The Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 2006

Proceedings of visiting committees

157.—(1) At the first meeting of a visiting committee, the members shall–

(a) elect from the membership, a chair and a deputy chair each for a period of 4 years, and thereafter shall fill any vacancy in that office promptly; and

(b) appoint a person (not being an officer of the Scottish Ministers) to act as a clerk to the Committee.

(2) The chair of the visiting committee shall report to the Scottish Ministers the names and addresses of the members of the committee immediately after the first meeting and, thereafter, whenever a change in these details or in the membership occurs.

(3) The visiting committee for a prison shall meet at the prison at least once in every period of 3 months.

(4) A visiting committee may appoint from its membership sub committees and may delegate specific duties to any such sub committee for the purpose of carrying out its functions.

(5) A visiting committee shall fix a quorum of not less than one-third of the total number of members required to be appointed to that committee for the purpose of its proceedings, and for the proceedings of any sub committee appointed under paragraph (4).

(6) The proceedings of a visiting committee shall not be invalidated by any vacancy in the membership or any defect in the appointment of a member.

(7) A visiting committee shall keep minutes of its proceedings and shall send a copy of such minutes to the Governor and to the Scottish Ministers as soon as reasonably practicable after the relevant proceedings.