Speeches by Smith.

“Annie, anything to add on the problems that that inconsistency causes?”

“Annie, anything to add on the problems that that inconsistency causes?”

“Yes. Are you saying that the flexibility in the way they operate can be a benefit?”

“The people and the amount of time and commitment that they are able to give to it is one issue. What other issues are there with inconsistency across the country?”

“We have to talk a little bit about consistency in how they operate now, which you have both mentioned. First, with the culture, Ken, you said that this is an open forum where people are encouraged to come along and contribute. Is that culture consistent across the country? Is that the general practice where everybody i…”

“Ken, you have a very clear remit. Annie, you said that you are sometimes in the room at these events as an organiser. Can you give us an idea of the scope of the events that come under SAGs, aside from football and sports matches?”

“Where do we draw the line? We are trying to tease out, I guess, whether there should be some intervention or some new legislation from the Government that would create a greater level of consistency. Is it better to leave it to the local authorities to judge on their own?”

“You mentioned the rally event. So that we understand how you fit into that, what was the process for bidding for and then organising that event?”

“You are nodding, Annie. Local government cost pressures must have an impact. How are they impacting the consistency of approach and the effectiveness of SAGs? Is it about frequency of meeting or other things? You are shaking your head, Annie. What are the other impacts on those cost pressures? Anne Marie Chebib: A lot …”

“The people and the amount of time and commitment that they are able to give to it is one issue. What other issues are there with inconsistency across the country?”

“You mentioned the Commonwealth Games. In that process, did the Commonwealth Games organisers come to you or did they go to Glasgow?”

“Yes. Are you saying that the flexibility in the way they operate can be a benefit?”

“Where do we draw the line? We are trying to tease out, I guess, whether there should be some intervention or some new legislation from the Government that would create a greater level of consistency. Is it better to leave it to the local authorities to judge on their own?”

“Are you talking about some body that is, I suppose, a major events equivalent of the SGSA for the stuff that is not sport?”

“Ken, you have a very clear remit. Annie, you said that you are sometimes in the room at these events as an organiser. Can you give us an idea of the scope of the events that come under SAGs, aside from football and sports matches?”

“This is a similar question to what I asked before. If you had a UK event strategy, what value could add to those individual cities? Because it seems that you are doing all the strategic support and co-ordination that they need. What would be the benefit of the UK strategy?”

“Do you have a long-term plan for individual authorities; do you have a long-term plan for Scotland? How do you work on a strategic approach?”

“Thanks, Chair. Can we talk briefly about what has been called Zone Ex? That is broadly generally understood to be the external zone immediately around the outside perimeter of an event, but we have heard that Zone Ex is defined by different bodies in different ways. What challenges does that lack of a single definition…”

“We have to talk a little bit about consistency in how they operate now, which you have both mentioned. First, with the culture, Ken, you said that this is an open forum where people are encouraged to come along and contribute. Is that culture consistent across the country? Is that the general practice where everybody i…”

“Presumably you have regular catchups with the local authorities. Do you sit down and plan a strategy for each city?”