Power blackouts imminent!!

The first band I ever saw in concert was Status Quo. Edinburgh Odeon, (June 1978 I think), row A, seat 15 (I still have all my concert tickets). Now you can imagine the sheer noise and power of being seated in the front row, right in front of a bank of 20 Marshall speakers. My ears have never been the same since! And the point is caller...!!!
Well, we have just issued the papers for the Committee next meeting on 9 February. There are 46 petitions on the agenda that day so, apologies to any PCs that crash or power surges caused as you try to access all this information. I am waiting for an e-mail from out IT folk here to tell me my inbox in full (so how will I get your e-mail?!)
These are all current petitions - ones already in the system. This is something the committee does a couple of time a year to try and move some petitions along. There are probably around 120 petitions under active consideration by the committee at the moment. Anyway, you will be able to see the full agenda from Friday when it appears on the PPC webpage. I wont flag up any in particular as there are so many. Usual start time of 2.00 pm on the 9th for this meeting. Beer and sandwiches in reserve just in case! Now, where did I put my sawn off denim jacket...
Fergus, Clerk to the PPC

Still here!

3 weeks into 2010 and this only the second post. "Shocking" as the judge in the brilliant Boston Legal would say!
Anyway, we haven't been sitting around doing zilch. We have next Tuesday's meeting when the committee will consider 6 new petitions. What, just 6! Yes, but it will be hearing oral presentations on 4 of these:
PE1307: Male victims of domestric abuse/violence
PE1303: Access to justice
PE1304: Safeguarding funding of charities
PE1305: Extension of the bowel cancer screening programme
The other two petitions are:
PE1301: Investigation of complaints against police
PE1306: Local public petitioning processes
Usual format, meeting starts at 2.00 pm on Tuesday in CR2 if you want to watch online via Holyrood TV. Papers are available via committee's webpage.
We are also busy preparing for a muckle meeting on 9 February when the committee will consider around 45 current petitions. Michty me! We are busy pulling everything together for this meeting as obviously we are dealing with twice the number of petitions the committee normally considers at a meeting. To give members more time to read the papers, we will be issuing end of next week.
Also finalising a few things which the committee hopes to announce in first week of February including a couple of innovative new IT based features. "Tell me more, tell me more" (as sung in 'Summer Nights'). Sorry, you will have to watch this space. We will be linking the announcement into the blog so you wont miss out.
Off for second gallon of coffee!
Fergus, Clerk to the PPC

We are now back in building!

Jings, crivvens, help ma boab! What about this weather!
Anyway, a guid 2010 to one and all. We head into first committee meeting of the new year next Tuesday faster than my car skidding out of garage yesterday morning.
Agenda and papers now published and available on website. As you will see, the committee has two oral evidence sessions. First up, oral evidence from the Minister for Environment on the banning snares petition followed by a round table discussion on protection of national and regional parks petition. Usual arrangements - meeting starts at 2.00 pm, broadcast live on Holyrood TV (committee room 1).
Fergus