Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

1. Decisions on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take items 6, 7 and 8 in private. 2. Cross-Party Group: The Committee will consider an application for recognition from the proposed Cross-Party Group on Ireland, and take evidence from— Patricia Gibson, Proposed Convener of Cross-Party Group on Ireland, Scottish Parliament. 3. Cross-Party Group - approval: The Committee will decide whether to accord recognition to the proposed Cross-Party Group on Ireland. 4. Scottish Local Government Elections (Candidacy Rights of Commonwealth Citizens) Bill – Stage 1 evidence: The Committee will take evidence from— Professor Toby James, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, University of East Anglia UK; Professor Alistair Clark, Professor of Political Science, Newcastle University; Andy Hunter, Chair of the Scotland and Northern Ireland Branch, Association of Electoral Administrators; and then from— Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans, Iain Hockenhull, Head of Elections, and Angus Reid-Bryan, Elections Team, Scottish Government. Lorraine Walkinshaw, Lawyer, Scottish Government Legal Directorate. 5. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will consider the Representation of the People (Absent Voting at Local Government Elections) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2026 [SSI 2026/263] 6. Review of evidence: The Committee will consider the evidence it heard under agenda item 4. 7. Temporary Standing Order Rule Changes: The Committee will consider its approach to scrutiny of the Presiding Officer's temporary changes to Standing Orders. 8. Complaint: The Committee will continue its consideration of a report from the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland.