Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee

Meeting date: Thursday, March 5, 2020

Official Report 581KB pdf

Acting Convener

Good morning and welcome to the seventh meeting in 2020 of the Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee. I ask everyone to switch off electronic devices or switch them to silent mode so that they do not affect the committee’s work.

Our convener, Jenny Marra, has started her maternity leave and we all wish her well. As deputy convener, I will convene the meeting until the committee chooses its acting convener under agenda item 1.

I welcome Lewis Macdonald, convener of the Health and Sport Committee, who joins our committee for this morning’s round-table session.

Our first agenda item is the appointment of an acting convener. Yesterday, the Parliament agreed, under rule 12.1A of standing orders, that an acting convener of the Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee should be chosen for the period from 5 March 2020 to 9 September 2020. The background to and procedure for the process are explained in committee paper 1A.

The Parliament has agreed that only members of the Scottish Labour Party are eligible for nomination as acting convener. I understand that Anas Sarwar is the party’s nominee for the post. Are we agreed to choose Anas Sarwar as acting convener?

Members indicated agreement.

Anas Sarwar was chosen as acting convener.

I congratulate Anas Sarwar on his appointment.

I thank Liam Kerr and my colleagues. I repeat the best wishes to Jenny Marra, who has led the committee well. I hope that my colleagues will continue to be as well behaved for me as they were for Jenny in her period as convener. We wish her all the best with the new arrival.