Seòmar agus comataidhean

I am very grateful for that.

As there are no other comments about any of the proposed cross-party groups, I will formally put the question. Does the committee agree to the formation of the groups whose representatives we have heard from this morning?

Members indicated agreement.

I thank committee members for their attendance.

Excellent. We wish you well for our next agenda item.

We will get to that in the next agenda item, but your intention is noted.

For the record, Ms Mackay, can you tell us the name of the group’s deputy convener?

Is it correct that the increase in the spending limits in this instrument takes no account of any additional expenditure on Covid measures and that it has been calculated just as an uplift? I ask merely for the record.

But only until 5 pm.

Thank you for that, minister. My intention is to work through each of the four SSIs in order. That will make the next agenda item more straightforward.

The first SSI is the Representation of the People (Postal Voting for Local Government Elections) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021.

Item 2 is subordinate legislation. We will take evidence on two affirmative and two negative Scottish statutory instruments. I welcome George Adam, the Minister for Parliamentary Business, and his officials Iain Hockenhull and Craig McGuffie. I invite the minister to make a short opening statement, after which the committee will ask questions.

That is excellent. Thank you. It is wonderful to see in your application so many organisations supporting the group. I also put on record how positive it is to see two CPGs with so much of an overlap coming together. I hope that they will provide a stronger voice as they move forward.

Thank you for attending this morning’s meeting. We will make our decision under the next agenda item, and the clerks will let you know the outcome.