AG/S5/21/4 PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU AGENDA FOR MEETING ON TUESDAY 2 FEBRUARY 2021 12 noon: Committee Room 4 / Microsoft Teams 1. Minutes (a) Draft minutes of 26 January 2021 (b) Matters arising. 2. Future Business Programme (PB/S5/21/20) 3. Timetabling of Bills at Stage 1 (PB/S5/21/21) 4. Approval of SSIs (PB/S5/21/22) 5. Committee request to extend advisers’ contracted hours (PB/S5/21/23) 6. Session 6: Election of the Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officers (PB/S5/21/24) Date of next meeting— Tuesday 9 February @ 12 noon Restricted – policy PB/S5/21/MINS/3 Minute of Parliamentary Bureau meeting 26 January 2021 at 12 noon (MS Teams) Present: • Ken Macintosh (chair) • Christine Grahame • Graeme Dey • Miles Briggs • Elaine Smith • Patrick Harvie • Willie Rennie Apologies: • Linda Fabiani • Lewis Macdonald Officials present: • David McGill • Tracey White • Catherine Fergusson • Neil Stewart • Lewis McNaughton • Polly Davidson • Emma Cameron • Jason Lloyd • Tim Ferguson • Joanne McNaughton • Gail Grant • Jennifer Bell • Steven Bell • Callum Thomson • Fergus Cochrane • Angharad Campbell Previous minutes 1. The minutes of 19 January 2021 were agreed. Matters arising 2. The Presiding Officer provided an update on issues that arose in relation to the Bluejeans platform during Decision Time on Thursday 21 January. The Bureau noted that the question on the General Principles of the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill would be put at Decision Time on Wednesday 27 January 2021. Future business programme 3. The Bureau agreed a revised programme of business for the week commencing 25 January and a programme of business for the weeks commencing 1 and 8 February 2021. 4. The Bureau agreed that Members Business on Thursday 4 February 2021 would be S5M-23310: Alasdair Allan - Plantation Slavery and Landownership in the West Highlands and Islands: Legacies and Lessons, and S5M-23806: Miles Briggs - Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion. Timetabling of Bills at Stage 1 5. The Bureau agreed to recommend to the Parliament that consideration of the European Charter of Local Self-Government (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1 be extended to Friday 12 February 2021. Timetabling of Bills at Stage 2 6. The Bureau agreed to refer the Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Bill back to the Education and Skills Committee for consideration at Stage 2 and to recommend to the Parliament that consideration of the Bill at Stage 2 be completed by Friday 26 February 2021. 7. The Bureau agreed to refer the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill back to the Justice Committee for consideration at Stage 2. Approval of SSIs 8. The Bureau agreed to recommend to the Parliament that the following SSIs be approved— Criminal Legal Aid and Advice and Assistance (Counter-Terrorism and Border Security) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 [draft] Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014 (Supplementary Provisions) Order 2021 [draft] Restitution Fund (Scotland) Order 2021 [draft]. 9. The Bureau noted that the Health and Sport Committee was considering the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (International Travel and Public Health Information) (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (SSI 2020/444) at its meeting on Tuesday 26 January and that, subject to that Committee’s recommendation on the instrument, a bureau motion recommending approval would be taken in the Chamber on Thursday 28 January 2021. 10. The Bureau agreed to recommend to the Parliament that the Single Use Carrier Bags Charge (Coronavirus) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021 [draft] be considered by the Parliament. Referral of an LCM 11. The Bureau agreed to recommend to the Parliament that the Justice Committee be designated as lead committee in consideration of the LCM on the Financial Services Bill. Committee request to meet at the same time as the Parliament 12. The Bureau agreed to a request from the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints to meet, if required, at the same time as a meeting of the Parliament on Tuesday 2 February and Tuesday 9 February from 3.30 pm until Decision Time. 13. In agreeing to the request, the Bureau agreed to remind the committee of the expectation that committees should only meet at the same time as Parliament where all other options have been exhausted. Removal of motions 14. The Bureau agreed that all motions lodged on or before 24 November be removed from the Business Bulletin with the exception of the following— Reference Member Title Name S5M- Allan, Plantation Slavery and Landownership in the 23310 Alasdair West Highlands and Islands: Legacies and Lessons Scottish General Election (Coronavirus) Bill: implications for the Parliament 15. The Bureau discussed the implications for the Parliament of the Scottish General Election (Coronavirus) Bill. The Bureau agreed— to recommend that the Parliament goes into recess for the campaign period