IOG: Parliament News, issue 40/nov 2004

Scottish Affairs web site

Events

1 November: Peter Peacock, Minister for Education, announced a package of twelve key reforms aimed particularly at secondary schools, saying it was the most comprehensive modernisation programme in Scottish schools for a generation.

2 November: Allan Wilson, Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, launched a new initiative Aimhigher Scotland to encourage school pupils to consider the benefits of post-school education and training. The Royal Bank of Scotland will fund Aimhigher Scotland at a cost of £1.2 over three years. The Executive has contributed £20,000 towards the funding of promotional materials.

2 November: Tom McCabe, Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform, spoke at the fifth international PPP Global Summit in Prague, highlighting what Scotland has achieved through PPP - £5.5 billion invested in more than 130 projects.

4 November: the first meeting of the North Sea Regional Advisory Council was held in Edinburgh and Ross Finnie, Minister for Fisheries, pledged to make fisheries management more responsive to Scottish circumstances.

4 November: publication of an Executive report into the use of human rights legislation in Scottish courts for the period from devolution up to August 2003. The study examined the impact of the Scotland Act (1998) and Human Rights Act (1998) in relation to arguments put forward in the supreme and sheriff courts based on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

4 November: Patricia Ferguson, Minister for Culture, welcomed the interim report of the Cultural Commission presented to her (available to download at www.culturalcommission.org.uk/). The Cultural Commission was given the task of making recommendations on the development of arts and culture, with the aim of promoting much wider access and excellence.

5 November: new measures from the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act came into force, meaning that retailers who sell spray paint to children under the age of 16 face fines of up to £1,000.

8 November: Nicol Stephen, Minister for Transport, announced proposals for a new rail link connecting Edinburgh airport to the rest of the Scottish network. The proposals envisage a tunnel under the runway offering direct travel from the airport to Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Stirling and Newcastle. It is estimated the new airport station will be completed by the end of 2010 and will cost £500 million.

9 November: the Kerr Group, an independent expert group looking at the future of NHS Scotland, is holding a series of regional meeting with patients and medical professions around the country in December. The group, chaired by cancer specialist Professor David Kerr, will be taking views to help them draw up a national framework to guide future decisions on how the NHS is run.

9 November: the Executive pledged to provide £764,000 through the Retail Innovation Fund as an incentive for retailers to lead by example and reduce packaging waste. The move is part of an £8 million UK initiative to be managed by WRAP - Waste and Resources Action Programme.

9 November: speaking at a seminar in Brussels Jack McConnell, First Minister, challenged the European Commission to be less bureaucratic and more responsive to what people want and suggested several reforms to bring Europe closer to people, including a limit on the number of proposals the Commission could make each year and a new system of evaluating European laws.

11 November: visitor figures to the new Parliament building at Holyrood reached 100,000.

12 November: publication of the Scottish Economic Report giving a review of recent trends in the Scottish, UK and global economies.

15 November: Peter Peacock, Minister for Education, met his counterparts from Finland and Germany at the EU Council of Education in Brussels to discuss plans to strengthen comparisons between Scotland's education performance and that of other countries.

16 November: Jim Wallace, Minister for Enterprise, announced additional funding of £44 million for the Executive's Determined to Succeed (DtS) strategy for enterprise in education.

17 November: launch of the J8 Global Citizen Programme education pack for Scottish secondary schools. The education pack allows Scotland's young people to develop their understanding about global issues such as health and poverty, trade, the environment and the economy. The UK will hold the presidency of the G8 in 2005 and the main event is the Summit that will take place in Gleneagles in July.

23 November: the UK government's legislative programme announced in the Queen's Speech at Westminster included several Bills containing measures that Scottish Ministers will invite the Scottish Parliament to agree should be enacted at Westminster for the benefit of Scotland.

24 November: publication of a survey funded by the Executive and Future Skills Scotland giving a breakdown of levels of employment, economic inactivity, skills and qualification in almost all local authority areas. Jim Wallace, Minister for Enterprise, said they funded the survey in order to better tackle economic inactivity and to close the opportunity gap.

24 November: a new joint code of practice for the Scottish prosecution service and police to help them tackle domestic abuse and protect victims across Scotland was signed by Solicitor General, Elish Angiolini QC and Mr David Strang, Chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and Chief Constable for Dumfries & Galloway. Elish Angiolini said the Domestic Abuse Protocol will help ensure that victims of domestic abuse are given as much protection as the law is capable of providing.

24 November: plans were announced for a comprehensive analysis of Scotland's entire coastline to help make the country a world leader in marine energy. More than 6,000 miles of coastline will be evaluated for the first time under the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to help investors identify potential offshore sites for wave and tidal power developments.

25 November: John Elvidge, Executive Permanent Secretary, announced that there is to be no disciplinary action against civil servants involved in the Holyrood project. Mr Elvidge announced his decision after considering the report by an independent Civil Service Commissioner, Mr Alistair Macdonald, into issues arising from Lord Fraser's Holyrood Inquiry.

26 November: Ross Finnie, Minister for Finance, announced that a new agreement on fish stocks was agreed between the European Union and Norway. The Scottish fleet is to receive its full share of the mackerel fishery in the Norway zone, and also have additional fishing opportunities in both the whiting and herring fisheries.

29 November: Jim Wallace, Deputy First Minister and Minister for Lifelong Learning, announced investment of £37 million to help Scottish universities maintain their place as world leaders in research. The money will be distributed over four years and will help top scientists work together on cutting edge projects as part of Research Pooling Initiatives.

