Committee News
Issue 24, 13th February 2001
Education, Culture & Sport Committee
This week, Education returns to the National Stadium Inquiry, taking evidence from Sport Minister, Sam Galbraith, and members of the board of Queens Park FC. The Committee is not expected to be full of praise for Queen’s Park Rangers.
Allan Wilson is giving evidence to the Committee on the UK Culture and Recreation Bill which is the subject of a Sewell motion on Thursday.
Finally, after last week agreeing to conduct an inquiry into a Children’s Commissioner, the Committee discusses the appointment of an advisor.
Enterprise & Lifelong Learning Committee
The Committee has been investigating the Careers Service Review and this week’s meeting will consider the evidence gathered by a number of Reporters and make some decisions regarding the observations they have made.
The Committee will also consider the National Guidelines for Local Economic Forums (in private).
Finally, the Committee is about to begin a major investigation into the provision of Lifelong learning in Scotland. They will appoint an advisor to this inquiry in private.
The Committee is taking evidence from Positive Action on housing for their Stage 1 considerations of the Housing Bill. Positive Action on Housing is a black and ethnic minority charity campaigning for racial equality in Scottish housing.
They are supportive of many of the proposals in Housing Bill but are critical in a number of ways, including their belief that there is a lack of non-white images in the White Paper ‘Better Homes for Scotland’s Communities’. They argue that more must be done to ensure racial equality in Scottish social housing - one such measure could be the inclusion of racial harassment as being grounds for ending a tenancy - and not just anti-social behaviour.
This week the Committee continues with its investigation into the Common Fisheries Policy.
Scottish Natural Heritage raise some new angles on the conservation issue, pointing out that the need for every state to maximise its national share of the catch runs counter to conserving stocks. They argue that the current system does not control catch, because many additional fish are caught and thrown back dead; and they refer to the Icelandic system of ‘control rules’ where catches are determined by a formula according to stocks, rather than by international dealing. They also note the dangers of displacing unsustainable fishing to outside EU waters, referring to a collapse in fish stocks off West Africa after the arrival of the EU fleet.
An unusual issue of ongoing discussion between the Committee and Sam Galbraith concerns a directive on the disposal of waste electrical items, with the Committee concerned to protect the interests of Scotland’s electronics industry.
Health & Community Care Committee
Last week’s evidence on the Regulation of Care Bill came from providers in the voluntary and private sectors. They followed all previous witnesses in calling for two inspections a year as a minimum; and they raised concerns around the funding of the Commission through fees rather than directly, arguing that this would lead to money circulating around and being wasted through bureaucracy.
This week’s marathon evidence session includes Deputy Health Minister, Malcolm Chisholm, Help the Aged and children’s organisations. The Committee will also be reporting shortly on the triple MMR vaccine.
The continuing evidence on the Convention Rights Compliance Bill comes next from Justice Minister, Jim Wallace, and from the Parole Board for Scotland.
Written submissions have been tabled, including one from the Scottish Human Rights Centre which is very welcoming of bringing Scots law into line with the ECHR. They ask for explicit recognition of the availability of Legal Aid for life prisoners involved in proceedings relating to their release; and share the concern of some Committee members that the remedial power of the Executive to amend other legislation is too sweeping. They also express surprise that so few changes are required to make the law compatible.
The Scottish Legal Aid Board agrees with the SCHR on the issue of legal aid for lifers, and also raises the issue of the many tribunals for which Legal Aid will now be available in some circumstances. The Scottish Police Federation are concerned with only one issue, that the change to the system for mandatory life prisoners should not prevent the strongest possible sentences being applied to those who murder police officers.
The Committee will also decide the next steps for its Inquiry into Legal Aid; and take stage 2 of the Leasehold Casualties Bill, for which the only amendments so far are tidying up amendments from the Executive.
The Committee is taking evidence on their Allotments Inquiry.
They also take evidence from Deputy Health Minister, Malcolm Chisholm, on special grants to local authorities for asylum seekers and Kosovan refugees to provide support toward relevant expenditure incurred by authorities during 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001, before going on to consider the reports. This should be a straightforward discussion as it is concerned with reimbursing local authorities for expenditure and asylum and immigration is reserved to Westminster. It has, however, been a matter for debate in other Committees and certain issues, such as vouchers, may be raised again.
The only item for this week’s Rural Development Committee meeting is the Protection of Wild Mammals Bill. This item is being taken in private.
The basis of the Committee’s discussion remains confidential - it is likely however, given the sheer volume of evidence that was taken and the strength of feeling on the issue, that their consideration of the Stage 1 report will continue for some time.
Last week, the Committee appointed Johann Lamont (LAB) as their representative on the Working Group on Diligence against moveable property.
This week, the Committee concludes taking evidence on stage 1 of the Housing Bill with Social Justice Ministers Jackie Baillie and Margaret Curran attending. Key issues are likely to be the modernisation of Right to Buy, the status and role of the new Executive Agency and the priority given to tackling homelessness.
Subordinate Legislation Committee
Last week’s discussion of the Regulation of Care Bill with Executive officials saw members of all parties raise concerns already aired: first, that some definitions in the bill are too loosely defined, and second that too much is left for ministers to determine by regulation.
A parallel session on the Convention Rights Compliance Bill took the discussion of the remedial power of the Executive into interesting waters. It emerged that part of the reason for the precise wording of the Bill is to deal with the different status of Westminster and Holyrood. Because Westminster is sovereign, it can if it wishes pass legislation incompatible with the ECHR, and legal action would have to follow. If Scottish Parliament legislation is incompatible with the ECHR, it can be immediately struck down by the courts. So ministerial powers are necessary in the Scottish context to ensure that we are left without legislation in a key area.
Transport & the Environment Committee
The T&E Committee continues taking evidence on their lengthy inquiry into the Water Industry. This is a weighty inquiry which has taken evidence from a large number of sources. The Committee is basically considering how a water industry in the public sector can meet the challenge of increased competition stemming from EU competition rules. The Scottish Executive is currently consulting on this and the T&E Committee’s report will likely be key in this.
[ HOME ] [ News ] [ Articles ] [ Calendar ] [ Contacts ] [ Links ] [ E-Mail ]
[ Copyright ] [ Open Government ] [ Scottish Parliament ]