Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee Thursday 6 October 2016 Session 5 © Parliamentary copyright. Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Information on the Scottish Parliament’s copyright policy can be found on the website - www.parliament.scot or by contacting Public Information on 0131 348 5000 Thursday 6 October 2016 CONTENTS Col. CROSS-PARTY GROUPS ..................................................................................................................................... 1 STANDARDS, PROCEDURES AND PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE 6th Meeting 2016, Session 5 CONVENER *Clare Adamson (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) DEPUTY CONVENER *Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green) COMMITTEE MEMBERS *Tom Arthur (Renfrewshire South) (SNP) *Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP) *Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) *John Scott (Ayr) (Con) *Alexander Stewart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) *attended THE FOLLOWING ALSO PARTICIPATED: Jackson Carlaw (Eastwood) (Con) Gordon MacDonald (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) CLERK TO THE COMMITTEE Douglas Wands LOCATION The Adam Smith Room (CR5) 1 6 OCTOBER 2016 2 running their businesses to highlight the Scottish Parliament importance of establishing the forum. It was agreed that if recognition is granted to the group, Standards, Procedures and sub-groups will be established on the economy, retail crime and community support, which will Public Appointments Committee provide background papers to inform MSPs and form the basis for discussion at subsequent CPG Thursday 6 October 2016 meetings. In session 4, we had sectoral CPGs covering [The Convener opened the meeting at 10:00] aviation, construction, oil and gas and Scotch Cross-party Groups whisky. Retailing is the biggest private sector employer in Scotland, providing 13 per cent of all private sector jobs. Given the number of jobs that The Convener (Clare Adamson): Good the independent convenience store sector morning and welcome to the sixth meeting in provides and its importance to many communities session 5 of the Standards, Procedures and Public across Scotland, I ask the committee to approve Appointments Committee. I remind everyone to the creation of the new cross-party group. switch mobile phones and other devices to silent. The Convener: Thank you. Do members have The first agenda item is on proposed cross-party any questions? groups. We will take evidence from Gordon MacDonald MSP on the proposed CPG on John Scott (Ayr) (Con): Are there likely to be independent convenience stores, and then from any overlaps with cross-party groups that are Jackson Carlaw MSP on the proposed CPG on already established? building bridges with Israel. Gordon MacDonald: I am not aware of any I welcome Gordon MacDonald and invite him to cross-party group whose sole focus is the retailing make an opening statement on the proposed sector. There is a cross-party group on towns and CPG. town centres, but the session 4 registration document for that group makes no mention of Gordon MacDonald (Edinburgh Pentlands) retailing in its purpose, and the list of members (SNP): Thank you, convener, for the opportunity to includes only one retailer. More local authorities attend the committee and to highlight the need for than retailers are members of that group. a cross-party group on independent convenience stores. In session 4, 85 cross-party groups were John Scott: I notice that Professor Leigh registered, but despite there being such a large Sparks is a member of the group on towns and number, there was no cross-party group that town centres, as well. However, that is terrific. focused on retailing—in particular, on the Thank you very much. independent convenience store sector, which is The Convener: Do members have any other the lifeblood of many small rural communities and questions? urban neighbourhood shopping areas. Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab): “The Scottish Local Shop Report”, which was I would like to declare an interest and put it on the published in late 2015, was the first-ever report on record that I am a member of the cross-party the importance of convenience stores to Scotland. group. The report, which was produced by the Scottish Grocers Federation, found that the majority of the The Convener: Thank you. We will consider the 5,500 convenience stores operating in Scotland issue under item 2 on the agenda and Gordon are run by small-business owners, and that the MacDonald will be informed of our decision as sector provides over 44,000 jobs, with a gross quickly as possible. Thank you for your time this added value to the economy of more than £0.5 morning. billion per annum. Scotland has more convenience stores per head than any other part of the United I invite Jackson Carlaw to the table. Good Kingdom, but at present there is no cross-party morning and thank you for coming to