30 November: the fifth annual conference of the Presidents of Regions with Legislative Power (RegLeg) was held in Edinburgh. Jack McConnell, First Minister, held discussions with Commission Vice President Margo Wallstrom to develop a project that will improve the way the EU Commission works with devolved governments and regions across Europe. On the eve of the conference Mr McConnell handed over the presidency of RegLeg to Mr Eberhard Sinner, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bavaria.

30 November: Jim Wallace, Deputy First Minister, launched Scotland Cultural Profile, the country's first on-line cultural directory (www.culturalprofiles.org.uk/scotland/Directories/
Scotland_Cultural_Profile/) to mark the end of Scotland's Entente Cordiale celebrations. Mr Wallace also signed a cooperation agreement on education with Francois Fillion, the Education Minister of France.

30 November: Hugh Henry, Deputy Minister for Justice, announced a new Debt Arrangement Scheme which will provide free advice to people who have multiple debts. The scheme will prove an alternative to trust deeds or personal bankruptcy.

Appointments

3 November: two new Commissioners were appointed to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland: Prof John Hunter and Ms Kate Byrne.

8 November: Lyndy Roberts was appointed to the Scottish Committee of the Council on Tribunals.

9 November: Richard Wakeford was appointed Head of the Executive's Environment & Rural Affairs Department (ERAD) following an open competition and an appointment board chaired by the First Civil Service Commissioner.

9 November: David Mackay, former Group Chief Executive of John Menzies, was appointed as the independent chair of the group that will assess the feasibility of the Scottish bid for the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

10 November: the Executive announced changes to its senior staff team dealing with justice issues:

Jim Gallagher, current Head of Justice, has been appointed as visiting Professor of Government in the Law School at Glasgow University as well as visiting Professor at the new Centre for Applied Ethics at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Robert Gordon, currently Chief Executive of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Head of Legal and Parliamentary Services in the Executive, will take over as Head of the Justice Department and will retain responsibility for Legal and Parliamentary Services.
Norman McFadyen, currently Crown Agent, will take on the combined role of Crown Agent and Chief Executive of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Bills

17 November: the general principles of the Water Services etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1 were agreed by Parliament. The objective of the Bill is to strengthen the regulatory framework for the water industry and includes measures to improve the accountability and transparency of the regulator, including replacing the current individual Water Industry Commissioner with a body corporate, the Water Industry Commission for Scotland. The Bill gives the Water Industry Commission powers of determination over Scottish Water's charges, and powers to establish a licensing regime to regulate retail competition for non-household customers.

18 November: the Breastfeeding etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 was passed by Parliament. The aim of the Bill is to make it an offence to prevent or stop a child who is permitted to be in a public place or licensed premises from being fed milk in that place or on those premises; to make provision in relation to the promotion of breastfeeding; and for connected purposes.

18 November: the general principles of the Fire (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1 were agreed by Parliament. The main purpose of this Bill is to deliver modernised fire and rescue services that respond to the particular demands of the 21st Century and contributes to building a safer Scotland.

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

2 November: the Procedures Committee set out a package of proposed changes to the Parliament's Standing Orders aimed at providing more time for scrutiny throughout the three-stage process for considering Bills.

9 November: the Environment and Rural Development Committee endorsed the general principles of the Water Services etc (Scotland) Bill.

29 November: the Public Petitions Committee held a participation event in Inverness to promote awareness of how easy it is to get your voice heard in the Scottish Parliament.

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:

Strategic Review on the Delivery of Legal Aid, Advice and Information Report to Ministers and the Scottish Legal Aid Board: main report. 1.11.04

Ambitious, Excellent Schools - Our Agenda for Action: the Executive's agenda for the modernisation programme in Scottish schools. 1.11.04

Consultation Paper on the Landfill Allowance Scheme Regulations: consultation paper seeking views on draft Regulations that will provide for a landfill allowance scheme in Scotland. 2.11.04

The Use of Human Rights Legislation in the Scottish Courts - Research Findings: research findings summarising the outcomes of a project that examined the ways in which human rights point had been made in Scottish court cases since devolution. 4.11.04

Smoking in Public - Consultation Responses: consultation responses from organisations. 4.11.04

Further Measures to Improve the Provision of Primary Care Services - Analysis of Consultation Responses: report on the analysis of the consultation responses for the 'Further Measures to Improve the Provision of Primary Care Services' consultation. 4.11.04

The Licensing (Scotland) Bill: An Analysis of Consultation Responses: report representing analysis of 123 responses to a written consultation on proposals for reform of liquor licensing in Scotland. 5.11.04

Planning for Housing in Bavaria and Scotland: document looking at the Scottish and Bavarian planning systems and focusing on how the processes differ to create quality design. 5.11.04

Scotland's Budget Documents: The 2004-05 Autumn Budget Revision to the Budget (Scotland) (No 5) Act for the year ending 31 March 2005. 8.11.04

Assessment, Testing and Reporting 3-14 - Consultation on Partnership Commitments: final report by Dr Effie Maclellan, The Quality in Education Centre, University of Strathclyde. 10.11.04

The Scottish Economic Report November 2004. 12.11.04.

A Smart, Successful Scotland: Strategic direction to the Enterprise Networks and an enterprise strategy for Scotland. 16.11.04

Holyrood Project: Follow up to Fraser Report from the Civil Service Commissioner: Civil Service Commissioner's advice to the Permanent Secretary on the Holyrood Inquiry Report. 25.11.04

Building a Better Scotland: efficient government plan. 29.11.04

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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