Committee News
Issue 14, 21st November 2000
Last week the Committee considered the response it had received from the Scottish Executive Health Department to the Committee’s report on the Scottish Ambulance Service and agreed to request an update on progress made to date. The Committee also considered its draft report on the new Scottish Parliament Building and agreed to reconsider a revised draft report at its next meeting.
Education, Culture & Sport Committee
This week, the committee begins to meet in private to discuss their first draft of the SQA inquiry report. Last week, they also agreed to meet on 13th December in private to discuss their first draft of the Special Educational Needs inquiry report. Mike Russell (SNP) is aiming to produce his report on the Scottish film industry for the same date.
Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee
Last week the committee heard a range of evidence over two sessions on the Graduate Endowment Bill and discussed the Committee’s report on the governance of the SQA. On Wednesday the Committee will take Ministerial evidence on the same Bill, consider the possibility of commissioning research and have a final look at the SQA report, only considering issues raised by an examination of the confidential Executive material. The Report is to be published next week.
This week, the committee takes evidence on the Executive’s proposals for a Housing Bill from Visualise. At their last meeting, the committee made progress on their proposals for an equalities checklist. The committee has produced a research proposal for mainstreaming equality in the Scottish Parliament and has agreed to submit a bid, but as a temporary measure they have agreed to bring forward a mainstreaming checklist, which they would ask other committees and the Parliament to have regard to. It was agreed that the convenor would write to convenors to ask them to build the existing checklist into their work as an interim measure. They were also concerned with Learning Teaching Scotland’s consultation on ‘Sex Education in Scotland’s Schools’, and agreed to take evidence on the proposals.
Last week the Committee gave consideration to reports from other Committees on the Executive’s 2001/02 Budget Process, and heard from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants (CIPFA) on the Committee’s inquiry into Resource Accounting and Budgeting. The Committee met in Aberdeen yesterday to hear evidence from local witnesses about the Scottish Executive’s spending plans, as well as from Finance Minister Angus MacKay.
The Health Committee agenda this week consists only of three delegated orders on matters such as dental services. The report into community care, which has been the subject of leaks in respect of its supposed recommendations on the funding of personal care, is not due out this week.
Justice & Home Affairs Committee
Last week the Committee considered a draft report on its proposed Protection from Abuse Bill. The next stage is a committee report to Parliament, followed by the preparation of the Bill itself. Adam Ingram (SNP) has now laid the Stage 1 motion (general principles) for the Leasehold Casualties Bill.
The Committee agreed to conduct a short inquiry into self-regulation of the police, and another, when time permits, into self-regulation of the legal profession.
This week two European initiatives are on the agenda. The first, from Germany, concerns ‘protection against fraudulent or unfair anti-competitive conduct in relation to the award of public contracts in the common market’: unlike England & Wales, the Committee clerks are confident that the existing Scots offence of Fraud covers these matters.
The second addresses:
Once again it is likely that forthcoming action by the Scottish Executive will cover these issues.
The key item this week, though, is evidence taking on restorative justice, an approach to dealing with offending which concentrates on repairing the harm done by crime. Restorative justice emphasises:
Lastly, the Committee will consider a draft letter to the Minister setting out its concerns about conditions at Barlinnie prison, particularly for remand prisoners. The main point is to request a date by which slopping out will end - 2004/5 is suggested.
Last week, the committee took evidence on Stage 1 of the Graduate Endowment bill and its impact on council tax for students. NUS expressed concern over students who share a property with non-students but are not entitled to claim council tax benefit. Committee members had concerns that much of the evidence they received was anecdotal, and the issue required further investigation.
Last week the Committee finally approved its proposals on private legislation, and also the two changes to the standing orders which will be debated this Thursday. The changes are i) the extension to the remit of the Subordinate Legislation Committee, and ii) the extension to the time allowed for members’ business.
This week the Committee returns to the issue of parliamentary questions, which is also the subject of a debate on Thursday.
An outline of this debate is contained in yesterday’s e-Brief. The following are new issues in the paper before the Committee this week:
The other issue is withdrawal of amendments, where the suggestion is to redraft standing orders as follows:
What this gobbledegook means is, (a) as with motions, an amendment may not be withdrawn if even one member objects; (b) if a motion is withdrawn, amendments to it would automatically fall.
Last week the committee met in private to put the final touches to its Stage 1 report on the Salmon Conservation (Scotland) Bill, in advance on Thursday’s Stage 1 debate. Today the committee will hear evidence on the Protection of Wild Mammals Bill from a range of witnesses including the SSPCA and the Scottish Hawk Board.
Social Inclusion, Housing and Voluntary Sector Committee
Last week the committee took evidence from Age Concern on the Executive’s proposals for a housing bill and this week it hears from the Scottish Churches Social Inclusion Network. Following the previous week’s discussion, the committee met in private to further considered what action to take on petition PE242 on asylum seekers, and this week will take evidence from the petitioners. The committee also published their stage 1 report on Cathie Craigie’s Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Bill commending its general principles.
The Committee will examine a draft questionnaire to MSPs asking for views on the Members’ Interests Order. Issues include paid and unpaid advocacy, conflicts of interests, registration of interests and gifts, sponsorship and election expenses, and the addition of various categories of income that would need to be declared.
Subordinate Legislation Committee
Issues this week include poindings & warrant sales, and mink keeping. The Mink Keeping (Scotland) Order will ban mink farming and bring Scotland into line with England and Wales. Although there are currently no mink farms in Scotland, there was the potential for mink farmers to move their businesses to Scotland once the practice was outlawed in England.
Transport and the Environment Committee
Last week the Committee looked at amendments to the Transport Bill and rejected an amendment from Robin Harper (GREEN) on the licensing of out of town retail car parking schemes. The Committee also decided the remit and first witnesses for the inquiry into water and the water industry. This week the Committee will have its final session amending the Transport Bill, including some Executive amendments on transport grants.
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