IOG: Parliament News, issue 33/january 2004

Scottish Affairs web site

Events

8 January: Cathy Jamieson, Minister for Justice, announced that £35 million of additional resources over two years will be invested in youth justice as part of the Executive's Antisocial Behaviour (ASB) drive. The resources will be used to extend the Youth Court initiative to a second sheriff court; to double to 6,000 the number of young people who will have to face up to their offending through 'restorative justice' projects; and ensure that support is given to implement national standards by 2006 so that every children's hearing can achieve 'fast track' performance.

9 January: Allan Wilson, Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development, speaking at the Soil Association Conference, said that funding for the Organic Aid Scheme had risen from £5.4 million in 2002-2003 to an estimated expenditure for 2004-2005 of £7 million. Mr Wilson confirmed that proposed changes to the Organic Aid Scheme have received a favourable opinion from the European Commission, and the necessary regulations will be laid before Parliament shortly. Mr Wilson also highlighted the important role the organic sector can play in reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.

12 January: Margaret Curran, Minister for Communities, announced that more than £1 million funding will be allocated to over 30 existing and new projects to help refugees and asylum seekers integrate into Scottish life. The projects supported include childcare, social activities such as drama groups and sports clubs, training and volunteering opportunities, language classes, food co-ops and advice and guidance on housing, health and benefits.

13 January: Tavish Scott, Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services, announced that there will be a review of the location of Scottish Further and Higher Education Councils and the Royal Fine Arts Commission for Scotland in 2004. Consideration is also being given to setting up two new bodies:

Proposed single agency to deliver custodial and non-custodial sentences in Scotland;
Proposed National Transport Agency.

If the Executive decides to proceed in setting up both these bodies their location will be determined in accordance with the Relocation Policy.

13 January: Tom McCabe, Deputy Minister for Health, announced the launch of the Executive's Tobacco Control Action Plan - A Breath of Fresh Air for Scotland. The Plan contains a range of measures, including

a consultation on smoking in public places;
an additional £4 million to help Scots stop smoking;
action on prevention and education to inform people of the dangers of smoking;
further controls to reduce the availability of cigarettes to children and young people.

13 January: Allan Wilson, Deputy Minister for Environment, welcomed the conclusions of the Government's statutory advisors on the implications of the GM farm scale evaluation (FSE) results. The Committee's advice is that adverse environmental impacts would result from the cultivation of GM herbicide tolerant beet and spring-sown oilseed rape. They also stated that there was no evidence of environmental degradation resulting from the cultivation of GMHT maize under the conditions employed in the farm scale trials.

14 January: Jim Wallace, Minister for Enterprise, visited the New York Stock Exchange as part of his week-long US tour. Mr Wallace highlighted the strong international focus of Scotland's corporate services sector and explored how to develop stronger relationships between New York's financial community and Scotland.

14 January: Tavish Scott, Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services, reminded public authorities about the deadline for delivery of Freedom of Information in Scotland. Mr Scott was speaking at a conference organised to discuss what remains to be done in the run up to Freedom of Information which will be implemented by 1 January 2005. All public authorities will be required to adopt a publication scheme setting out the class of information they intend to make available and how people can access the material. These publication schemes will require the approval of the Scottish Information Commissioner.

15 January: a debate on the protection of emergency workers was held in Parliament. The Executive is consulting on proposed legislation that will make it an offence to assault, obstruct or hinder emergency workers and those assisting them in an emergency situation.

15 January: the Parliament agreed to meet in the Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh when the Assembly Hall will have to be vacated for the Church of Scotland's General Assembly in May. The Parliament proposed to do so for three full sitting days in the Hub on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 18-20 May.

21 January: Allan Wilson, Deputy Minister for Environment, welcomed the Scottish Natural Heritage's proposed Outdoor Access Code. Over 1,300 organisations and individuals responded to a consultation on the proposed Code which reflects Part One of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. The proposed code includes three main themes:

respect the interests of other people;
care for the environment;
take responsibility for your own actions.

22 January: Jack McConnell, First Minister, launched the Scottish programme for the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale between France and the United Kingdom. The programme includes trade and tourism fairs and events, an exhibition of Scottish Colourists in Paris, a season of Scottish architecture in Paris and a series of events to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Scottish Committee of the Franco British Lawyers Society.

23 January: Lord Advocate Colin Boyd QC announced the priorities for the next three years in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). The priorities and initiatives are set out in the Strategic Plan 2004-2006, on the website at: www.crownoffice.gov.uk/publications/Crown%20Office%20Strategy%20Summary.pdf (link will download pdf)

26 January: Mary Mulligan, Deputy Minister for Communities, announced £4 million funding for a new service starting in April to help people deal with debt. The new service will target a number of vulnerable groups such as minority ethnic communities and lone parents to help them deal with debt and other financial difficulties.

26 January: publication of the report with the latest information on the Holyrood project showing the programme on target and costs unchanged from last month. The overall cost now sits at £396.5m plus a programme contingency of £4.5m.

27 January: under new proposals in a UK Energy Bill the Executive will be given additional powers to oversee the activities of the nuclear industry in Scotland. The Bill will establish the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to take strategic responsibility for cleaning-up sites currently owned by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL). The Executive will share powers with Westminster to direct the NDA in its activities in Scotland.

28 January: the Single Transferable Vote (STV) Working Group, set up by the Executive in September 2003 to look at the practicalities of operating STV, submitted its interim findings to the Executive. Andy Kerr, Minister for Finance, welcomed the Working Group's finding and will consider the recommendations in the context of the passage of the Local Governance (Scotland) Bill currently before Parliament.

