• Committee Membership

• Introduction
  • What was envisaged for Scottish Parliament Committees
  • How are committees performing?
  • Approach to inquiry
  • Key themes explored

• The culture of committees and the role of membership
  • Relationship between party membership and committee membership
  • Role of committee composition and remit in working culture
  • Follow the evidence
  • Have a common purpose

• The support and training offered to MSPs in their role as committee members
  • Access to information and expertise
  • Training to be an effective committee member

• Size of Committees
  • Current rules on size of committees
  • Impact of size of committees
  • Party representation on committees
  • Members on more than one committee
  • Changes in membership

• Gender Sensitive Audit Recommendations

• Role of conveners in enhancing committee effectiveness and whether elected conveners would strengthen the role
  • Role of convener
  • Elected conveners
    • Experience from Westminster and Wales
    • Previous consideration of elected conveners by the Scottish Parliament
    • Elected conveners and the Scottish Parliament
  • Remuneration

• Capacity and workload of committees
  • Volume of legislation
  • Committee scrutiny function
  • How can committees create capacity and manage their workloads more effectively?
    • Manage the volume of legislation
    • Better management of peaks and troughs
    • More time for post-legislative scrutiny
    • Carve out more time for committees in parliamentary week
    • Changes to the structures and remits of committees
      • Splitting committee functions
      • Different types of committees
      • Approach to committee remits
  • Future remit of statutory committee

• Committees' relationship with stakeholders and the public
  • Relationship with stakeholders
  • Engagement with the public
  • The approach of Scottish Parliament committees
  • Other issues regarding engagement

• Novel ways of working
  • Committee Reporters and Sub-Committees
  • Cross-committee working
  • Joint Committee meetings
  • Hosting of members

• How can committees evaluate their performance

• Overall conclusion

• Annexe A - Remit for the inquiry and the themes and questions we posed for answer

• Annexe B – Model procedure for elected conveners

• Annexe C – Extracts from the Committee’s Minutes

• Annexe D – Evidence

• Annexe E– SPPA Committee questions regarding the nomination process for elected conveners