 Thank you. Good morning. Welcome to the first meeting in 2018 of the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee. I ask members and all those present pleased to ensure that mobile phones are on silent. No apologies have been received for the meeting. The first issue on the agenda is a declaration of interest. I need to welcome Colin Smyth, a member of the South of Scotland to the committee. Colin is replacing rhoda-g Agreade. y byddafol? Are there any declarations of interests that you would like to declare to the committee? The only interests that may be relevant are volunteer declarations on my register, if you are the Member of the JNB union, of the Riot signed the union, and of the volunteer chair for a campaign group for a railway station at Eastrands. Thank you. Before I leave the subject order, I would like to record officially the committee's thanks to Raid a Grant on all the work that she put in to the committee. She attended yn cerddyn nhw, ac yn arlo'r gyd yn deilio'r bysiau i'w eu chyfeddoriaeth a'i gyd yn fawr i'r bysiau i'w chyfeddoriaeth i'w cyfraith sy'n cyngorol, ac i gaelch nhw'r bysiau i'w cyfr monsieur i'u cyfrifiad ym boards ar gyfer y gallu gyd yn ôl. Ond, byddwch chi'n chyfeddoriaeth y cyfrifiad iddynt mynd i'w aches i gael, ac byddwch chi'n cerddoriaeth y bydwch chi'n gyd yn bobl ddod ag yn cyffredinol. which is decision on taking business in private? I would like to ask the committee whether it would consider taking an item on post-legitim scrutiny in private at a future meeting. Do members have any views on that? Stewart, you have views on that. Thank you, convener. I think on this occasion we are not affecting the interests of individuals, I think, in any discussion we have on this subject, nor do I foresee that this will be a particularly party-driven issue. On this occasion, it will give greater credibility to items when we do take them in private that we take this one in public and allow people who watch the activities of the community to see our discussions on this subject, which I think will be a pretty matter of fact in any event, convener. The committee is always minded to take things in public when it can. Unless I hear any dissenting voices that we should agree that we should take this matter in public at the future meeting when it comes back, are all members agreed? We are agreed. Thank you. The committee now, however, will move into private session to consider items 3 and 4.