St/S2/06/12/A Standards and Public Appointments
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ST/S2/06/12/A STANDARDS AND PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE AGENDA 12th Meeting, 2006 (Session 2) Tuesday 19 December 2006 The Committee will meet at 11.00 am in Committee Room 4. 1. Cross-Party Group on Carers: The Committee will consider an application to establish a Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Carers. 2. Replacing the Members’ Interests Order: The Committee will consider responses to its 3rd Report 2006, Consultation on Determinations required under the Interests of Members of the Scottish Parliament Act 2006, and consider draft reports to Parliament on the determinations. Jennifer Smart Clerk to the Committee Room TG.01 Ext: 85239 email: [email protected] ************************* ST/S2/06/12/A The following papers are attached for this meeting: Agenda item 1 – Proposed Cross-Party Group ST/S2/06/12/1 Note by the clerks ST/S2/06/12/1a Registration form for CPG on Carers ST/S2/06/12/1b Alphabetical list of cross-party groups Agenda item 2 – Replacing the Members’ Interests Order Note by the clerks (response to consultation) ST/S2/06/12/2 Note by the clerks (publication of reports) ST/S2/06/12/2a Draft report on determinations – form and content of written ST/S2/06/12/2b statement Draft report on determinations – publication of Register of Interests ST/S2/06/12/2c Draft report on determinations – declaration of interests ST/S2/06/12/2d Draft report on determinations – gross income from heritable ST/S2/06/12/2e property Standards and Public Appointments Committee, 3rd Report 2006 (Session 2), Consultation on Determinations required under the Interests of Members of the Scottish Parliament Act 2006. The Scottish Parliament - Standards Committee Report http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/standards/re ports-06/str06-03.htm The following papers are attached for information: Minutes of the last meeting ST/S2/06/11/M ST/S2/06/12/1 STANDARDS AND PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE Request for Committee recognition of proposed Cross-Party Group on Carers 1. In accordance with the Rules on Cross-Party Groups as set out in Section 8 of the Code of Conduct for MSPs, proposals for the establishment of Cross-Party Groups in the Scottish Parliament must be submitted to the Standards and Public Appointments Committee for it to accord recognition to the proposed Group. 2. The Committee is invited to consider whether it wishes to approve the establishment of and accord recognition to the Proposed Cross-Party Group on Carers. The registration form is attached. Proposed Group’s office bearers 3. The proposal was submitted by Cathy Peattie MSP, the Convener and the nominated Group contact, on 23 November 2006. The Vice Convener is John Swinney MSP and the Treasurer is Christine May MSP. A secretariat will be provided by Dave Clark (Princess Royal Trust for Carers). MSP membership 4. Rule 2, Section 8.3 of the Code of Conduct, states: “The Group’s membership must be open to all Members of the Parliament and must include at least five MSPs of which at least one Member must be from each of the parties or groups represented in the Parliamentary Bureau.” 5. At its meeting on 18 June 2003, the Committee agreed that the Rule should be interpreted as meaning that each Group should have: (a) a minimum of one MSP from each of the larger parties in the Parliament (Labour – 50 MSPs, SNP – 27 MSPs, Conservative – 18 MSPs and Lib Dem – 17 MSPs); (b) and one other MSP from any of the other parties or an independent MSP making a membership threshold of five MSPs. (This interpretation was confirmed at the Committee’s meeting on 25 January 2005). 6. The MSP membership for the proposed Group on Carers totals 18. The 18 comprise four Labour, one Liberal Democrat, four SNP, four Conservative and five MSPs from other parties etc. (in this instance, three Scottish Green Party MSPs; one Scottish Socialist Party MSP; and one Solidarity Group MSP). The proposed Group therefore meets the MSP membership criteria. 7. The proposal appears to conform to the other rules on Cross-Party Groups. STANDARDS COMMITTEE CLERKS DECEMBER 2006 1 ST/S2/06/12/1 Additional Information Members of the Committee may recall that a Cross-Party Group on Carers existed in Session 1. However, that group did not re-register at the start of Session 2 and therefore fell. The proposed Group appears significantly distinct from the previous Group in MSP membership and in purpose. The MSP membership contains only Cathy Peattie MSP and Donald Gorrie MSP from the original Group membership. The original Group’s purpose was cited as: • To help MSPs to address the needs of Scotland’s adult and child carers • To provide MSPs with a source of information and expertise on issues affecting carers • To bring together those with an interest in carers including MSPs who have, or have had, caring responsibilities themselves • To liaise with the corresponding group at Westminster • To liaise with other relevant cross-party groups in the Scottish Parliament 2 ST/S2/06/12/1a CROSS-PARTY GROUPS IN THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT REGISTRATION FORM – RG1 1. GROUP NAME Code of Conduct 8.5.6 Groups that have undertaken to comply with the rules on Cross-Party Groups may use the words Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament in their title. Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Carers 2. GROUP PURPOSE Code of Conduct 8.2.5 and 8.3, Rule 1 A brief statement of the main purpose of the group. Groups are reminded that the Standards Committee will look very carefully at the proposed purpose of a group to satisfy itself that its purpose is Parliamentary in nature and of genuine public interest. To ensure equality of opportunity for carers in Scotland by liaising with carers organisations, lobbying The Executive and promoting legislation on carers behalf; to promote awareness amongst members of the Scottish Parliament of the needs of carers and former carers; to liaise with members of both Houses at Westminster and the Welsh Assembly in order to share best practice; and to link with appropriate bodies, including carers organisations, on an international basis. 3. GROUP MEMBERS Code of Conduct 8.3, Rules 2, 3, 8, 9 & 10 When listing members, who are MSPs, only the MSP’s name need be given. For members from outwith the Parliament, the name of the member and any employer they represent must be given. MSPs Non-MSPs Cathy Peattie Individuals Tommy Sheridan Chris Ballance Christine May Dave Petrie Elaine Murray Eleanor Scott Robin Harper Frances Curran Irene Oldfather John Scott John Swinney ST/S2/06/12/1a Stewart Stevenson Murray Tosh Nanette Milne Richard Lochhead Roseanna Cunningham Donald Gorrie Organisations Carers Scotland (Pat Begley; Fiona Collie) Princess Royal Trust for Carers (Dave Clark; Ruth Clark) Shared Care Scotland (Don Williamson) Crossroads (Jack Ryan) 4. GROUP OFFICERS Code of Conduct 8.3, Rule 4 Please amend titles as necessary e.g. to indicate joint office holders, or preferred titles. Convener Cathy Peattie MSP Vice-Convener John Swinney MSP Secretary Dave Clark (Princess Royal Trust for Carers) Treasurer Christine May MSP 5. FINANCIAL OR OTHER BENEFITS RECEIVED Code of Conduct 8.4.8 The group must register any financial or other material benefit received by the group from whatever source, where the value of the financial sum or benefit from any single source exceeds £250 in any one calendar year. This includes donations, sponsorship, subscriptions, hospitality, gifts, visits, provision of services or accommodation or staff assistance. The value of use of Parliamentary facilities need not be registered. The details requiring to be registered include a brief description of the benefit, the approximate monetary value, the date on which it was received and the source from which it came. Where a consultancy organisation provides benefits, the client on whose behalf these are provided should be named. Date Amount Description None 6. GROUP SUBSCRIPTION Code of Conduct 8.3, Rule 7 Where a group charges or proposes to charge a subscription, this must be reasonable and the same for all members. The amount of the subscription should be registered and the purposes for which it is intended to use the subscription. Amount per group member per year None ST/S2/06/12/1a 7. GROUP STAFF AS PARLIAMENTARY PASS HOLDERS If a group makes use of staff issued with a Parliamentary pass, any paid activity undertaken by those staff where the employer benefits from the pass holder’s access to the Parliament must be registered. There is no need to state the amount of remuneration. The requirement relates both to staff employed directly by the group and to staff employed by an outside organisation to provide assistance to the group. Staff name None Title of post Name and address of employer organisation Type of employer organisation 8. GROUP CONTACT Code of Conduct 8.4.4 and 8.5.1 – 8.5.5 Please give the full details of an elected official of the group who is an MSP who will be the contact for registration matters for the group. Initially this must be the Member who signs the declaration on compliance with the rules on behalf of the group. If a group subsequently changes the designated contact, the office of the Standards Clerk must be informed within 7 days of the change. Name Cathy Peattie Parliamentary address Scottish Parliament Holyrood M5.13, Edinburgh EH99 1SP Telephone number 0131 348 5746/7 Constituency Office telephone number 01324 666026 ST/S2/06/12/1b STANDARDS AND PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE Cross-Party Groups in the Scottish Parliament (in alphabetical order and as at December 2006) Affordable Housing Animal Welfare Architecture and the Built Environment Asthma Cancer Children and Young People Chronic Pain Civil Nuclear Industry Construction Crofting Cuba Culture and Media Culture of Peace in Scotland Deafness Diabetes Disability Drug and Alcohol Misuse Dyslexia Electro-Magnetic Radiation and Health Epilepsy Fertility Services Food Funerals and Bereavement Gaelic Glasgow Crossrail Golf Human Rights International Development Group Learning Disability Loss of Consultant Led Services in Scotland – Solutions Lupus Malawi M.E.