BUSINESS BULLETIN No. 292/2012 Wednesday 12 September 2012 Summary of Today’s Business Meetings of Committees 9.30 am Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee Committee Room 2 9.30 am Finance Committee Committee Room 5 10.00 am Public Audit Committee Committee Room 1 10.30 am Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee Room 6 Committee 10.45 am Local Government and Regeneration Committee Room 3 Committee 10.45 am Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Committee Room 4 Environment Committee ___________________________________________________________________ Meeting of the Parliament 2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions 2.00 pm Portfolio Questions Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth followed by Scottish Government Debate: Consultation on the Proposed Community Empowerment and Renewal Bill followed by Business Motions followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions 5.00 pm Decision Time followed by Members’ Business – S4M-03317 Clare Adamson: Scottish Steelworkers’ Memorial Fund For full details of today’s business, see Section A. For full details of the future business, see sections B and C. ___________________________________________________________________ 1 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 2 Business Bulletin: Wednesday 12 September 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. Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee 23rd Meeting, 2012 The Committee will meet at 9.30 am in Committee Room 2 1. The Winning Years strategy: The Committee will take evidence from— Dr Mike Cantlay, Chairman, and Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive, VisitScotland; and then from— Fergus Ewing, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, Scottish Government; Dr Mike Cantlay, Chairman, and Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive, VisitScotland. 2. Inquiry into the Scottish Government’s renewable energy targets (in private): The Committee will consider a draft report. Finance Committee 22nd Meeting, 2012 The Committee will meet at 9.30 am in Committee Room 5 1. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take item 4 in private. 2. Freedom of Information (Amendement) (Scotland) Bill: The Committee will take evidence at Stage 1 from— Carole Ewart, Co-Convener, Campaign for Freedom of Information; David Sillars, Senior Investigating Officer, Commission for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland; and then from— Rosemary Agnew, Scottish Information Commissioner, and Euan McCulloch, Deputy Head of Enforcement, Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner; and then from— Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, Andrew Gunn, Bill Manager, Mark Richards, Scottish Government Legal Directorate, and Zoe Mochrie, Head 3 of Freedom of Information Unit and Legislation Team, Scottish Government. 3. Proposed Contingent Liability (in private): The Committee will take evidence from— Shona Robison, Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, and John Mason, Director for Scottish Government Business Directorate, Scottish Government. 4. Draft Budget Scrutiny 2013-14: The Committee will consider its approach to the scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s Draft Budget 2013-14. Public Audit Committee 12th Meeting, 2012 The Committee will meet at 10.00 am in Committee Room 1 1. Declaration of interests: Sandra White will be invited to declare any relevant interests. 2. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take item 5 in private. 3. Section 23 report - Managing ICT contracts: The Committee will take evidence on the Auditor General for Scotland’s report entitled "Managing ICT contracts" from— Caroline Gardner, Auditor General for Scotland; Barbara Hurst, Director, Ronnie Nicol, Assistant Director, Graeme Greenhill, Portfolio Manager, and Gemma Diamond, Project Manager, Performance Audit Group, Audit Scotland. 4. Major Capital Projects: The Committee will consider an update from the Permanent Secretary on the Scottish Government’s progress towards delivering the Committee’s recommendations in its 2009 report entitled "Major Capital Projects". 5. Consideration of approach - Managing ICT contracts: The Committee will consider its approach to the Auditor General for Scotland’s report entitled "Managing ICT contracts" and take evidence from— Caroline Gardner, Auditor General for Scotland; Barbara Hurst, Director, Ronnie Nicol, Assistant Director, Graeme Greenhill, Portfolio Manager, and Gemma Diamond, Project Manager, Performance Audit Group, Audit Scotland. 6. Section 23 report - Cardiology services (in private): The Committee will consider a draft report on the Auditor General for Scotland report entitled "Cardiology services". Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee 13th Meeting, 2012 The Committee will meet at 10.30 am in Committee Room 6 1. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take item 2 in private. 2. Draft Budget Scrutiny 2013-14: The Committee will further consider its approach to the scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s Draft Budget 2013-14. 4 3. Water Resources (Scotland) Bill: The Committee will take evidence on the Bill at Stage 1 from— Christina Phillips, Bill Manager, Water Industry Team, Bob Irvine, Deputy Director, Climate Change and Water Industry Division, and Stephen Rees, Legal Directorate, Scottish Government. 4. Forth Replacement Crossing Project: The Committee will take evidence from— David Climie, Project Director, and Lawrence Shackman, Project Manager, Forth Replacement Crossing Team, Transport Scotland. Local Government and Regeneration Committee 19th Meeting, 2012 The Committee will meet at 10.45 am in Committee Room 3 1. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take items 4 and 5 in private. 2. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will consider the following negative instrument - Town and Country Planning (Continuation in force of South Lanarkshire Local Plan) (Scotland) Order 2012 (SSI 2012/194). 3. Public services reform and local government: strand 2 – benchmarking and performance measurement: The Committee will take evidence from— Belinda Oldfield, Regulation General Manager, Scottish Water. 4. Draft Budget Scrutiny 2013-14: The Committee will consider its approach to the scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s Draft Budget 2013-14. 5. Public services reform and local government: strand 3 - shared services: The Committee will consider its approach to the inquiry. Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee 18th Meeting, 2012 The Committee will meet at 10.45 am in Committee Room 4 1. Carbon accounting: The Committee will take evidence from— Professor Jan Bebbington, Department of Accounting and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews; Professor John Barrett, Department of Sustainability Research, University of Leeds. 2. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will consider the following negative instruments— Trade in Animals and Related Products (Scotland) Amendment Order 2012 SSI/2012/198 Bluetongue (Scotland) Order 2012 SSI/2012/199 Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Exceptions to section 14) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2012 SSI/2012/205 Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Keeping and Release and Notification Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2012 SSI/2012/206 Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2012 SSI/2012/228. 5 3. Work programme (in private): The Committee will consider its work programme. 6 Meeting of the Parliament 2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions 2.00 pm Portfolio Questions Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth 1. Mark McDonald: To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review business rates. (S4O-01246) 2. John Park: To ask the Scottish Government whether it includes the rates of pay of temporary and agency staff when considering public sector pay levels. (S4O-01247) 3. Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Government how businesses can benefit from being part of business improvement districts. (S4O-01248) 4. Stuart McMillan: To ask the Scottish Government what recent action it has taken to promote tourism in West Scotland. (S4O-01249) 5. John Lamont: To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on figures showing an 8.2% drop in retail sales on 2011 and an average 17% drop in high street footfall across eight towns in the Borders in the last four years. (S4O-01250) 6. Fiona McLeod: To ask the Scottish Government how it will use the budget to address the reductions in the block grant from the UK Government. (S4O-01251) 7. Duncan McNeil: [Not Lodged] 8. Colin Beattie: To ask the Scottish