Committee News
Issue 25, 27th February 2001
Education, Culture & Sport Committee
Following extensive evidence from Queen’s Park Football Club and Austin Reilly, Former Chief Executive of the National Stadium, before recess, Sport Minister, Sam Galbraith returns to the Committee this week to give evidence on Hampden.
The issue of extending free school meals provision is also on the agenda. During stage 3 of the Standards in Scotland’s Schools Bill, then Deputy Children & Education Minister, Peter Peacock, stated that the Working Families Tax Credit included an element to take account of schools meals for 52 weeks of the year rather than only term time.
Enterprise & Lifelong Learning Committee
The ELLL has a hefty work schedule ahead of them with the Stage 2 discussions from the Graduate Endowment Bill. This week’s meeting will deal with the fairly uncontroversial sections relating to Council Tax and the definition of students undertaking a course of higher education.
The Committee will consider in private the arrangements for a detailed inquiry into fuel differentials. Members will also consider the draft of their response to the Scottish Executive on the Duffner Review of the Careers Service.
This week Equal Opportunities monitors the Crown Office’s inquiry into relations with the Chhokar family, taking evidence from Colin Boyd QC (the Lord Advocate) and Neil Davidson QC (the Solicitor General). They will also answer questions on Without Prejudice, a report on racism and the Police Service. The meeting will be broadcast in both English and Punjabi.
Despite the Committee meeting two weeks ago to take evidence from fishing and conservation bodies on the Common Fisheries Policy, the Official Report of the meeting is still unavailable.
The Finance Committee has been undergoing a major (and somewhat technical) inquiry into Resource Accounting and Budgeting. This is a complicated issue, but it is important. The public sector (and in particular the NHS) have been conducting their accounting procedures under a cash based system – in other words the accounts show only the comings and goings of the revenue itself. Resources Accounting and budgeting is a method of accounting that brings the public sector into line with the rest of the economy. It doesn’t just include the cash transactions that occur – but considers the value of the resources being used. It is argued that this improves decision making around capital investment.
The Committee is taking evidence from a large variety of sources – from both the public and private sectors and is going through in detail the merits of such an accounting procedure.
With this year’s budget process having recently closed in the chamber, the budget for 2002/2003 is starting its parliamentary journey with the Finance Committee’s clerk setting out a timetable for the Committee’s work on the issue.
Health & Community Care Committee
The last meeting of the Committee heard evidence on the Regulation of Care Bill from Deputy Health Minister, Malcolm Chisholm, Help the Aged, and children’s organisations. A number of recurring issues were raised again, including the number of regional centres for inspectors, the creation of a Children’s Commissioner, and the application of TUPE to the staff of new bodies.
Discussion continued regarding definitions and the scope of the Bill, with organisations noting that most care is day care rather than residential. User involvement in the new procedures, and the adequacy of the Bill’s provisions in relation to child protection, were raised.
Perhaps the biggest discussion was around the self-financing of the new Care Commission & Council from registration fees. Concerns have been raised of the impact of new costs on the voluntary sector, and the circularity of refunding public sector organisations rather than just paying direct grant to the new bodies. Malcolm Chisholm noted that a large number of the establishments involved are private; and also that in the Executive’s view the likely increase in fees resulting from new registration costs would be less than 1%.
Discussion on the Bill continues this week.
At its last meeting, the Committee took stage 2 of the Leasehold Casualties Bill. This was completely non-controversial.
An extensive evidence session on the Convention Rights Compliance Bill, including both the Parole Board and Justice Minister, Jim Wallace, covered a number of important points on the proposal that ministers no longer determine the release dates of life prisoners:
Jim Wallace made clear that he has already been in touch with victims’ organisations, and noted the wider action which has been taken to ensure that victims’ views are taken into account.
This week’s issues include Convention Rights once again, along with prisons and Legal Aid.
At its last meeting, following a visit to the Sheriff Court in Glasgow, the Committee discussed the Sheriff Court system and what is causing delays to cases.
This week’s meeting considers a change to the funding mechanism for civil defence.
This week, the Local Government Committee begins taking evidence for their inquiry into local government finance from CoSLA and the Executive. This is expected to be a long and detailed inquiry with the Committee taking evidence until at least June. The inquiry was originally undertaken following concerns over last year’s local government settlement and calls from CoSLA and the Committee for an independent inquiry.
The Executive has argued that an independent inquiry is too time consuming and that measures have already been taken to improve the distribution formula and give local authorities more flexibility in setting their budgets. However, the Committee still believes that there is a need for a fundamental review of local government finance.
Continues with lengthy discussions relating to the Stage 1 report of the Wild Mammals Bill. These discussions have been going on for some weeks now – all in private. This issue is, and will be, highly controversial.
Following evidence from Jackie Baillie and Margaret Curran at the last meeting, the Social Justice Committee this week begins considering its Stage 1 Report on the Housing Bill in private. In giving evidence, the ministers gave assurances on regulation and Scottish Homes, clarifying the status of the Code of Practice and the role of non-executive directors on the board of the new Executive Agency. Also, on the issue of pressurised areas, the Committee was assured that these would be in place before housing plans are published.
The report of the last meeting two weeks ago is not yet available. This week the Committee begins taking evidence on lobbying, from CoSLA and the voluntary sector.
Subordinate Legislation Committee
No major issues, but on an order implementing European law the Committee at its last meeting mentioned two regular concerns:
Transport & the Environment Committee
T&E’s continues its investigation into the Water Industry - a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the challenges facing the industry as a result of EU laws heralding increased competition.
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