committee. I group that can provide a forum for retailers and invite you to make some opening remarks. their supply chain to interact with MSPs and to Jackson Carlaw (Eastwood) (Con): Thank you raise awareness of the opportunities for the sector very much, convener. and the challenges that it faces. The Jewish community settled in Scotland at the The importance of the sector is reflected by the beginning of the 20th century. Subsequently, number of MSPs who asked to join the group and many have come here as refugees fleeing the number of retailers who attended the inaugural persecution, of course. Like all others then, before meeting. In total, more than 50 people and since, they should be made to feel welcome representing the retail trade took time out from and safe in Scotland, without fear or favour. 3 6 OCTOBER 2016 4 In the post-war years, the Jewish community areas of education, culture and business, which I amounted to 48,000 people, but it now amounts to have identified. It is about building understanding just 6,000 souls across Scotland. They are with the state of Israel in the broadest sense, and predominantly in the west of Scotland, but there building bridges with the Jewish community in are groupings in Edinburgh and other parts of Scotland and Israel. Scotland. Patrick Harvie: I wonder what you envisage as The Jewish community in Scotland is fiercely being the balance between those different loyal. It is estimated that more than 90 per cent of aspects. Obviously, presenting it has visited Israel. “an alternative viewpoint to that singular one which is to the The purpose of the proposed cross-party group fore at present” is to build bridges with Israel, not to be a would perhaps attract people who support the cheerleader for the state of Israel. Very strong and other viewpoint, whereas I hope that all of us, passionate concerns are raised about that, and whatever our views on the issues or the actions of there are concerns across a much wider range of the state of Israel, for example, would want to political considerations. Other cross-party groups support “countering anti-Semitism”. I hope that represent areas in the region that also have that aspect of the CPG’s work is explicitly open to challenging political backgrounds, of course. all, regardless of viewpoints on issues regarding The proposed cross-party group is designed to Israel. do two specific things, the first of which is to build Jackson Carlaw: Yes. The group is not in any bridges in the culture and economic fields in way intended to try to create division between particular. Culturally, the Jewish community members in Parliament. It includes broad helped to establish the Edinburgh festival in representation from a number of political parties. If Scotland. Economically, many of the medical you look at the groups that have chosen to support pharmaceutical products that we use in this it, you will see that it does not seek to focus on the country come from Israel. international situation exclusively. Many of the Secondly, the proposed cross-party group is people who seek to represent us have completely designed to tackle anti-Semitism in Scotland. The different perspectives. Jewish community in particular has felt One thing that we talked about in the preliminary claustrophobic in many respects, and sometimes meeting was the group’s potential to hold at some under pressure. That is very often because of a stage a joint meeting with the cross-party group on feeling that, as the community is concentrated in Palestine. It would probably be beyond the ability quite limited areas, broader discussions about of the Scottish Parliament and two cross-party anti-Semitism and Israel do not take place. groups to resolve an age-old historical problem, of The purposes of the proposed cross-party group course, but given the title of the proposed CPG, are to represent the bridges that can be built and anything that it could do in due course—things to tackle anti-Semitism in Scotland. would have to be sensibly and carefully handled, with an understanding of what might be The Convener: Thank you very much, Mr achieved—towards building bridges would be Carlaw. I invite questions from the committee. welcome. Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To Regarding the broader agenda of the proposed understand the purpose of the group, it seems CPG, I have a great deal of sympathy for the state from what you have said and what is written in the of Palestine, but I am not a member of the CPG on paperwork that there are three purposes: to build Palestine. Similarly, if any political grouping or bridges culturally and academically, for example, individual felt that they did not wish to support the as CPGs might do with many other countries; to broader agenda of the proposed CPG, that would “promote an alternative viewpoint to that singular one which not suggest that they were somehow endorsing is to the fore at present”, anti-Semitic behaviour, which I believe the whole Parliament is united against.