IOG: Parliament News, issue 34/february 2004

Scottish Affairs web site

Events

2 February: Allan Wilson, Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development, met with the Norwegian Government to explore areas of possible co-operation in securing a long-term future for Scotland's aquaculture sector.

5 February: the Executive published an analysis of the responses to its consultation on the devolved aspect of a UK civil partnership registration for same sex couples in England and Wales published in June last year. The analysis shows that 86 per cent of all respondents agreed in principle with the proposed introduction of civil partnerships. The Executive will therefore seek the Scottish Parliament's agreement to include Scottish provisions in a UK Civil Partnerships Bill when one is brought forward.

9 February: Cathy Jamieson, Minister for Justice, pledged that the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency and the Scottish Police Service would work closely alongside the new agency proposed by the UK Government for tackling organised crime. The Home Office proposes to see the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the Nation Crime Squad and elements of Customs and Excise and the Immigration Service come together in a single crime-fighting agency.

9 February: Alastair Darling, the Secretary of State for Scotland, announced the establishment of the Independent Commission to review Scottish electoral arrangements. The Commission will examine the consequences of having four different systems of voting in local and Parliamentary elections in Scotland and different boundaries between Westminster and Scottish Parliament constituencies.

9 February: Margaret Curran, Minister for Communities, welcomed the publication of a detailed analysis of data from the 2001 Census giving information on Scotland's ethnic population, stating that it would help to promote equal opportunities and give a more detailed picture of where inequalities may lie.

9 February: launch of an on-line forum on the subject of VisitScotland Tourist Information. Web users were able to have their say on-line before, during and after a debate on the subject in Parliament.

11 February: Andy Kerr, Minister for Finance and Public Services, announced that Scottish local authorities will receive an adjusted increase of 6.5 per cent in Executive funding in 2004-05, totalling almost £7.7 billion. This should ensure that local authorities will be able to set their council tax at levels similar to those announced provisionally last year.

12 February: the Executive announced its key decisions on how the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Reform will be implemented in Scotland. These decisions will lead to farmers making decisions based on demand for their produce, not the need for subsidy, and will position agriculture as a lead player in the protection and enhancement of the environment and reduce time spent on form-filling bureaucracy.

12 February: Jim Wallace, Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, stated that Scottish universities have increased their share of ideas moving from research labs towards the marketplace. The Scottish survey figures, based on the UK-wide Higher Education-Business Interaction report 2001/02, showed that Scottish higher education institutions filed 17 per cent of new patent applications and that those granted made up 21 per cent of the UK total.

12 February: Jim Wallace, Deputy First Minister, responded to the Enterprise and Culture Committee's report 'Scottish Solutions' regarding top up fees being introduced in England. Mr Wallace said it would be considered alongside their own Higher Education Review during the coming spending review.

12 February: Figures in the Global Connections Survey 2002 show that Germany is Scotland's top destination for exports (electrical and instrumental engineering and chemicals and mineral produces). The Global Connections Survey 2002 was conducted by the Executive on behalf of Scottish Development International (SDI). The results are published on the Executive website at www.scotland.gov.uk/exports/.

12 February: Publication of the review of the structure and functions of Historic Scotland. Frank McAveety, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, stated that Historic Scotland will remain an agency within the Scottish Executive Education Department and welcomed the recommendations made. Mr McAveety asked the Chief Executive of Historic Scotland and the Head of the Executive's Education Department to start work on a programme to deliver the necessary changes.

16 February: Andy Kerr, Minister for Finance and Public Services, announced details of the programmes that will benefit from the £30 million third round of its Modernising Government Fund. The fund is part of the Executive's collaborative working with service providers to develop solutions for improving pubic services. One of the core priorities is to provide further support to the local authority driven Customer Relationship Management (CRM) programme, giving people better access to the services that they need.

16 February: Jack McConnell, First Minister, announced that the Cabinet had agreed to create a position of national poet for Scotland and that the first person to be awarded this designation will be Edwin Morgan. Professor Morgan will be known as 'The Scots Makar'.

16 February: George Reid, Presiding Officer, announced that First Minister's Question Time will be interpreted for deaf people. The interpreters will also cover Question Time when questions are put to all Scottish Ministers. Pilot sessions would take place on 26 February, 4, 11 and 18 March.

18 February: Jack McConnell, First Minister, launched VisitScotland's new European tourism campaign during a visit to Paris. The campaign 'Scotland. Welcome to our Life' (Ecosse. Bienvenue chez nous) is aimed primarily at independent travellers and includes a specially created French connections touring map. The campaign will roll out across eight countries - Germany, Spain, France, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Norway. It will cost £2.5 million and include colour supplements in magazines and newspapers.

19 February: Allan Wilson, Deputy Environment and Rural Development Minister, announced proposals which will require farmers to meet new environmental standards in return for subsidy. These proposals, which have been published for consultation, set out the environmental and agricultural standards Scottish farmers will have to meet to qualify for subsidy under the reform of the EU Common Agricultural Policy.

