IOG: Parliament News, issue 48/july-august 2005

Scottish Affairs web site

Events

1 July: Jack McConnell, First Minister, stated that the recent 'No' votes in France and the Netherlands could signal the beginning of a real rift between the EU and its citizens. Mr McConnell was speaking in London where he was taking part in a series of meetings with European Commissioners at the start of the UK's six-month Presidency of the European Union. Mr McConnell said that the UK Presidency offered a great opportunity for Scotland to promote itself to its European neighbours and Scotland will be hosting more than 30 Presidency-related events, bringing around 4,000 visitors to Scotland.

3 July: Jack McConnell, First Minister said that Scotland is ready for the G8 summit and expressed his hope that the world leaders would listen to the people of Scotland following yesterday's Make Poverty History march and demonstration in Edinburgh.

4 July: 400 delegates took part in the European Social Services Conference in Edinburgh, the first event held in Scotland during the UK Presidency of the European Union. Lewis Macdonald, Deputy Minister for Health, said the conference brings together people to look at how public services in Europe should respond to growing care and health needs.

4 July: The independent Local Government Finance Review Committee published a report summarising the results of its recent public consultation. The Committee, chaired by Sir Peter Burt, was set up by the Executive to review different forms of local taxation, including reform of the council tax. The Committee expects to report to Minister in the summer of 2006.

5 July: School pupils from across the G8 countries gathered at the Scottish Parliament to tell the world leaders what action they want to see taken at the G8 summit at Gleneagles. Their announcement included calls for increased funding for Millennium Development Goals, improved access for education for African children and strengthened relations between G8 and African countries.

6 July: announcement that London has won the competition to host the 2012 Olympic games. Jack McConnell, First Minister, said that Scotland can capitalise on the opportunities the games will present.

6 July: Jack McConnell, First Minister, welcomed G8 leaders as they arrived in Scotland for the beginning of the G8 2005 summit in Gleneagles.

7 July: a series of terrorist attacks occurred in central London on the Underground and on a London bus. Prime Minister Tony Blair flew back to London from the G8 summit in Gleneagles before returning later in the day to continue talks with other world leaders.

8 July: The G8 Summit closed with agreement on increased aid for developing countries. UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said substantial progress had been achieved on the issues. Jack McConnell, First Minister, spoke of the benefits the G8 had brought to Scotland and the legacy of the decisions made at Gleneagles.

8 July: Jack McConnell, First Minister, sent a message of sympathy to the people of London following the fatal terrorist attacks in the centre of the city.

12 July: Deputy Minister for Enterprise, announced the approval of plans for Crystal Rig windfarm extension project which will supply green electricity to around 100,000 households every year.

20 July: Nicol Stephen, Minister for Lifelong Learning, set out specific Executive proposals to protect the interests of Scottish students in the light of variable fees in England. Following the passing of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Bill in April, which gave Ministers the power to raise fee levels with the approval of Parliament, and an Executive consultation on what those fees should be, the Executive intends to:

raise the general tuition fee level in Scotland from £1,200 to £1,700;
set a higher rate for medicine of £2,700, recognising the particular demand for places at Scottish medical schools and the acute difficulties of NHSScotland in retaining graduates in Scotland;
ensure that all self-funding students ordinarily resident in Scotland (ie those who do not have their fees paid for them by SAAS) will continue to pay fees at their current rates, rather than the increased levels; and
establish a means tested fee waiver scheme of up to £300 per student for UK and EU students not entitled to full or partial tuition fee support from SAAS.

29 July: Ross Finnie, Minister for Environment and Rural Development, welcomed 80 Chinese tourists, travel agents and media as part of the UK's first leisure tour from China.

29 July: Andy Kerr, Minister for Health, announced the creation of a new Health Department 'Delivery Group', bringing together and building into a single streamlined team the National Waiting Times Unit, the Centre for Change and Innovation, Performance Management Division and others. The Delivery Group will scrutinise health board's performance against new local delivery plans, and if necessary, intervene to ensure that targets are met.

1 August: Allan Wilson, Deputy Minister for Lifelong Learning, announced that the Executive's Individual Learning Account (ILA) scheme, which offers low income earners up to £200 a year to pay for courses to help them get back into work, has been extended to provide funding of up to £100 a year for basic skills Information and Communications Technology (ITC) training to everyone in Scotland over 18, regardless of income.

5 August: Malcolm Chisholm, Minister for Communities, announced the publication of a draft Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 21 Green Belts for consultation. The draft SSP sets out the key objective of green belt policy as:

directing planned growth to the most appropriate locations and support regeneration
protecting and enhancing the character, landscape setting and identity of town and cities
protecting and giving access to open space within and around towns and cities, as part of the wider structure of green space

6 August: Robin Cook, the former Cabinet Minister and MP for Livingston, died at the age of 59 after taking ill while walking in the Highlands.

9 August: Ross Finnie, Minister for the Environment, launched a consultation on the sustainable management of waste from business and public sector organisations. The consultation paper provides stakeholders with an opportunity to comment on the issues and to influence the direction of a Commercial and Industrial Waste Plan for Scotland.

16 August: the UK's first dedicated worker to support children who are witnesses in domestic abuse cases started work at Scotland's Domestic Abuse Court pilot in Glasgow. The Child and Young Person's Advocacy Worker, funded by the Executive, joins the team at the ASIST advocacy and support service.

