BUSINESS BULLETIN No. 210/2012 Wednesday 14 March 2012 1 Summary of Today’s Business Meetings of Committees 9.30 am Finance Committee Committee Room 6 9.45 am Local Government and Regeneration Committee Room 3 Committee 10.00 am Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee Committee Room 1 10.00 am Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee Room 2 Committee 10.00 am Public Audit Committee Committee Room 5 10.00 am Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Committee Room 4 Environment Committee ___________________________________________________________________ Meeting of the Parliament 1.30 pm Time for Reflection – Ms Esther Wanjohi, Women’s HIV Project, Ngong, Nairobi in partnership with Murrayfield Churches Together followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by Stage 1 Debate: Land Registration etc. (Scotland) Bill followed by Stage 1 Debate: Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill followed by Financial Resolution: Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill followed by Business Motions followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions 5.30 pm Decision Time followed by Members’ Business – S4M-01999 Sandra White: Commonwealth Week 2012 For full details of today’s business, see Section A. For full details of the future business, see sections B and C. ___________________________________________________________________ 2 Contents The sections which appear in today’s Business Bulletin are in bold Section A: Today’s Business - Meetings of Committees - Meeting of the Parliament Section B: Future Meetings of the Parliament Section C: Future Meetings of Committees Section D: Oral Questions - Questions selected for First Minister’s Question Time - Questions selected for response by Ministers and junior Scottish Ministers at Question Time Section E: Written Questions – new questions for written answer Section F: Motions and Amendments Section G: Bills - New Bills introduced - New amendments to Bills - Members’ Bills proposals Section H: New Documents – new documents laid before the Parliament and committee reports published Section I: Petitions – new public petitions Section J: Progress of Legislation – progress of Bills and subordinate legislation 3 Business Bulletin: Wednesday 14 March 2012 Section A – Today’s Business Meetings of Committees All meetings take place in the Scottish Parliament, unless otherwise specified. Contact details for Committee Clerks are provided at the end of the Bulletin. Finance Committee 9th Meeting, 2012 The Committee will meet at 9.30 am in Committee Room 6 1. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take item 7 in private. 2. Draft Budget 2012-13: The Committee will take evidence on the Scottish Government’s response to the Committee’s Report on the Scottish Spending Review 2011 and Draft Budget 2012-13 from— John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, Alyson Stafford, Director-General Finance, Andrew Watson, Head of Finance Policy, and Roger Halliday, Chief Statistician, Scottish Government. 3. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will take evidence on the Budget (Scotland) Act 2011 Amendment Order 2012 from— John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, Alyson Stafford, Director-General Finance, and Stuart Dickson, Financial Policy Adviser, Finance Co-ordination, Scottish Government. 4. Subordinate legislation: John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, to move S4M-2165—That the Finance Committee recommends that the Budget (Scotland) Act 2011 Amendment Order 2012 be approved. 5. Financial Services Bill (UK Parliament legislation): The Committee will take evidence on legislative consent memorandum LCM(S4)7.1 from— John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, Scottish Government; Sharon Bell, Head of Policy Development, Accountant in Bankruptcy. 6. Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill (in private): The Committee will consider a draft report on the Financial Memorandum of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill. 7. Proposed Contingent Liability: The Committee will consider its approach to a proposed Contingent Liability. 5 Local Government and Regeneration Committee 7th Meeting, 2012 The Committee will meet at 9.45 am in Committee Room 3 1. Declaration of interests: James Dornan will be invited to declare any relevant interests. 2. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take item 6 in private. 3. Public services reform and local government: strand 1 – partnerships and outcomes: The Committee will take evidence from— Bob Jack, Chief Executive, Stirling Council; Gavin Whitefield, Chief Executive, North Lanarkshire Council; Hugh Robertson, Assistant Chief Executive, Angus Council; Stuart Crickmar, Strategy and Performance Manager, Clackmannanshire Council; and then from— Dr David Farquharson, Medical Director, NHS Lothian. 