A very good morning, and welcome to the 21st meeting in 2023 of the Criminal Justice Committee. We have apologies from Sharon Dowey.
Our first item of business is to welcome John Swinney to his first formal meeting of the Criminal Justice Committee. Sharon Dowey will attend her first meeting next week, because she has a prior commitment in London with the Public Audit Committee. I look forward to working with them both, and I repeat our thanks to Jamie Greene and Collette Stevenson, whom they replace.
I invite John Swinney to declare any interests that are relevant to the committee’s remit.
There is nothing from my entry in the register of members’ interests that I believe that I require to declare as relevant to the committee’s work. However, I must state that, as colleagues know, I served in the Scottish Government until March 2023 and participated in collective decision making on issues that will come before the committee during the current parliamentary term. In addition, for the period from July 2022 to March 2023, I personally took direct decisions on the Scottish budget, which is relevant to material that is before the committee today and is likely to be on other occasions.
Thank you. I also welcome Donald Cameron, who is attending today as Sharon Dowey’s substitute. As this is his first time with the committee, I invite him to declare any interests that are relevant to the Criminal Justice Committee’s remit.
I have just one interest to declare; namely, that I am a member of the Faculty of Advocates.
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Decision on Taking Business in Private