IOG: Parliament News, issue 65/march 2007

Scottish Affairs web site

Events

1 March: a cross-party delegation of Flemish politicians visited Holyrood to learn more about how the Scottish Parliamentary system works and to discuss the initiatives taken by the Parliament to encourage public engagement.

8 March: publication of the first annual report on Scotland's Climate Change Programme. Ross Finnie, Minister for Environment, stated that the report shows significant progress with increased investment in renewable technology and the renewable energy target for 2010 met ahead of schedule.

9 March: publication of the long-term strategy All Our Futures: Planning for a Scotland with an Ageing Population outlining the opportunities and choice available to people as they get older. The consultation identified six priority areas for action:

improving opportunities and removing barriers;
forging better links between the generations;
improving and maintaining health and well being;
improving care, support and protection for older people;
developing housing, transport and planning services;
offering learning opportunities throughout life.

9 March: Scotland's Futures Forum has gone online with a dedicated website facility for its 'Fresh Perspectives on Alcohol and Drugs' that will allow the 250 leading experts already involved in the project to shape the debate as the Forum's year-long inquiry develops,

12 March: publication of An Energy Efficiency and Microgeneration (EEM) Strategy for Scotland. The draft EEM strategy outlines a range of measures proposed for individuals, businesses and the public sector which include:

a further £2 million in loans for Small and Medium-sized business to invest in energy efficiency;
continuing advice and support for householders and businesses;
introduction of new building regulations and the requirement of energy performance certificates for buildings.

13 March: Robert Brown, Deputy Minister for Education, unveiled the Executive's plan to get more young people more involved - Moving Forward, a strategy for improving young people's chances through youth work.
This year the Executive will:

provide £500,000 to help building the capacity of youth organisation and improve training for volunteer youth workers;
set up a Youth Opportunities Fund of £2.5 million so that young people can run local events, projects and volunteer campaigns;
give £5 million funding to improve facilities for young people.

14 March: Ross Finnie, Minister for Environment, announced provisional funding to double Scotland's current recycling rate and reduce reliance on landfill. The money will allow treatment of just over one million tonnes of residual waste by 2020 and will cost the Executive £48 million per year at current prices. Residual waste is the fraction of waste left once all efforts have been taken to reduce, recycle or compost.

16 March: the VoteScotland campaign is using footballers and pop stars by means of website interactive digital games to explain the voting systems to young people before the May 3 Scottish Parliament and local council elections.

20 March: Jack McConnell, First Minister, and Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission, met in Brussels to launch a report on citizen engagement which draws on the Scottish system since devolution.

22 March: publication of new planning guidance for renewable energy developments puts a requirement on all new developments to reduce carbon emissions by at least 15%. Jack McConnell, First Minister, said that no other country in the UK has gone this far and will look to increasing this condition in the future.

27 March: Ross Finnie, Minister for Fisheries, said that Scotland's approach to fisheries management is leading the way in Europe. The Sea Fisheries Advisory and Reference Group (Seafar) is overseeing an action plan published in September 2006. Mr Finnie said that the Seafar process has been valuable in bringing together a range of groups to help build a sustainable, well managed and profitable fishing industry. Mr Finnie added that he was delighted with the clear message from Brussels earlier the month that Scotland is leading the way.

28 March: Tom McCable, Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform, launched the Germany strategy to strengthen the political, cultural and economic links between Scotland and Germany. The strategy document has eight clear objectives, each underpinned by a specific target or indicator that will allow progress to be measured by 2010.

30 March: the second session of the Scottish Parliament closed with a motion of thanks to the outgoing Presiding Officer George Reid.

Appointments

23 March: Jim Martin, appointed Scotland's first Police Complaints Commissioner, will begin work from April 1. The new independent police complaints body will be located in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire.

Bills

1 March: the Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 was passed by Parliament. The Bill has three main purposes: to provide a statutory basis for regulating previously unregulated practices in aquaculture; to enhance emergency powers for controlling Gyrodactylus salaris, a parasite of salmon; and to make a number of miscellaneous amendments to salmon, freshwater and sea fisheries legislation.

7 March: the Christmas Day and New Year's Day Trading (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 was passed by Parliament. The purpose of the Bill is to prohibit large retail shops from opening in order to engage in retail trading on Christmas Day and New Year's day.

8 March: the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 was passed by Parliament. The Bill makes provision for the creation of two lists - a Children's List and a new Adults' List. If an individual is on a list then he or she will be barred from working in the workforce to which the list in question pertains. The Bill also introduces a new system for vetting and disclosure of individuals who work, or wish to work, with vulnerable groups (ie children under the age of 18 and 'protected adults').

14 March: the Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 was passed by Parliament. The purpose of the Bill is to improve the health of children by ensuring that food and drink supplied in local authority schools is nutritionally balanced, and more generally, it seeks to make all schools 'health promoting'.

15 March: the Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 was passed by Parliament. Parts 1 and 2 of the Bill contain provisions relating to custodial sentences. These provisions bring to an end automatic and unconditional early release of offenders. Part 3 of the Bill provides for the introduction of new restrictions on the sale of non-domestic knives and swords.

21 March: the Rights of Relatives to Damages (Mesothelioma) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 was passed by Parliament. The Bill will allow defined relatives of the deceased to claim non-financial damages even if the deceased made a successful claim during his or her lifetime.

28 March: the Airdrie-Bathgate Railway and Linked Improvements Bill: Final Stage was passed by Parliament. The Bill will allow Network Rail to construct an electrified double track railway between Airdrie and Bathgate, following the route of a previous railway line. Network Rail will also double track and, where necessary electrify, the existing Airdrie-Drumgelloch and Edinburgh-Bathgate railway lines using their existing statutory powers.

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

Committees

2 March: publication of a report by the Parliament's Audit Committee highlighting a number of weaknesses in the Executive's decision-making processes and emphasising that the policy is not delivering a true dispersal of jobs throughout Scotland as originally envisaged.

5 March: publication of a report by the Parliament's Airdrie-Bathgate Railway and Linked Improvements Bill Committee recommending improvements to the bill which will provide people living along the railway corridor with safeguards from the impact of both the construction and the operation of the railway route.

9 March: the Parliament's Audit Committee published a report stating that the Executive must fundamentally change its way of working if community planning partnerships are to become significantly more effective.

12 March: the Environment and Rural Development Committee published a report calling for the introduction of a single, integrated, regulatory system to co-ordinate competing activities in the marine environment. The report states that Scottish legislation on Marine Law must be reviewed alongside reforms being planned by the UK Government.

20 March: publication of a report by the European and External Relations Committee stating that the Executive should play a stronger role in the development of European legislation. The report recommends:

that the Scottish Parliament strengthens its role in influencing the development of European legislation in Brussels;
greater scrutiny of the Executive's role in ensuring that Scottish interests are accounted for in the UK Government's negotiating position on EU legislation as it relates to devolved matters;
greater transparency of the transposition process and welcomes the commitment of the executive to provide transposition notes.

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

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 65 / march 2007	Enter keyword(s) to search the site