Present:

Also present: Dr Richard Simpson, Margaret Smith, Ben Wallace.

The meeting opened at 9.33 am.

1. Evidence: The Committee considered the handling of questions to witnesses (without Official Report).
   
   
   

2. Official Report: The Committee agreed that the Convener should write to the Presiding Officer expressing concern about the time taken for the Official Report of the Committee’s meetings to appear in print.
   
   
   

3. Subordinate Legislation: The Committee considered the Wafer Scottish Seal Directions 1999 (SSI 1999/130).
   
   
   

4. Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Bill: The Committee took evidence at Stage 1 on the general principles of the Bill from—

John Deighan, Parliamentary Officer, Catholic Church in Scotland, Mary Kearns, Chairman, Dr George Chalmers and Dr Philip Howard, Scottish Council on Human Bioethics.

The Committee agreed to invite further evidence from the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing and Professor Sheila Maclean and on the implications for the courts.




5. Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Bill: The Committee took evidence at Stage 1 on the general principles of the Bill from—

Joyce Lugton and Micheline Brannan, Civil Law Division, Justice Department, Norman Mcleod and Andrew Brown, Solicitor’s Office, Scottish Executive;

Lynne Raeside, Head of Policy Unit, Iain Hay and Alan English, Feudal Reform Working Party, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors;

Elizabeth Leighton, Scottish Environment LINK, Peter Gibb, Robin Callander and Andy Wightman, Land Reform Scotland;

Professor Robert Rennie, Conveyancing Committee, Law Society of Scotland.




6. Future business: The Committee considered its provisional programme for the remainder of the year (without Official Report).

The meeting closed at 12.50 pm.