SPCB(2010)Paper 22 24 February 2010 NAMING COMMITTEE ROOMS Executive summary 1. At its meeting on 11 November 2009 the SPCB agreed that the six committee rooms would be named and that Members should be invited to put forward nominations for consideration and final agreement by the Corporate Body. It was agreed that nominations should focus on historical figures who had made a significant contribution to Scotland. The nominations are presented here for consideration and selection. Contact: Jerry Headley, extension 85106. Issues and Options 2. A variety of opinions were expressed both in support of and against the idea of naming the committee rooms, as well as appeals to the SPCB to consider factors such as gender balance. 3. In total, 170 nominations (77 nominees) were put forward by 45 Members and these have been listed in Appendix A. It should be noted that not all nominees were born in Scotland and some are still living. Also, a number of suggestions other than “people” were put forward and they have been included in the list for consideration. 4. To be helpful to the SPCB, some Members provided background information and explanations for their nominations and these can be found in Appendix B. 5. Some Members called for the committee rooms to be renumbered to provide a more logical sequence, however this would require significant time and financial resource by the Broadcasting team to update documents (eg architectural drawings, cable runs, diagrams etc.) and we would not recommend this as an option. 6. To assist the SPCB we have listed the names in Appendix A in alphabetical order. The SPCB is invited to consider the full list and to agree the 6 names and the committee rooms to which they will be allocated. Resource Implications 7. Staff time would be required to amend the room booking and visitor ticketing systems. Updates to directional signage and event passes would require an estimated budget of around £4,000 and a further £1,500 - £2,000 1 to design and fit new bilingual (in accordance with the Gaelic Language Plan) oak signage for each committee room. Governance issues 8. The SPCB will wish to give due consideration to gender representation in their deliberations on choosing names. Publication Scheme 9. This paper will be published in line with the SPCB’s Publication Scheme once the agreed names have been announced. Next steps 10. Once the names are agreed and announced, we will begin the process of preparing signage and amending systems to accommodate the changes. Decision 11. The SPCB is invited to agree the 6 names and the committee rooms to which they will be allocated. Facilities Management Office February 2010 2 Appendix A Names submitted for the Committee Rooms (alphabetical order) Bashir Ahmad Alan Armstrong John Logie Baird J M Barrie Alexander Graham Bell Henry Bell Berwick Jim Boyack Mary Brooksbank Robert the Bruce Robert Burns Andrew Carnegie Saint Columba Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Brian Duncan Rev Henry Duncan John Boyd Dunlop Edinburgh Winnie Ewing Alexander Fleming Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun Patrick Geddes Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham Sir Samuel Greig Grimond Jane Haining (James) Keir Hardie Hamish Henderson Sir Chris Hoy John Hume David Hume James Hutton Elsie Inglis John Paul Jones John Knox Alan Lawson Jennie Lee David Livingstone Charles Rennie Mackintosh Sorley MacLean Kirkpatrick Macmillan Chrystal Macmillan St Magnus 1 St Margaret Mary Queen of Scots James Maxton James Clerk Maxwell John Loudon McAdam Hugh McDermid Flora McDonald Bill Mclaren Bob Mclean John McLean Thomas Muir Prof. David Murison Na h-Eileanan Siar (The Western Isles) John Napier Orkney Robert Owen Marion Reid Sir Walter Scott Shetland James Young Simpson Mary Slessor Adam Smith John Smith Solway Mary Fairfax Somerville Robert Louis Stevenson Thomas Telford Robert William Thomson Tweed William Wallace James Watt Robert Watson Watt George Younger 2 Appendix B The following comments were received by email from Members in support of their nominations and are set out here as written. Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun was a member of the Parliament which adjourned in 1707, and an opponent of its abolition. He was also, for his time, a man of radical ideas, who demanded that Parliament be free from the interference of the monarch and his or her ministers in London. I wish to nominate Mary Somerville 1780-1872 to be one of the committee room names. Mary Somerville was born in Jedburgh and lived for part of her life in Burntisland. She was self taught at a time when women were not expected to be educated. She was one of the first two women to be admitted to the Royal Astronomical Society. Somerville College in Oxford is named for her. She was the first person to have the word scientist attributed to her. She is almost unknown in Scotland - the local paper ran a list of the 50 best known people from Fife. Mary Somerville wasn't even mentioned. Mary Somerville has an island, an asteroid and a lunar crater named after her. I believe she needs to be recognised, not just as a woman, but the first person to have ever been called a scientist and the Scottish Parliament should name a committee room after her to recognise (as Scotland has failed to do) her massive achievements. Somerville Island (74°44'N, 96°10'W), a small island in Barrow Strait, Nunavut, was named after her by Sir William Edward Parry in 1819 during the first of the four Arctic expeditions under his command. 