4. Scottish Public Services Ombudsman: The Committee will take oral evidence from— Jim Martin, the Ombudsman, Emma Gray, Head of Policy and External Communications, and Niki Maclean, Director of Corporate Services, SPSO. 5. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will consider the following negative instruments— Non-Domestic Rates (Enterprise Areas) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (SSI 2012/48) 6. Accounts Commission for Scotland reports: The Committee will consider its approach to the consideration of reports from the Accounts Commission for Scotland. 7. Public services reform and local government: strand 1 – partnerships and outcomes (in private): The Committee will consider the evidence received. 8. Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill (in private): The Committee will consider a draft report to the Justice Committee. Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee 9th Meeting, 2012 The Committee will meet at 10.00 am in Committee Room 1 1. Inquiry into the Scottish Government’s renewable energy targets: The Committee will take evidence from— Graeme Blackett, Director, Biggar Economics; Richard Marsh, Director, 4-Consulting; Niall Stuart, Chief Executive, Scottish Renewables; and then from— Richard Dixon, Director, WWF Scotland; Stan Blackley, Chief Executive, Friends of the Earth Scotland; Helen McDade, Head of Policy, The John Muir Trust; Aedán Smith, Head of Planning and Development, RSPB Scotland. 6 Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee 6th Meeting, 2012 The Committee will meet at 10.00 am in Committee Room 2 1. Rail Franchise 2014: The Committee will take evidence from— Robert Samson, Passenger Manager, Passenger Focus; Bill Ure, Member, Member of Passenger’s View Scotland; Anne MacLean, Convener, Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland; Ken Sutherland, Research and Media Officer, Railfuture Scotland; John Brandon, Convener, Friends of the Far North Line. 2. Forth Replacement Crossing The Committee will take evidence from— David Climie, Project Director, Forth Replacement Crossing Team, and Lawrence Shackman, Project Manager, Forth Replacement Crossing Team, Transport Scotland. 3. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will consider the following negative instruments— the Public Service Vehicles (Registration of Local Services) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2012 SSI/2012/32; the Bus Service Operators Grant (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2012 SSI/2012/33; the Home Energy Assistance Scheme (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2012 SSI/2012/34; and the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2012 SSI/2012/38. 4. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will consider the following instrument which is not subject to any parliamentary procedure— the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010 (Commencement No.6, Transitional and Savings Provisions) Order 2012 SSI/2012/39(C.8) 5. Homelessness (in private): The Committee will consider a revised draft report. Public Audit Committee 4th Meeting, 2012 The Committee will meet at 10.00 am in Committee Room 5 1. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take items 5 and 6 in private. 2. Section 23 report - Commissioning social care: The Committee will take evidence on the joint Auditor General for Scotland and Accounts Commission report entitled ―Commissioning social care‖ from— Mr Robert Black, Auditor General for Scotland; John Baillie, Chair, Accounts Commission; Barbara Hurst, Director, and Cathy MacGregor, Project Manager, Performance Audit Group, Audit Scotland. 3. Section 22 report - The 2010/11 Audit of the National Library of Scotland: The Committee will consider correspondence from the Scottish Government and additional information from the Auditor General for Scotland on his report entitled ―The 2010/11 Audit of the National Library of Scotland‖. 4. Section 22 reports - The 2010/11 audit of Registers of Scotland, The 2010/11 audit of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, The 7 2010/11 audit of Disclosure Scotland: The Committee will consider correspondence from accountable officers on the Auditor General for Scotland’s reports entitled ―The 2010/11 audit of Registers of Scotland‖, ―The 2010/11 audit of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service‖ and ―The 2010/11 audit of Disclosure Scotland‖. 5. Consideration of approach - Commissioning social care: The Committee will consider its approach to the joint Auditor General for Scotland and Accounts Commission report entitled ―Commissioning social care‖. 6. Work programme: The Committee will consider its work programme. Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee 8th Meeting, 2012 The Committee will meet at 10.00