Note of Decisions Taken at 5th Meeting 2004 22 April 2004 Present: Murray Tosh (Convener) Johann Lamont Brian Adam Richard Lochhead Pauline McNeil Des McNulty Robert Brown Brian Monteith Christine Grahame Alasdair Morgan Annabel Goldie Bristow Muldoon Sylvia Jackson Iain Smith Apologies: Sarah Boyack, Trish Godman, Michael McMahon, Cathy Peattie 1. Minutes of the last meeting held on 18 March The minutes of the meeting on 18 March were agreed. 2. Matters Arising Conveners were informed that item 5 of 18 March minutes had been dealt with via correspondence as agreed. 3. Unauthorised disclosures (continued from last meeting) The Group asked the Standards Committee to provide Guidance on how Committees should conduct the initial inquiries into unauthorised disclosures. 4. Finance Committee Scrutiny of Financial Memorandum The Group noted the current practice in relation to publication of Finance Committee reports on financial memoranda. No changes to the current practice were agreed. 5. Civic Participation Handbook The Group noted that the contents of the Handbook were helpful and endorsed it on the basis that individual examples of good practice would be collated and the electronic version updated as experience developed. Any future edition would reflect these developments. 6. Referral of Public Petitions After discussion the Group agreed the recommendations that once a petition is referred to a subject committee it is entirely a matter for that subject committee as to what action to take and to notify the petitioner accordingly. The subject committee should continue to advise the PPC of the action which it agrees to take in relation to a petition. 7. Committee Business in the Chamber The Group considered the programme for Committee Business in the Chamber and the time which would be required. Conveners were informed that the Standards Committee would have some points which they would wish to raise in the Chamber which would not take up much time. It was suggested that as the required time was quite short that the Procedures, Finance and Standards Committees time in the Chamber be combined together in the June slot. 8. European Committee - travel request The Group was invited to consider the revised paper from the European and External Relations Committee. The Group approved the visit to Washington . ELIZABETH WATSON Clerk to the Group .