5771 Somerville (1987 ST1) is a Main-belt Asteroid discovered on September 21, 1987 by E. Bowell at Lowell Observatory Flagstaff, Arizona, and named for her. Somerville crater is a small lunar crater in the eastern part of the Moon. It lies to the east of the prominent crater Langrenus, and was designated Langrenus J before being given her name by the International Astronomical Union. It is one of a handful of lunar craters named after a woman. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Somerville I would like to suggest one of the rooms be named after the movement that I believe is responsible for our Parliament. It is hard to pick a single person out but to mention a few notable names: 1 Jim Boyack chair of the CSA Bob Mclean Secretary Alan Lawson Alan Armstrong Brian Duncan do not agree but it would be useful to number them logically i.e. 1 and 2 on the ground floor, 3 and 4 1st floor and 5 and 6 on the top! I think this is an excellent idea and I would be delighted to suggest James Watt, grandfather of the industrial revolution. As a world-famous Scots inventor who played an integral part in the development of the steam engine, his contribution to Scottish history is hugely significant and I think he would be a worthy candidate to be remembered in the Parliament. I think Jennie Lee would be most appropriate since it would be good for the Parliament to recognise a Scottish woman's contribution to politics. Please find some information at http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUlee.htm or just Google. The other obvious name is Kier Hardie. Keir Hardie Elsie Ingles Alexander Graham Bell David Livingstone - Malawi connection would be celebrated too. I would like to nominate Jennie Lee from Lochgelly who as everyone will know was the founder of the Open University. I would also support the nomination if anyone has made one of the Alexander Fleming Room The Alexander Logie Baird room I would also support the name of a room after GREIG, (SIR) SAMUEL, a distinguished naval officer in the Russian service, was born 30th November, 1735, in the village of Inverkeithing in the county of Fife. Having entered the royal navy at an early period of life, he soon became eminent for his skill in naval affairs, and remarkable for his zeal and attention to the discharge of his duty, - qualities which speedily raised him to the rank of lieutenant, and ultimately opened up to him the brilliant career which he afterwards pursued. The court of Russia having requested the government of Great Britain to send out some British naval officers of skill to improve the marine of that country, lieutenant Greig had the honour of being selected as one. His superior abilities here also soon attracted the notice of the Russian government, and he was speedily promoted to the rank of captain, the reward of his indefatigable 2 services in improving or rather creating the Russian fleet, which had been previously in the most deplorable state of dilapidation. On a war some time after braking out between the Russians and the Turks, captain Greg was sent under the command of count Or low, with a fleet to the Mediterranean. The Turkish fleet, which they met here, was much superior to the Russian force, the former consisting of fifteen ships of the line, the latter of no more than ten. After a severe and sanguinary but indecisive battle, the Turkish fleet retired during the night close into the island of Scio, where they were protected by the batteries on land. Notwithstanding the formidable position which the enemy had taken up, the Russian admiral determined to pursue, and if possible destroy these by means of his fire-ships. Captain Greg's well known skill and intrepidity pointed him out as the fittest person in the fleet to conduct this dangerous enterprise, and he was accordingly appointed to the command. At one o’clock in the morning captain Greig bore down upon the enemy with his fire-ships, and although greatly harassed by the cowardice of the crews of these vessels, whom he had to keep at their duty by the terrors of sword and pistol, succeeded in totally destroying the Turkish fleet.