IOG: Parliament News, issue 57/may 2006

Scottish Affairs web site

Events

3 May: Tom McCabe, Minister for Public Service Reform, said that one year ahead of the next local government elections on May 3, 2007, the Executive has introduced a number of new initiatives through the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. These include:

fair and transparent remuneration for councillors;
the elections to be conducted under the Single Transferable Vote system;
a nationwide awareness campaign to ensure people understand the new voting system;
an e-counting system trialled for the local government and Holyrood elections;
measures contained in the Local Electoral Administration and Registration Services Bill to improve access to and participation at elections, enhance security and improve administrative effectiveness.

3 May: Richard Lochhead who was a regional MSP for North East Scotland was sworn in as a constituency member for Moray after winning the seat at the Moray by-election in April.

5 May: Ross Finnie, Minister for Environment, said that Scotland recycled or composted over six percentage points more, between October - December 2005, than in the same quarter in the previous year. Mr Finnie also said that in 2005 Scotland recycled/composted 22.8% of municipal public waste, which is close to meeting the target of recycling 25% of waste by 2006.

5 May: Patricia Ferguson, Minister for Culture, announced a public consultation on architecture to generate debate about how best to promote and encourage good design in all of Scotland's buildings.

16 May: Mrs Costelloe Baker, former Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman, published her Annual Report to Scottish Ministers. The Ombudsman looks into complaints about the way the Law Society of Scotland or The Faculty of Advocates has handled, or is handling, a complaint about a practitioner.

18 May: Peter Peacock, Minister for Education, announced that a group of twelve Scottish teachers will travel to Malawi next month as part of the national effort to support the country.

21 May: George Lyon, Deputy Minister for Finance, announced that a new Scottish Development International post, created on a pilot basis, is to be set up in Estonia to help Scottish firms tap into potential business opportunities.

23 May: Cathy Jamieson, Minister for Justice, launched Scotland's first national strategy for offender management to reduce re-offending and to create safer communities. Ms Jamieson said that the Management of Offenders Act is a key part of the reforms, providing the framework to end re-offending, to challenge offenders to return to a law-abiding lifestyle, and to create safer, stronger communities.

24 May: Patricia Ferguson, Minister with responsibility for International Development, announced that thirteen volunteers made up of Scottish doctors, nurses and midwives, have been awarded up to £5,000 to cover travel, accommodation and costs to deliver medical training and services in Malawi.

24 May: Nicol Stephen, Deputy First Minister, announced a £20 million investment is to be provided to back the Executive's Clean Energy Strategy which aims to make Scotland the renewable energy powerhouse of Europe.

26 May: Lewis Macdonald, Deputy Minister for Health, stated that a letter was issued to local authorities setting out general principles for local authorities in deciding what services they should provide free of charge. Local authorities are expected to provide services based on the assessed needs of individuals and could include assistance with simple tasks such as cutting up food, or heating a prepared meal.

28 May: George Reid, Presiding Officer, officially opened the International Press Institute (IPI) World Congress at Holyrood. The future of public service broadcasting, reporting on terrorism and the rise of internet journalism were the subjects debated.

Appointments

25 May: Professor Anne Glover of Aberdeen University was appointed to the new post of Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland. Prof Glover will be seconded to the Executive to provide independent advice to Ministers, take the lead on co-ordinating science policy across the Executive and work closely with the science community.

Bills

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/business/bills/billsPassed/billsum-s1.htm

10 May: the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement): Stage 3 Bill was passed by Parliament. The Bill places a duty on Scottish Ministers to promote parents' involvement in their child's school education and builds on and strengthens the existing duties placed on education authorities.

25 May: the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 was passed by Parliament. The Bill provides for a range of measures to improve police effectiveness, strengthen their hand in the fight against crime, including serious organised crime and enhance the safety of communities right across Scotland. The Bill will give police the powers to tackle knife crime, football violence and drug-related crime, prevent the anti-social use of fireworks and identify suspects more effectively.

31 May: the Animal Health & Welfare (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 was passed by Parliament. The Bill has two main objectives: the first is to enhance the ability of the Scottish Ministers to respond to an animal disease outbreak and to minimise the risk of disease spreading: the second is to modernise, strengthen and consolidate Scottish animal welfare legislation for domestic and captive animals.

Committees

9 May: the Parliament Committee published a report on the findings of the Private Bill to re-establish the Borders railway route. The report states that the Bill should be amended so that a station must be built at Stow and that the railway must proceed all the way to Tweedbank and should not terminate at Gorebridge.

10 May: the Communities Committee published a report endorsing the Planning etc (Scotland) Bill. The report concludes that a proposed package of measures in the Bill should deliver early and effective public engagement. It calls on the Executive and planning authorities to work proactively to ensure public participation in the planning process.

11 May: the Health Committee published research findings on the implementation of direct payment schemes designed to empower disabled people. The report states that those using the service believe both the level of funding and the support offered is inadequate.

12 May: the Health Committee launched a call for evidence on the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Bill. The Bill aims to offer greater protection to adults at risk of abuse and proposes setting up new multi-agency Adult Protection Committees to oversee policies.

15 May: the Health Committee launched a call for evidence on the Health Board Elections (Scotland) Bill. The Bill proposes the establishment of elections to each of the 14 area health boards in Scotland every four years. Electoral constituencies would reflect the current Board boundaries and elected members would form a majority on each Board.

17 May: the Enterprise and Culture Committee published a report on the Executive's Bankruptcy and Diligence etc. (Scotland) Bill stating that a debtor's home should not be sold to settle unsecured debts.

18 May: the Environment and Rural Development Committee called for further evidence from individual crofters and interested organisations on the Crofting Reform etc Bill.

19 May: the Audit Committee published a report stating that there are good examples of leadership practice and development within the public sector in Scotland but found more must be done to exchange skills and knowledge between public services such as health, education and social work.

19 May: in response to the European Commission's consultation Green paper A European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy the European and External Relations Committee launched an inquiry on good practice in energy efficiency.

23 May: the Subordinate Legislation Committee published a draft report stating that a new streamlined system to improve scrutiny and be fit for purpose should replace the traditional means by which the Parliament scrutinises the rules and regulations that implement legislation. The Committee also continues to call for the use of plain English where possible to make regulations etc easy to understand.

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 May 2006 include:

2 May: Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Act: Part 7 - Antisocial Behaviour Notices: Guidance for Local Authorities.

3 May: Range and Capacity Review Group: Second Report: The Future Care of Older People in Scotland.

5 May: A Policy on Architecture for Scotland: Public Consultation: Review of Policy.

11 May: A Shared Approach to Building a Better Scotland: A Consultation Paper on a National Strategy for Shared Services.

24 May: Sustainable Development: A Review of International Literature: a review of literature and policy on a range of sustainable development issues.

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.

Institute of Governance > Parliament News, issue 57 / may 2006	Enter keyword(s) to search the site