Parliament at Work

Contents

The Conveners’ Group

The Conveners' Group is made up of the conveners of the committees in the Parliament. The group is convened by Trish Godman, one of the Deputy Presiding Officers, and held its first meeting in this parliamentary year on
20 May 2004.

The group provides a forum where committee conveners can meet to discuss matters of mutual interest. It also facilitates liaison between the committees, the Parliamentary Bureau and the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body.

During the year the group has continued to promote accessibility and participation in the work of the committees. Before the move to Holyrood it took a keen interest in and was consulted on the facilities to be provided in the new committee rooms. The enhanced broadcasting facilities and extended public galleries have made committee proceedings in Edinburgh accessible to a much wider audience.

The group has also continued to support initiatives that take the work of committees outside Edinburgh. It has given its approval for committees to hold meetings, undertake fact-finding visits and host events designed to encourage people to contribute to their work in rural and island communities as well as in towns and cities the length and breadth of Scotland. The group is also working to ensure that the committees are properly equipped to publicise their work through local, national and specialist media.

In early March the group organised seminars for members to enhance their skills for scrutinising the Executive's policy and administration, and these were well received by the participants.

It has been a busy year for the Conveners' Group and it looks forward to continuing its role as a forum where conveners can discuss matters of interest across the committee system.

The Committees