Agenda item 4 is consideration of the committee’s work programme. I invite the committee to consider correspondence from Mary Fee MSP, in which she asks the committee to consider a change to the legislative consent motion procedure in the standing orders.
I will inform the committee of my understanding of the timetable for the Trade Union Bill, which is the bill underlying Mary Fee’s request. I understand that the bill will start its committee stage in the House of Lords on 8 February. That is expected to last until 25 February, although it could take longer. Following that, there must be a minimum gap of 14 days before the report stage, which is a further amending stage. That takes us to mid-March at the earliest.
I provided that outline of the timetable to indicate the time frame within which the committee might choose the way forward. I invite from members general comments on Mary Fee’s letter.
I will put something into the mix first. Clearly an amendment to procedures of this kind, in the way that it is worded, could be seen to remove the Presiding Officer’s power to interpret standing orders, and to place that power before Parliament. In effect, that outcome would deliver that power to the Government of the day. That is probably not what Mary Fee, intends so on that basis we should contemplate having a position paper brought to us next week. We can then consider the wider implications of the process that Mary Fee has asked us to undertake, and the specific wording of her amendment.