Minutes 10th January

HD(07)1st Conclusions

HEADS OF DEPARTMENT MEETING

MINUTES OF MEETING HELD IN ST ANDREW'S HOUSE, EDINBURGH

AT 1.00 PM ON WEDNESDAY, 10 JANUARY 2007

Present:

Andrew Goudie (Chair)

Head of Finance and Central Services Department

Colin MacLean

Head of Education Department

Philip Rycroft

Head of Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department

Norman McFadyen CBE

Crown Agent and Chief Executive of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service

Nicola Munro CB

Head of Development Department

Paul Gray

Director of Primary Care and Community Care, Health Department

Via Telephone:

Robert Gordon CB

Head of Justice Department and Head of Legal and Parliamentary Services

Paul Pagliari

Director of Change and Corporate Services

Richard Wakeford

Head of Environment and Rural Affairs Department

In Attendance:

Donald Cameron

Cabinet Secretariat

Laura Holton

Cabinet Secretariat

Sarah Smith

Head of Ministerial Support Group

Sarah Davidson

Head of Cabinet Secretariat

Tom McMahon

Private Secretary to the Deputy First Minister

Agenda Items 1 and 2: Minutes of Previous Meeting and Matters Arising

1. The minutes of the meeting held on 21 December (HD(06)43rd Conclusions) were approved.

2. Heads of Department noted the recent appointment of Rhona Brankin as Minister for Communities, following Malcolm Chisholm's resignation.

Agenda Item 3: Report from PS/Deputy First Minister

3. Mr McMahon said that on Monday the Deputy First Minister had announced RSA investment in the Alliance Trust Plc in Dundee, resulting in the creation of 160 new jobs, and on Tuesday had announced funding to support Research and Development at Selex Sensors and Airborn Systems in Edinburgh. For the remainder of the week he would be engaged in agreeing the handling of the Legislative Consent Motion for the UK Serious Crime Bill, and would be launching the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary with the First Minister on Thursday.

Agenda Item 4: Events Planning Grid

4. Dr Goudie said that following the move of Heads of Department meetings to Wednesday afternoons, further consideration had to be given to the production of the Events Planning Grid, which was currently finalised on Wednesday afternoons. Dr Goudie said he would discuss this issue further with the Media team, and then updated Heads of Department on the key events scheduled for that week. Heads of Department noted the update.

Agenda Item 5: Report from Cabinet Meeting

5. Sarah Davidson gave a brief report from the Cabinet meeting held that morning. Cabinet had discussed a range of issues including an update on the current Home Office position in relation to the records of overseas offenders being entered onto the criminal records system; the legislative timetable; and had discussed proposals for increasing capacity in the Prison Estate, and developing options for alternatives to custody. Heads of Department noted progress in preparing papers for forthcoming Cabinet meetings.

Agenda Item 7: Any Other Business

Heads of Department Monthly Business Meeting

6. Dr Goudie noted that the first business meeting for Heads of Department was scheduled for 25 January, and said that the an agenda for the meeting would be finalised shortly.

Cabinet Secretariat

January 2007

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