28 January: Cathy Jamieson, Minister for Justice, urged Parliament to back plans for a modern Supreme Court. The Department of Constitutional Affairs (DCA) had consulted on proposals for constitutional reform, including replacing the judicial role of the House of Lords with a UK-wide Supreme Court. In its official response to the DCA Consultation, the Executive made the following points:

The Supreme Court should be the highest court of appeal for Scottish civil cases, taking over the current House of Lords' role. Significant areas of civil law cover both Scottish and English legal systems.
The Supreme Court will continue to hear issues arising from disputes concerning the Scotland Act 1998, for example relating to the reserved/devolved divide.
The Court of Appeal in Edinburgh will continue to be the highest court for criminal appeals. Criminal law differs to a much greater extent between Scotland and England.

28 January: launch of new national guidance on planning for rural areas, covering topics such as economic development, rural diversification and housing. A copy of the Scottish Planning Policy is available at www.scotland.gov.uk/planning. Consultation on these proposals will last 12 weeks.

29 January: the Executive announced plans to build two new 700-place prisons in Scotland. One of the prisons will be privately built and operated, and for the other management and unions within the Scottish Prison Service have been given the opportunity to 'bridge the gap' with the private sector on costs and delivery.

Appointments

14 January: Graeme Millar was appointed Chairman of the Construction Innovation and Excellence Forum, a new forum set up to provide strategic advice for the construction sector, the Executive and the Parliament on necessary actions to improve the industry.

16 January: Gill Scott, Director of the Scottish Poverty Information Unit at Glasgow Caledonian University, and David Nicoll, Chief Executive of the Wise Group, have been appointed to help support the Cabinet Delivery Group on Closing the Opportunity Gap.

23 January: Angiolina Foster, was appointed to the post of Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, the Executive's housing and regeneration agency.

26 January: Scott Ballintyne was appointed as an expert adviser on community safety to the Justice department.

27 January: Graham Bell QC and Sandy Wylie QC were recommended to the Queen for appointments as new Members of the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission.

30 January: Sir John Ward was appointed as the new Chair of Scottish Enterprise (post previously held by Sir Ian Robinson).

System Three poll (for The Herald)

The System Three poll, usually carried out for The Herald, was not published in January 2004.

Bills

7 January: the general principles of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1, were agreed by Parliament. The main objective of the Bill is to improve protection for Scotland's natural heritage, to be achieved by tough new legal protection for designated sites and improving measures dealing with wildlife crime. The Bill also provides a framework for better consultation, closer involvement and appropriate financial support for owners and occupiers of land and for local communities.

28 January: the general principles of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1, were agreed by Parliament. The purpose of the Bill is to modernise and strengthen the system for supporting children's and young persons' additional support needs to enable them to draw benefit from school education. It proposes a change to the legislative framework, to encompass not just those with the most severe needs, but all children and young persons who face a barrier to learning.

29 January: the general principles of the Budget (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1 (financial year 2004-5) were agreed by Parliament.

30 January: two Private Bills were published which seek to enable the City of Edinburgh Council to authorise the construction and operation of two tram lines in the city. Edinburgh Tram (Line One) Bill and Edinburgh Tram (Line Two) Bill. Line One will form a loop from St Andrews Square, along Leith Walk to Leith, west to Granton, south to Haymarket and back to St Andrew Square along Princes Street. Line Two will start at St Andrew Square and travel west along Princes Street, past Haymarket Station to South Gyle, north to Gogar Roundabout, and then north-west to the Airport.

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

Committees

8 January: the Audit Committee published a report describing as "fundamentally flawed" the planning and delivery of the "Individual Learning Accounts in Scotland" scheme designed by the Department for Education and Skills to increase the numbers of people accessing learning. The report recommended that the Department produce a detailed project plan with an associated timetable for the introduction of the new scheme.

23 January: the Education Committee endorsed the General Principles of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill.

28 January: the Audit Committee published a report criticising NHS Scotland for its failure to capitalise on a number of successful pilot projects for General Practice prescribing. These pilots reduced waste and improved the quality of service for patients. The Committee said that a clear structure for agreeing and adopting successful practices is urgently required. The Committee also asked to see a comprehensive risk assessment drawn up in relation to the operation of payments for the new General Medical Services contract for GPs.

30 January: the Procedures Committee published a report recommending that First Minister's Question Time should remain at 12 noon on Thursdays and that Question Time should start at 2pm on Thursdays.

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:

Continuing Professional Development - Teaching in Scotland: Professional Review and Development: guidelines on the procedure of Professional Review and Development for Teachers in Scotland. 8.1.04

A Breath of Fresh Air for Scotland - Improving Scotland's Health: The Challenge - Tobacco Control Action Plan. 13.1.04

Draft UK National Allocation Plan for the EU Emissions Trading Scheme 12/03/03: Consultation on the draft UK National Allocation Plan. 19.1.04

The Scottish Executive's European Strategy: Framework for the Executive's work on EU issues over the next four years. 20.1.04

Scotland's Budget Documents 2004-05: Budget (Scotland) (No 5) Bill Supporting Document for the year ending 31 March 2005. 20.1.04

Scotland's Transport - Proposals for a New Approach to Transport in Scotland: Consultation Responses. 22.1.04

Single Transferable Vote Working Group Interim Report. 28.1.04

Scottish Executive Expertise, Knowledge & Innovation Transfer Programme (SEEKIT) Grant Application Guidance Notes. 29.1.04

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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