16 August: Tavish Scott, Minister for Transport, announced that the Executive's Route Development Fund had helped secure a new air service between Edinburgh and Geneva to be run by Easyjet. It is the first year-round route between Scotland and Switzerland and will begin in December.

17 August: Johann Lamont, Deputy Minister for Communities, announced publication of the Executive's updated policy for integrating land use and transport planning. Ms Lamont set out the links involved in making sure people can get to developments by walking, cycling and public transport, as well as by car.

18 August: publication of a consultation on the content of a Statement by Scottish Minister to advise the Parliament on progress being made under homeless legislation. Passed in 2003, the Homelessness Etc (Scotland) Act requires a Ministerial Statement this year on the abolition of 'priority need' by 2012.

18 August: Malcolm Chisholm, Minister for Communities, announced the Executive's new policy on town centres, launched in draft for consultation, which states that town centres should be the most appropriate location for new retail and leisure developments. Out-of-centre developments should be considered only if all more central options have been assessed and are unsuitable.

22 August: Jack McConnell, First Minister, launched a new Scottish Screen Academy in Edinburgh. The new Academy, one of seven such projects, will train new filmmakers by establishing a Masters degree in advanced film practice. It will also support those already working in the industry through continuous professional development courses. The courses will be run by Napier University and Edinburgh College of Art.

23 August: Rhona Brankin, Deputy Minister for Environment, announced a further £1 million of Forestry Commission Scotland funds will be added to the £3.5 already allocated to the Woods in & Around Towns (WIAT) challenge fund. A new WIAT publication was also launched giving advice and information on how landowners, such as the City of Edinburgh Council, can help to green towns and cities.

31 August: the German Parliament launched an electronic petition system based on a version used by the Scottish Parliament's Public Petitions Committee. Since the e-petition system was launched in Scotland in February 2004, 50 e-petitions have been posted on the Parliament's website using the system.

Appointments

6 July: Julia Bracewell, OBE, was appointed Chair of sportscotland, the national sports agency.

18 August: announcement of the eight people who will make up the board of Scotland's Futures Forum, the Parliament's initiative to develop strategic thinking on the issues which will shape Scotland's future:

John Elvidge, Permanent Secretary, The Executive
Alex Neil MSP
Tim O'Shea, Principal, Edinburgh University
Susan Rice, Chief Executive, Lloyds TSB Scotland
Sarah Boyack MSP
Rt Hon George Reid MSP (Chair)
Margaret Ford, Chair, English Partnerships
Campbell Christie, former General Secretary, STUC

Bills

Parliament in summer recess.

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

1 July: the Environment and Rural Development committee issued a call for evidence seeking views from all interested parties on the general principles of Environmental Levy on Plastic Bags (Scotland) Bill. The Bill would require all retailers to charge customers 10p for every plastic bag they were supplied with.

4 July: the Finance Committee announced a call for evidence for its major cross-cutting inquiry into spending on deprived areas. The Committee will examine how far current funding arrangements maximise the difference made to those people living in deprived areas and will make recommendations, where appropriate, on improvements.

7 July: publication of a report by the Justice 1 Committee on the Family Law (Scotland) Bill requesting that the Executive provide more detail before the Bill progresses further. The Committee also voiced concern that the legislation had not been backed up by guidance to health boards and education authorities. 12 July: the Enterprise and Culture Committee called for evidence on the St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Bill. The Bill seeks to make St Andrew's Day (or an alternative day around 30 November) a Bank Holiday which would recognise St Andrew's Day as Scotland's national day and a celebration of Scotland's multi-cultural and multi-ethnic traditions.

22 July: the Parliamentary Committee responsible for scrutinising the Private Bill to re-establish the Waverley Railway published its Preliminary Stage report recommending to Parliament that it support the reintroduction of the Borders Rail-link to Galashiels and Tweedbank.

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
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/corporate/recruitment/extResearcher/index.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:

Rural Development Plan for Scotland (Amended February 2005). 01/07/2005

Consultation on Cross Border Student Flows: Higher Education Tuition Fee Levels - Responses to the Consultation. 5/07/2005

Strategy to Evaluate the Implementation and Impact of the Free Personal Care Policy: working paper outlining a strategy to evaluate the implementation and impact of the Free Personal Care policy. 3/07/2005

Consultation on proposals for transposition and implementation of Directive 2002/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 June 2002 relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise (The Environmental Noise Directive (END)). 18/07/2005

Minimum Standards for Open Space: the research establishes national minimum standards for open space and will inform the forthcoming review of National Planning Policy Guideline 11: Sport, Physical Recreation and Open Space. 19/07/2005

Concordat Between The Scottish Executive And The Department For Constitutional Affairs: the Concordat is intended to provide the framework to guide future working between the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, other DCA ministers and DCA officials and Scottish Ministers and their officials. 21/07/2005

Public Participation in Environmental Matters: A Consultation - Summary of Responses. 26/07/2005

Scottish Environment Protection Agency: Management Statement 2005: this document sets out the broad framework, with which SEPA will operate, in particular: the rules and guideline relevant to the exercise of SEPA's functions, duties and powers; the conditions under which any public funds are paid to SEPA; and how SEPA is to be held to account for its performance.

Civic Participation Activity in the Scottish Executive: a publication mapping participation activity undertaken by the Scottish Executive contributing to specific policy initiatives. 17/08/2005

Rural Affairs Research Programme 2005-2006. 22/08/2005

Additional Support for Learning Act: Code of Practice. 25/08/2005

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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