Committee News
Issue 100, 18th March 2003
With the Committees coming to the end of their work programmes for the current session, these briefings will become progressively shorter from now until dissolution.
Audit Committee
The Committee will receive a briefing from the Auditor
General for Scotland on the report "Individual Learning
Accounts in Scotland" and consider its approach to the
report. The report reviews possible cases of irregular claims
under the last scheme and says the Executive should consider how
to safeguard the intended new scheme from fraud and improper
activity.
It will then consider further responses from the Scottish Executive on "Overview of the 2001/02 Water Authority Audits"; the "Measuring Up" follow up report on SEPA; and "How Government Works in Scotland". On water authority audits, the Executive says Scottish water intends to improve collection rates through Service Level Agreements with local authorities. On SEPA, the Executive agrees with the Committee that methods of verification on performance results must be improved.
Finally, the Committee will consider a revised draft legacy paper and a draft report on its Inquiry into Dealing with Offending by Young People.
Education, Culture & Sport Committee
The Committee last week considered subordinate legislation on the
Schools Code with reference to pre-school education, which
will now be inspected, and the promoted post structure in
secondary schools.
The Committee then discussed how it would proceed with the Gaelic Language Bill. The ultimate decisions as to timetabling rest with the Parliamentary Bureau, but the Committee decided to take evidence on the Bill at its session this week. Witnesses will include Bord Gaidhlig na h-Alba, the City of Edinburgh and Dumfries and Galloway Councils, Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish NHS Confederation and the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
The Committee also published last week its report on the Purposes of Scottish Education.
Enterprise & Lifelong Learning
Committee
This week, the Committee will receive a briefing on Entrepreneurship
for young people from pupils from Cumbernauld as well as
from Schools Enterprise.
The Committee will the hear from entrepreneurs, including Tom Hunter, on improving entrepreneurial opportunities. In a submission, he urges MSPs to back the Executive’s "Determined to Success" review of enterprise in education.
The Committee will also take evidence from Future Skills Scotland. Finally, it will hear from the Institute of System Level Integration on the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology Report - "Chips for Everything". They want to see the achievements of their Alba Centre in Livingston highlighted in the government’s response to the report and advocate that the centre should take a leading role in taking forward the report’s recommendations in developing UK wide initiatives in the computing / electronics industry.
Health & Community Care Committee
Last week, the Committee considered subordinate
legislation, and took evidence from the OFT on its Report
on Retail Pharmacies. The OFT representatives
acknowledged there was "fear and uncertainty about removal
of the control of entry regulations" but defended their
regulations as being better for consumers – they estimate
approximately £3 million of savings for Scottish customers - and
said it will "help with health outcomes" because they
"envisage that more innovation will be developed in a more
liberalised….set-up". Concern was also expressed about
the impact of implementing the report on rural areas. The
Committee was clearly not persuaded by the evidence.
The Committee also considered, in private, an annual report and a legacy paper.
This week, the Committee will consider items of subordinate legislation; Executive responses to petitions on the Fife and Glasgow Acute Services Reviews; and possible future action on Hepatitis C. It will also consider a draft response to the current consultation on the OFT report on retail pharmacies.
Justice 1 Committee
This week, the Committee will consider proposals for the reform
of civil legal aid; and, in private, its report into alternatives
to custody.
Justice 2 Committee
This week the Committee will take evidence from Deputy
Justice Minister, Hugh Henry, on the UK Sexual
Offences Bill, which will be the subject of a Sewel
motion on Thursday. The provisions relevant to Scotland concern
the re-enactment and extension of registration, notification, and
restriction requirements on sex offenders.
Local Government Committee
The Committee met in private last week to agree its legacy
paper.
Procedures Committee
This week the Committee will consider a
legacy paper on Time in the Chamber.
Proposals included more time for FMQs, more use of Monday
afternoon/ Friday morning slots for plenary business, 2 question
time sessions, and earlier deadlines for motions for debates.
The Committee will consider a paper from Donald Gorrie (LIB DEM) on Standing Order proposals, including proposals to ban introducing new issues at Stage 3 and allowing the Presiding Officer to cut off questions or answers which are too long.
The Committee will consider a paper on Parliamentary Questions with regard to transparency in the process for putting questions to non-departmental public bodies.
Finally, the Committee will consider a draft annual report.
Public Petitions Committee
New petitions last week included those on the complaints
procedures in care homes and of the law society of Scotland; the
regulation of greyhound racing; and on making the 25th of January
a national holiday in recognition of Robert Burns. The Committee
agreed to write to the Executive and relevant bodies in each
case.
The Committee then considered a draft report on sewage sludge spreading before reviewing progress on current petitions including those on support for those suffering from substance abuse and on further education in West Lothian (on which it was agreed to refer the Executive’s response to the petitioners); on an Elgin Bypass; on renewable energy; on GPs' role in assessment procedures for adults with incapacity; on rail links with the borders; on complementary medicine in the NHS; and on regulation of the bus service (on which it was agreed to defer the issues for consideration to the next Parliament).
Robin Rigg Offshore Wind Farm Committee
At last week’s
meeting, the Committee took evidence from a range of
companies involved with renewable energy, the Maritime Coastguard
Agency and the Royal Yachting Association. The Committee has now
published a report on the objections raised to the Bill by the
Royal Yachting and Solway Yacht associations. It has rejected the
majority of the objections which concern an exclusion zone for
the wind farm, but has agreed that a third party bond should be
in place to cover the arrangements for decommissioning of the
zone, and that the proposals for decommissioning should be put on
the face of the Bill.
Rural Development Committee
The Committee considers subordinate legislation this
week on Less Favoured Areas, the Rural Stewardship Scheme,
Pesticides, and Fishing – this time in the Firth of Clyde.
It will then consider correspondence from Deputy Rural
Development Minister, Allan Wilson, on a petition regarding the
effect of predatory birds – the Minister assures the
Committee that research on this will be undertaken by the
Moorland Forum.
Standards Committee
At its last meeting before
dissolution, the Committee considered a draft annual report.
There were few changes made to the report, but Susan Deacon (LAB)
stressed that more work needed to be done on reviewing the
cross-party group system.
Transport & the Environment
Committee
This week begins with a group of petitions challenging Scottish
Natural Heritage’s procedures for designating sites.
Essentially these are complaints from island communities that
socio-economic factors are being overridden by concern for rare
birds (specifically hen harriers and raingeese). However, the
Executive has pointed out to the Public Petitions Committee that
European law requires that only ecological factors be taken into
account.
A petition complaining about the proposed water treatment works near Milngavie is likely to be set aside.
Deputy Transport Minister, Lewis Macdonald, will speak to the UK Railways & Transport Safety Bill, subject of a Sewel motion on Thursday. The devolved matters are drug and alcohol testing of mariners.
Other Committee Homepages:
Commissioner for Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill Committee
Equal Opportunities Committee
European Committee
Finance Committee
National Galleries of Scotland Bill Committee
Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) Bill Committee
Social Justice Committee
Subordinate Legislation Committee
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