Part of Ethical Standards in Public Life etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 – in the Scottish Parliament at 3:45 pm on 21 June 2000.
The Conservatives support, with some reluctance, the Executive amendments to exclude LECs, public companies and arm's-length council companies. We would not wish to take the bill beyond the Parliament's power to legislate. We also accept the reasoning behind removing school boards from the scope of the bill.
When I lodged similar amendments at stage 2, they were supported. I lodged those amendments in good faith. I believe that we should investigate procedures to determine whether amendments are legally competent before acceptance. We have received conflicting advice on that issue. However, in view of the minister's assurance that he will review the matter, we shall support the Executive's position. That is rather difficult, as we support some of the amendments and not others.
As regards other bodies, I want the widest possible range of public bodies to be drawn within the scope of the bill's provisions. The minister's argument about non-consultation is not sufficient, in my opinion. He appears to have included tourist boards and colleges of further education—again, at my instigation—without consultation. We shall therefore vote against the amendments that affect the other bodies. Do you want me to list the amendments that we support and those that we do not support, Presiding Officer? It would take rather a long time.