IOG: Parliament News, issue 31/november 2003

Scottish Affairs web site

Events

4 November: UK Tourism Ministers met on the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh to discuss tourism data across Britain, skills and training of workers in the industry and tourism business grading schemes.

4 November: Scotland signed the Hague Convention for the first time. Hugh Henry, Deputy Minister for Justice, signed on behalf of Scotland the instrument of ratification for the Hague Convention on the Protection of Adults. The Convention will ensure that cases concerning protection of a vulnerable adult are heard in an appropriate jurisdiction.

5 November: during a debate in Parliament on the proposed transport agency for Scotland and new regional partnerships of local authorities Nicol Stephen, Minister for Transport, said that local authorities will play an important role in delivering better transport services. The agency is planned to help deliver improvements such as extending concessionary fare schemes, supporting direct air routes to Scotland and integrating improvements to roads and public transport.

5 November: Peter Peacock, Minister for Education and Young People, outlined plans to strengthen and accelerate child protection reforms, saying that the Executive is committed to a three year child protection reform programme and has recruited professionals from the various disciplines to help develop and deliver this.

6 November: Peter Peacock, Minister for Education, announced plans set out in the consultation paper Ensuring Improvement in our Schools and draft Bill which will give Ministers new powers to intervene when education authorities fail to act on recommendations made by school inspectors.

12 November: the Palestinian Legislative Council visited Parliament as part of a visit to Scotland organised by the British Council. The Palestinian officials and representatives looked at how the Parliament functions during an election and the following transitional period.

14 November: a consultation on European Commission proposals to improve the regional management of fisheries policy was launched. The proposals focus on the formation of Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) which will directly involve fishermen, scientists and other stakeholders in the formation of future European policies. Ross Finnie, Minister for Environment and Rural Development, said the Executive has supported the early establishment of RACs, including one for the North Sea. The European Commission's press release regarding the proposals can be found at www.europa.eu.int/comm/fisheries/news_corner/press/inf03_45-en.htm

12 November: Jack McConnell, First Minister, took up his 12 month presidency of the network of European regions with legislative power (RegLeg). Speaking at the fourth conference of Regleg in Salzburg, Austria, Mr McConnell promised to protect the powers of Europe's sub-state governments, demanding proper consultation on proposals which affect devolved nations and regions.

14 November: the Executive issued its response to the Department for Constitutional Affairs consultation on constitutional reforms, including the setting up of a UK Supreme Court to replace the House of Lords sitting as an appeal court. Cathy Jamieson, Minister for Justice, said that the Executive welcomed the proposal for the setting up of a UK Supreme Court as a means of ensuring that Scotland's constitutional position is maintained and that it would respect the unique nature of the Scottish justice system. The full text of the Executive's official response can be viewed at www.scotland.gov.uk/0018515.

17 November: following the penultimate Council meeting in the lead up to the December Council, Ross Finnie, Minister for Environment and Rural Development, said that the UK had called for the implementation of a balanced approach to the recovery of endangered stocks, taking into account the need for conservation, while allowing fishermen access to the seas.

19 November: publication of the Electoral Commission report Scottish elections 2003. Andy Kerr, Minister for Finance and Public Services, said that the report will be used to inform the conduct and administration of future elections. The report shows that, on the whole, the elections ran smoothly but highlights room for improvement regarding the fact that less than half of those people on the electoral register voted in the 2003 Scottish elections. The report Media Coverage of the Council Elections in Scotland, 2003, which gives an analysis of media coverage of the Council elections in the weeks leading up to polling day, was provided by the Institute of Governance. Both reports can be accessed on the Electoral Commission website at www.electoralcommission.org.uk

19 November: Tavish Scott, Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services, spoke at a conference in Edinburgh attended by pubic authorities and organisations from across Scotland to discuss what remains to be done in the run up to Freedom of Information Act, which will be implemented by 1 January 2005. All public authorities will be required to adopt a publication scheme setting out the classes of information they intend to make available and how people will be able to access it. These publication schemes will require the approval of the Scottish Information Commissioner.

24 November: following Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac's announcement of the Entente Cordiale celebrations Frank McAveety, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, stated that Scotland and France will build on their auld alliance to form new friendships. The full list of events in Scotland and France of the Entente Cordiale Centenary programme will be announced in January.

24 November: George Reid, Presiding Officer, provided the Finance Committee with the latest information on the Holyrood project which show the programme on target for completion in July 2003 and the costs remaining unchanged from last month at £389.4m.

25 November: the Scottish Civic Forum (SCF) held a debate on 'Participation with the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive' which follows on from Participation summits which the SCF ran in October to discuss how people can get involved in the work of the Executive and the Parliament.

25 November: Peter Peacock, Minister for Young People, spoke on behalf of the UK at a meeting of the Education, Youth and Culture Council of the EU which took place during the six month Italian Presidency. Issues on the agenda included how best to encourage schools to become open learning institutions and combat disaffection among young people.

26 November: in the Queen's Speech for the 2003 State Opening of Parliament it was stated that legislation will be changed to retain the current number of 129 members in the Scottish Parliament.

28 November: George Reid, Presiding Officer, was nominated Politician of the Year by The Herald newspaper.

28 November: launch of the third annual report of the National Cultural Strategy and a pilot Cultural Portal project. Mr McAveety said that the annual report on the Strategy 'Creating Our Future ... Minding Our Past' celebrates progress made in key areas of Scotland's cultural life, such as the re-opening of the Royal Scottish Academy, the announcement of £17.5 million for music tuition in schools and the decision to have a National Theatre. The Portal is an initiative that will increase access to treasures held in Scotland's museums, libraries, archives and other cultural organisations.

31 November: Jack McConnell, First Minister, set out his new direction for cultural policy during his St Andrew's Day lecture at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. Mr McConnell stated that each member of the Scottish cabinet will use the power of cultural activity to help them in their work, stating culture will not be an add on but will be at the core of everything they do. The full text of Mr Connell's speech is available at https://194.247.95.101/pages/news/extras/00017600.aspx

Appointments

18 November: Cathy Jamieson, Minister for Justice, announced the names of those people appointed to the new Sentencing Commission for Scotland. They are: The Rt Hon The Lord Mackay of Drumadoon, Sheriff Charles Stoddart, Chief Constable David Strange, Mr Alex Prentice, Ms Valerie Stacey QC, Mr Jim Dickie, Councillor Eric Jackson, Ms Bernadette Monaghan, Ms Kaliani Lyle, Mr David Mckenna, Professor Neil Hutton, Professor Chris Gane, Prof David McCrone (Director of the Institute of Governance), Mrs Sue Brookes. Lord MacLean had already been appointed as Chair. The Commission will initially examine the early release of prisoners from our jails and their subsequent supervision, and the effectiveness of the use of bail and remand in ensuring public safety.

System Three poll (for The Herald)

(927 people in 51 constituencies surveyed between November 27 and December 4, 2003)

The System Three poll, carried out at the end of November/beginning of December, noted voting intentions for both the Scottish Parliament (two votes) and the House of Commons.

Holyrood
1st vote

Holyrood
2nd vote

Westminster

Lab

35%

28%

42%

SNP

30%

28%

24%

LibDem

11%

14%

12%

Con

15%

13%

17%

SSP

7%

8%

4%

Green

1%

4%

} 1%

Others

1%

5%

Bills

19 November: the general principles of the Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1, were agreed in Parliament. The aim of the Bill is to enable better protection and assistance to be given to vulnerable witnesses, particularly children.

26 November: Ross Finnie, Minister for Environment and Rural Development, gave evidence to the Environment and Rural Development Committee regarding the Nature Conservation Bill, saying that the Bill makes a real contribution to achieving long term vision for sustainability and for responsible stewardship of our natural environment.

A summary of the Bills passed by the Parliament in the 1999-2003 session can be found on the Parliament website at www.scottish.parliament.uk/parl_bus/bills/bill%20summaries.pdf

Committees

13 November: the Enterprise and Culture Committee announced a call for evidence for its forthcoming inquiry into renewable energy in Scotland.

13 November: the Justice 2 Committee endorsed the general principles of the Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Bill. The purpose of the Bill is to give better protection and assistance to vulnerable witnesses such as children and people with mental disorders, when giving evidence in court.

18 November: the Environment and Rural Development Committee published a report on its inquiry into the National Waste Plan. The report acknowledged the huge challenge that exists in tackling Scotland's reliance on landfill and accepts that the National Waste Plan is a substantial contribution which is still at an early stage. The report made various recommendations to improve on and develop the work currently underway.

Research opportunities

The Scottish Parliament has a budget for commissioning research for Parliamentary committees and holds a database of researchers interested in tendering for committee research. Anyone wishing to be included in the database should complete the on-line form on the Parliament website at

www.scottish.parliament.uk/whats_happening/contracts/contract02-01.htm

Scottish Executive Publications

Scottish Executive publications can be accessed on the Scottish Executive website at www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/recent.aspx

Some of those published in the last month include:

The Scottish Executive Development Department Inquiry Reporter's Unit Review of the Year 2002-2003: annual review of the work of the Inquiry Reporters Unit. 3.11.03

Examination Results (SQA) in Scottish Schools: 2003/03: a web only ECSU Statistics Publication Notice. 4.11.2003

Modernising Government Fund: Round 1: Final Report: document detailing the fist round of the Modernising Government Fund aimed to support innovative solutions within the public sector that provide a better service to the citizens of Scotland. 4.11. 03

Promoting Race Equality in Scotland - Reviewing Progress on Delivering the Race Relations (Amendment) Act: conference flyer. 6.11.02

Ensuring Improvement in our Schools - A consultation paper and draft Bill: a consultation paper containing the draft School Education (Ministerial Powers and Independent Schools) (Scotland) Bill: 6.11.03

Enhancing Sexual Wellbeing in Scotland: A Sexual Health and Relationships Strategy: A Consultation Paper. 12.11.03

Local Governance (Scotland) Bill - Summary of Issues and Responses Received to 31 October 2003. 14.11.03

REGLEG: Description of the work of REGLEG and the Scottish Presidency. 26.11.03

First Minister's Speech at 4th REGLEG Conference: speech delivered at Salzburg on 12 November. 26.11.03

Evaluation of the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 - Research Findings: document with findings of study undertaken to monitor and evaluate the use and impact of the Protection From Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001. 26.11.03

Scotland's National Cultural Strategy Annual Report 2003: annual progress report on cultural initiatives that have taken place since November 2002. 28.11.03

Links to other issues of Parliament News

Contact

Should you have any comments or enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Margaret MacPherson at the Institute of Governance.

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