I take Robert Brown's point but, as he said, it is entirely a matter for the committees to decide their business and whether they want ministers to attend. Cabinet secretaries and ministers are aware that they are accountable to Parliament. If they are asked to attend committee meetings, before or after the summer recess, they will make themselves available to do so if at all possible.

The timetable that I have set out will enable committees to meet twice before the summer recess. I understand that the committees' first meetings tend to have a standard agenda for declarations of interest and choice of convener and deputy convener, but these are matters for the committees to decide in terms of their workload.