Committee News

Issue 10, 24^th October 2000

Standards

The Committee will this week look at an issues paper on the Members Interests Order. The Order agreed in May 1999 was transitional, and the issues paper raises a number of possibilities for items that may be added to or removed from those requiring to be declared. The purpose is mainly to tidy up anomalies.

Health & Community Care

This week sees a heavy agenda with many important topics. Firstly, the committee will take evidence from Health Minister Susan Deacon. This will cover a number of key areas: the Arbuthnott Report, winter bed planning, Hepatitis C in blood products, and the budget.

There will also be a response from the Food Standards Agency regarding the Food Irradiation Regulations; conclusions and recommendations from the long-running inquiry into community care; and consideration of an adviser for forthcoming legislation.

Justice & Home Affairs

This week’s meeting has been cancelled.

At the meeting before the recess it was agreed to consider a report in private on the relevant provisions of the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Bill.

It was also agreed to take evidence on the Executive white paper on family law.

Evidence was taken on the Leasehold Casualties Bill, which seeks to abolish the payment of occasional sums on leases. Such payments are often due under obligations dating back many years.

There was a discussion with the Keepers of the Records of Scotland regarding the argument from a company which enforces leasehold casualties that the fault was not the existence of casualties, but poor legal advice which failed to tell people of the casualty’s existence at the time of purchase of land or property. The Keepers responded that until several such companies began their activities, no-one had enforced casualties for over ninety years. Now that they were being enforced, they should be formally abolished.

The Scottish Law Commission, which had recommended that no compensation be paid, now accepts that in the light of the ECHR it is sensible to include a compensation provision.

Procedures

The Committee will take evidence this week from expert witnesses and interested parties on the issue of Private Legislation.

These are bills proposed by an external party in excess of the general law – recent examples include the Church of Scotland varying its trust provisions and Lerwick Harbour Trust extending the harbour boundaries.

There will also be discussion of the implementation of the principles of the Consultative Steering Group.

European

At its meeting before the recess, the committee agreed the following:

• European transfer fees and the proposals of the European Commission: the Committee discussed its draft final report with a view to having it published in time for submission to the European Commission by the end of October.
• Scottish aquaculture industry: the Committee discussed progress with regard to the report into Infectious Salmon Anaemia and Viral Haemorrhagic Septicaemia on the Scottish Aquaculture Industry. Subject to some further input, the Committee agreed to publish its report in the near future.

The Committee has also asked for views on the implementation of Structural Funds: the call for views can be read by clicking here.

Education, Culture & Sport

The committee is continuing to take oral evidence for their SQA inquiry, having met with COSHEP, UCAS and the Higher Still Development Unit yesterday afternoon and meeting with COSLA on Wednesday.

At their meeting during the recess, the committee voted to accept proposals on the disclosure of civil servant advice to ministers. This will allow Mary Mulligan (Convenor of Education Committee - LAB) and Alex Neil (Convenor of the other committee conducting an inquiry into the SQA, Enterprise and Lifelong learning - SNP) to consider a list of items of written advice from civil servants and have access to the advice if relevant questions arise. Jamie Stone (LIB DEM) and Mike Russell, the only SNP member present, voted against this recommendation, and the outcome is still dependent on support for these proposals from the Enterprise Committee.

Next week, the committee will take evidence from Sam Galbraith.

Social Inclusion

At their last meeting the committee took evidence from Frank McAveety and Jackie Baillie on the two member’s bills from Cathy Craigie (LAB) and Robert Brown (LIB DEM) regarding mortgage rights. For more information on the two bills, click here. The Executive is supporting Cathy’s Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Bill and in explanation, Frank identified three key issues:

• Robert Brown’s bill is not clear as to when a debtor can apply to the courts while Cathy’s bill allows the debtor to apply at any stage of the process.Cathy’s bill gives the courts flexibility to ensure that they are not prohibited from taking into account any circumstances which have not been preconsidered in the bill. The Executive hopes to complement this with court guidance to advise sheriffs on the sorts of issues that they might wish to consider.
• There is some overlap with the Executive’s business and both bills will influence the wider homelessness legislation, being developed through the homelessness task force, and the forthcoming housing bill.

For the committee report click here.

Local Government

At their last meeting the committee took evidence from Alastair MacNish, chair of the Leadership Advisory Panel which is advising councils on the review of their decision making and policy development processes and the working practices which support those processes. In addition, the Panel will provide advice to Ministers on the outcome of the reviews councils undertake, and is now expected to complete its work in March.

The committee also agreed the amendment to issue council tax bills in March rather than April, helping local authorities to improve their collection rates by starting recovery procedures sooner, while also working to ensure that those in genuine hardship are offered advice and alternative payment methods.

Equal Opportunities

Equal Opportunities meets tomorrow to be updated on its inquiry into Travelling People and public sector policies and to consider the Executive’s recent consultation ‘Sex Education in Scotland’s Schools’.

The committee will also consider papers on equality proofing and mainstreaming, and equality training within the Parliament.

Enterprise & Lifelong Learning

Alex Neil (SNP) is now at the helm of the Committee, which has agreed that there should be liaison with the Education, Culture and Sport committee over the publication of the two committees' reports into SQA.

Tomorrow at 10.30am the Committee will consider the relevance of the confidential advice given to ministers by civil servants about the SQA. Alex Neil will report back to the committee from the meeting between himself, the Convenor of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee (Mary Mulligan) and Sam Galbraith.

The committee will also consider whom it will call as witnesses at Stage 1 of the Education (Graduate Endowment and Student Support) (Scotland) Bill.

Transport & environment

The Committee will meet on Wednesday at 9.30 and will continue to debate amendments to the Transport Bill. At the last meeting the committee did not get through as many amendments as expected, and so this week the key issue remains the ability of the Bill to enable local authorities to set maximum ticket prices and minimum frequencies of service.

Rural affairs

Before Recess, the committee met to discuss the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Bill and to agree from which organisations it will hear Stage 1 oral evidence. The Committee next meets on 31 October.

Audit

Meeting on today at 2.15pm, the Audit Committee continue to look at the auditor general’s report on the Holyrood Building project. This week, evidence will be heard from the head of Scotland’s civil service, Muir Russell, as well as the Executive’s chief architect and the head of the Executive Secretariat.

Finance

Before Recess, the Committee met to agree a remit for its Inquiry into Resource Accounting and Budgeting and to agree to appoint an adviser for the inquiry. The Committee next meets on 31 October.

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