Committee News
Issue 102,
As this is the first week of Committee
business proper, there is not a great deal of substance to report. Items of
note, however, are:
Audit Committee
This week’s meeting focuses on two issues, in both
cases hearing from the Auditor General before considering the way ahead.
The
first is Individual Learning Accounts,
where the Auditor General concludes that a number of measures could have been
taken by public bodies to reduce the risk of fraud. Most of the claims which may be irregular
relate to Scottish Enterprise. An improved form of ILAs are set
to be reintroduced within the next couple of years.
The
second report, on mainstreaming of
Special Needs Education, suggests that preparations are patchy across the
country and that Scottish Parliament Committees may not have robust financial
information on amendments to bills.
Finance Committee
This week, the Committee hears from key players in the Holyrood Project: Parliament Chief
Executive, Paul Grice; Project Director, Sarah Davidson; Robert Brown (LIB DEM)
for the SPCB; and John Home Robertson (LAB) for the
Progress Group.
Health Committee
There is further subordinate legislation on Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning this week.
The rest of the meeting will involve preparation for three items:
·
The Primary Medical
Services Bill (which will implement the new GP contract);
·
The NHS
Reform Bill; and
·
The Food
Supplements Regulations. Although it
is the law that the relevant directive must be implemented, the SNP will move
against the proposed Statutory Instrument which would give effect to the new
rules.
Standards
Committee
As was reported in last week’s
media, the Committee has got off to a controversial start. When the Committees were established for this
second session, it was agreed that the SNP would hold the Convenership of the Committee. The SNP duly nominated Tricia
Marwick (SNP) for the post, despite her being the subject of an
investigation. Ms Marwick took the chair
for as long as it took to elect Ken Macintosh (LAB) as Deputy Convener.
She then handed the chair to him and left the Committee room.
This
week, in addition to hearing a complaint against an MSP, the Committee
discusses Cross-Party Groups (CPGs). There is
ongoing research into CPGs, but the immediate issue
is with the current rules, which state that a CPG
must have five members, but also that all parties with seats on the Bureau must
be represented – with the Greens and the SSP
this number is now six. One rule or the
other will require to be waived – the only precedents from the first
session are the recognition of groups on nuclear disarmament and
Other Committee
Homepages:
Communities
Committee
Education Committee
Enterprise
& Culture Committee
Environment
and Rural Development Committee
Equal Opportunities
Committee
European and
External Relations Committee
Justice 1
Committee
Justice 2
Committee
Local Government and
Transport Committee
Procedures
Committee
Public Petitions
Committee
Subordinate
Legislation Committee
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