agenda, members might wish to ask the Executive to keep them informed of progress on the mid-term review of the common agricultural policy. I know that the Rural Development Committee is interested in that. Is that agreed? Members indicated agreement. The Convener: A significant amount of detail was provided on the justice and home affairs council. The recommendation is that we note that. Is that agreed? Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): I have a question about the agreement between Europol and the United States of America that is mentioned on page 20. At the bottom of the paragraph it says: “There is no impact on UK law or Scotland’s law enforcement.” 1727 19 NOVEMBER 2002 1728 What effect does the agreement have on Scots paper says that the Assembly of European law as opposed to on Scotland’s law Regions has taken a strong position on GATS. I enforcement? Major issues on the exchange of hope that the Parliament will support that view. information led to 14 Scottish citizens being turned The Convener: When I was on the Health and back at Florence only the other week. I have Community Care Committee, I recall that there asked the minister about the matter and his was active interest in relevant developments. statements claim that we do not exchange information. Having spoken to colleagues in Helen Eadie: John McAllion was charged with Europe, I am led to believe that the United States being a reporter on the issue on behalf of the provided the information that was used to prevent committee. His report was to be deferred until the our citizens from travelling within Italy. I want to DTI report came out. Now that the DTI report has know whether there is an impact on Scots law, not come out, we must chase up John McAllion’s on Scots law enforcement. report. The Convener: We can seek clarification on The Convener: I point out a typographical error that point and report back to the committee. on page 15, just in case we are being tested to ensure that we read through the documents in As there are no other points from members, we detail. On page 15, item 15 is entitled “Tobacco”. move on to scrutiny of the reports on the post- The conclusion of paragraph a) reads: council meetings. On the ECOFIN council, we are asked to note the report and ask to be kept “This is a devolved issue w ith no particular Scottis h informed of developments in relation to corporate dimension.” governance. Is that agreed? I feel sure that that is a typographical mistake. Members indicated agreement. Mr John Home Robertson (East Lothian) The Convener: Finally, on the education and (Lab): The matter has a Scottish dimension, does culture council, it is recommended that we note it not? Scotland has the most appalling health the information and welcome the detail provided. I record and we should be updated on the situation. note that page 31 mentions the review of the The Scottish interest in health is probably greater European year of languages 2001 and the fact than the interest anywhere else in the United that, in mid-2003, there will be consultation on Kingdom. “the contents of an action plan to promote linguistic Helen Eadie: Convener, I recall that you have diversity and language learning.” spoken about tobacco in Parliament on more than one occasion. You have highlighted how many The committee and the Parliament might be billions of pounds— interested in that. Perhaps we could ask for further information. The Convener: Absolutely. Billions of pounds are spent on tobacco subsidies. Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): On the general agreement on trade in services, or Helen Eadie: The topic is relevant. I am sure GATS, I welcome the general concern to treat that many of the people who are waiting for flood primary and secondary education as a public money would be glad to know that money was good. Back benchers have also debated the being spent on flood compensation rather than on position of tertiary education. I want to flag up to subsidising tobacco. the Executive the fact that, on a couple of The Convener: I am sure that there is a mistake occasions, the committee has come across the question of what GATS means in practice. in the document, so I thought that we should note it. Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): Last Mr Home Robertson: The point is that the issue night, I was talking to students at a meeting at the University of Edinburgh. Before that, I had is reserved, is it not? obtained a copy of the Department of Trade and Industry report, to which the committee has referred before. That report says that there is now a deadline for the consultation process—3 January—so the Parliament’s committees have no time to lose in making their views known, particularly with regard to the tertiary education sector. As well as that, a petition about health and community care has been referred to the Health and Community Care Committee. I urge everyone to make a big effort and to welcome a document given to me by the clerks to the committee. The 1729 19 NOVEMBER 2002 1730 The next item is a request to attend a Convener’s Report conference on the future of Europe, organised by the central local partnership and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Members will recall that we The Convener: Item 3 is the convener’s report. raised the question at a previous committee Following the meeting with our colleagues in meeting, at which point we had not been invited. Flanders and Catalonia, committee members want Now we have been invited. The conference is on me to thank the clerks for all the effort that went 28 November. I understand that there are into the two days. Members who were able to difficulties with travel on that day, including attend the meeting and the lunch will agree that possible strikes at airports. If the committee they were useful. In particular, I was pleased that agrees, I will attend the conference on behalf of we formally established the network and also that the committee, subject to being able to make we agreed its future steps. suitable travel arrangements. Is that agreed? In the immediate term, we will consider the Members indicated agreement. possibility of a joint agreement and position paper on the future of Europe.
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