24 February: Andy Kerr, Minister for Finance and Public Services, outlined the Executive's European Strategy which focuses on advancing Scotland's position in Europe and to ensure Scotland's influence on EU policy development.

24 February: George Reid, Presiding Officer, provided the Parliament's Finance Committee with the latest information on the Holyrood Project. The estimated final cost of Holyrood is at £425-£431 million and the programme remains on target for completion in July 2004 and for business to begin in Holyrood in September.

25 February: Jim Wallace, Deputy First Minister, launched a consultation into links between schools and colleges. The initiative will allow pupils to study vocational courses, such as electronics, plumbing and joinery, horticulture, and encourage them to consider careers in these areas. Pupils could also study subjects including psychology or biotechnology that may not be offered in schools.

25 February: Jack McConnell, First Minister, made a statement in Parliament New Scots: Attracting Fresh Talent to Meet the Challenge of Growth (available on the website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/extras/00019100.aspx . Mr McConnell said the policy was based on demographic changes that predicted Scotland's population will fall below the 5 million level by 2009. Mr McConnell said the first priority was to nurture and retain home-grown talent but he also wants to encourage Scots living abroad to come home and to attract those who are completely new to Scotland from the rest of the UK, from the EU and further afield.

26 February: Tom McCabe, Deputy Minister for Health, opened a debate in Edinburgh on childhood obesity organised by the Food Standards Agency. Mr McCabe stated that over the next year the Executive aims to develop stronger links with the food industry, engage with the catering industry to make it easier for people eating out to find healthier foods and work with neighbourhood shops in low income areas to improve access to healthier foods.

Appointments

4 February: Professor Douglas Weir and Fraser Sanderson were both appointed to the Board of Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS). Learning and Teaching Scotland is an independent advisory body for education.

12 February: Kathleen Marshall was nominated to the post of the first Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland. Established under the Commissioner for Children an Young People (Scotland) Act 2003, the Children's Commissioner will be responsible for promoting and safeguarding the rights of children and young people.

Bills

12 February: the Budget (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 was passed by Parliament.

25 February: the principles of the Criminal Procedure (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1, were agreed by Parliament. The provisions of the Bill will assist victims and witnesses by creating greater certainty about when trials will proceed and prevent unnecessary adjournments.

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

2 February: the Enterprise and Culture Committee announced an open call for evidence for its forthcoming inquiry into the roll-out of broadband services in Scotland. The Committee wishes to inquire into the implementation and effectiveness of the Executive's broadband strategy.

10 February: the Subordinate Legislation Committee launched its first inquiry since the Parliament began. The inquiry, entitled 'An Inquiry into the Regulatory Framework in Scotland' will look at the overall structure and operation of the regulatory system in Scotland.

11 February: the Public Petitions Committee launched its new electronic petitions system. The system uniquely allows an online debate among members of the public with an interest in a petition.

12 February: Daithi O'Ceallaigh, the Irish Ambassador to the UK, made a presentation in Parliament on the programme and priorities for the six-month Presidency of the European Union, held by Ireland from 1 January 2004. The event was hosted by the European and External Relations Committee and was open to all MSPs, media and the public.

12 February: the Procedures Committee launched an inquiry into the procedures and practices that determine the speed at which Bills progress through the three-stage process from introduction to passing.

19 February: the Justice 1 Committee endorsed the general principles of the Criminal Procedure (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill. The Bill amends the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 to provide for greater certainty in the proceedings of the High Court of Justiciary.

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:

School Boards: guide to the legislation: guide offering assistance in interpreting the meaning and intention behind the provisions of the School Boards (Scotland) Act 1988. 4.2.04

Community Ownership Review - Report of The Expert Group: report on the outcome of the Community Ownership Review. 4.2.04

Environmental Guardian Induction Pack: induction and information pack for the Executive's Environmental Guardian network. 5.2.04

Public Perceptions of Food Farming in Scotland: Final Report: a survey of public perceptions of food production and farming in Scotland. 6.2.04

Analysis of Ethnicity in the 2001 Census - Summary Report: report presenting results across the main policy areas covered in the Census analysed by ethnic group. 9.2.04

Scottish Executive Response to The Enterprise and Culture Committee's Scottish Solutions Report. 13.2.04

Scottish Household Survey (2003 - Quarter 3). 18.2.03

Priorities for the Irish Presidency: Ministers' EU policy Priorities for the Irish Presidency: EU Policy priorities for each Cabinet Minister for the Irish Presidency of the EU - January to June 2004. 18.2.04

Open Scotland - Promoting Excellence in Scotland 2004: a guide to quality schemes and the delivery of public services: description of key quality tools and standards available to the public sector. 24.2.04

Scottish Executive Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 Open Learning Workbook: for use and adaptation by public authorities. 25.2.04

New Scots: Attracting Fresh Talent to Meet the Challenge of Growth: the Executive's Fresh Talent initiative. 25.2.04

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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