until the date of dissolution and that the office of the clerk is also closed during this period, to note that the Presiding Officer would, if required, recall the Parliament where necessary during this period, in consultation with the Parliamentary Bureau (as well as the statutory consultees set out in the Bill), to recommend to the Parliament that rules 12.3.3 in relation to committee meetings, and rule 13.3.4A in relation to written answers be varied to note that, subject to agreement of the measures set out above, updated information about procedural issues will be included in the next iteration of the election guidance. Publication scheme 16. It was agreed that all papers considered at the meeting should be published. Date of next meeting 17. The next meeting of the Bureau would be at 12 noon on Tuesday 2 February 2021. Catherine Fergusson Clerk to the Parliamentary Bureau 26 January 2021 RESTRICTED – POLICY PB/S5/21/20 PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU FUTURE BUSINESS PROGRAMME: POSSIBLE MOTIONS FOR MEMBERS’ BUSINESS 1. Bureau Members will be aware that under Rule 5.6.1(c) the Bureau has a duty to ensure that there is a period of time available for Members’ Business at each meeting of the Parliament. In light of the ongoing response to COVID-19, the Parliament has agreed to a temporary suspension of this requirement. On 19 January 2021 the Bureau agreed to include Members’ Business in future business programmes, and that it should take place wholly virtually, with effect from Thursday 4 February 2021. 2. The rota for Members’ Business from Thursday 4 February until the end of March is as follows— Date Thursday (1) Thursday (2) w/c 1 February SNP CON w/c 8 February SNP SNP w/c 15 February CON LAB w/c 22 February GRN SNP w/c 1 March SNP CON w/c 8 March LD SNP w/c 15 March LAB SNP w/c 22 March CON SNP 3. Motions submitted for Members’ Business are shown below— S5M-23991: Maurice Corry: Scotland’s Men’s Sheds Movement - That the Parliament recognises the role of the Men’s Sheds Movement in encouraging health and wellbeing; understands that since 2013, Men’s Sheds have provided the opportunity to learn new skills through a variety of activities and offers a social, safe and welcoming space to meet people and find information on local projects within the community, including those in the West of Scotland; notes with regret the impact of COVID-19 on the Men’s Sheds Movement, which has led to the temporary closure of all Men’s Sheds in keeping with lockdown restrictions, amid a sharp increase in the number of people experiencing feelings of loneliness and social isolation; appreciates that despite the challenges this has presented, the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association has continued its work to assist and support men’s shedders to forge social connections virtually and in April 2020 welcomed Sir Harry Burns as its new patron to promote and represent the movement; welcomes the £30,000 funding from the Scottish Government to help those Sheds whose fundraising has been most severely affected by the pandemic, and notes calls for all MSPs to share in celebrating the work of Scottish Men’s Sheds and to continue to protect its place in communities through this pandemic and for many years to come. 1 RESTRICTED – POLICY PB/S5/21/20 S5M-23822: John Mason: COVID-19 and the Gambling Epidemic - That the Parliament acknowledges a report by the University of Sheffield, which says that gambling is a serious public health issue and one that must be treated with the same fervour as alcoholism and drug use; understands that previous studies have shown it to be an addiction that afflicts all age groups, even children as young as 11; further understands that researchers have found that the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting social isolation has fuelled an epidemic of addiction to online gambling and that services aimed at gambling rehabilitation have struggled to move online, leaving many, including in Shettleston, with problematic addictions without access to help, and notes the view that, in line with the recommendations in the university report, a public health strategy must be devised with national and local interventions. S5M-23806: Miles Briggs: Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion - That the Parliament finds it regrettable that the Scottish Government has reportedly said that it is not in a position to fund a new eye hospital in the foreseeable future; is concerned that the removal of £45 million of funding for the replacement Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh, which is over 50 years old, has implications for the care received by patients in Lothian; understands that waiting times for routine treatments, such as for glaucoma, can be extremely long; believes that NHS Lothian has been consistently underfunded by the NRAC funding model, and notes calls both for clarity from the health secretary regarding infrastructure funding in the NHS Lothian area and for that NHS board to be fairly funded when the budget is set out in January 2021.