Committee News
Issue 38, 19th June 2001
Education, Culture & Sport Committee
The Committee met in Stornoway last week to take evidence for its Gaelic Broadcasting Inquiry. Key issues raised included the need to establish digital broadcasting in the Western Isles to prevent a further drain of skilled young people to the mainland, the establishment of a Gaelic channel and the future funding of Gaelic TV. The report on the national stadium inquiry was also discussed in private.
Members continue taking evidence on Gaelic Broadcasting this week, and take further evidence from the SQA, including Bill Morton, as part of their ongoing monitoring of this year’s exam diet.
The Committee also issued background information on their Children’s Commissioner Inquiry – click here for further details.
Enterprise & Lifelong Learning Committee
Last week’s meeting was quite eventful with (according to the press) Kenny MacAskill of the SNP walking out of the Committee’s final discussion on its New Economy report. Unfortunately, as the discussion was in private, we will have to wait the publication of the report to find out why.
The Committee also considered a Statutory Instrument on the Regulations of the Graduate Endowment.
The Committee meets in private this week to consider a draft report for its inquiry into travelling people and public sector policies. The report is expected to be critical in some areas, but the Executive is aware of the issues and has given a commitment to the Committee to make progress, particularly in the area of health.
The report is expected before the recess.
This week’s meeting has a huge agenda. It begins with revised terms of reference for the inquiry into Governance. The proposal from the clerk is very grand and it will be a heavy workload to complete in time for the EU summit in December, although some of the issues are aimed more at the next Intergovernmental Conference in 2004.
Friends all round: in an example of full co-operation, the Executive has taken on board all the Committee’s concerns regarding the procedure for implementing EU legislation, and the Committee in turn is delighted.
There is a public petition opposing the designation of the South-East Islay Skerries as a Special Area of Conservation. However, it is clear that EU law does not allow a member state leeway on this matter – given the area’s ecological importance, designation must take place. There is scope, though, to take social factors into account where specific conservation measures within the area are concerned.
A discussion was scheduled on the directive regarding consultation of workers regarding closures such as Motorola. Since the General Election, however, the Swedish presidency has negotiated a deal on this and the UK has signed the draft. The suggestion is that any comments should now be directed to the European Parliament.
Just to round it off, the Committee will also find time to consider the Euro and EU enlargement
This week’s short agenda mainly deals with the Budget Report (to be taken in private). A further report back will be taken on the Committee’s inquiry into funding of the voluntary sector.
Health & Community Care Committee
Last week’s meeting covered a number of important topics, but all in private. They included flu vaccine, MMR and hepatitis C. The Chief Medical Officer expressed disappointment last week after figures from the Scottish Centre for Infection & Environmental Health showed a slight fall in the uptake of vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella.
This week the Committee continues evidence taking on both Legal Aid and the regulation of the legal profession. A written submission from the Law Society lays out helpfully the current system of self-regulation, and makes no proposals for change.
There has also been a victory for the public petitions procedure. A constituent of Patricia Ferguson (LAB) had raised the length of time taken by the Scottish Legal Aid Board to release compensation monies awarded to people such as himself. SLAB has a legal duty to pay all other bills first, but after the Justice Committee approached them they have reviewed their procedures and will issue new guidance in the autumn.
Last week’s meeting continued discussions on women’s offending. A number of questions are emerging, including the high ratio of male to female officers, and why, when it is accepted that incarceration is often inappropriate for women, record numbers are being locked up.
Following last week’s evidence on the draft Local Government (Timing of Elections) Bill, the Committee considers a draft response to the consultation in private – it looks likely that the term of local government will be extended to 4 years with the election date the same as the Scottish Parliament.
Also this week, evidence is taken from Paolo Vestri of the SLGIU, and George Street Research Limited for the Committee’s inquiry into aspects of the report of the Renewing Local Government working group (Kerley report). These are the first set of witnesses. To read the terms of reference for the first stage of the inquiry click here.
This week the Committee considers three fairly contentious petitions:
The Committee is also considering a briefing note on the implications of the High Court Ruling on the legality of nuclear weapons in Scotland, a matter they have received a number of petitions about.
The Committee is still considering its Stage 1 Report on the Wild Mammals Bill in private with hopes that the report will be completed very soon.
Last week, following consideration of a paper on the implementation of the order on houses in multiple occupation, the Committee agreed to take evidence from the Executive, local authorities and providers of sheltered housing in October, following the Executive’s review of implementation of the order limit. Giving evidence to the Committee, Social Justice Minister, Jackie Baillie, said that as part of the annual review of the order, the Executive would consider the impact of implementation on sheltered housing.
This week’s meeting discusses the issue of confidentiality. This follows two inquiries by the Standards Adviser which could not find the source of the leaking of Committee reports. It is recognised that people are unlikely to own up to such an action, although this will have required them to respond in the negative when asked directly by the adviser ‘did you leak this report?’.
The suggestion in the paper is to follow the Westminster model and make Committees themselves responsible for investigating leaks of their own documents. The procedure (also used in Canada) additionally requires Committees to make an assessment of the seriousness of the disclosure. Other Committees will be asked to respond to this suggestion in the first instance.
Sorrow for Dumbarton fans. The snappily entitled Sports Grounds and Sporting Events (Designation) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2001 (SSI 2001/209) has removed the status of football ground from their former home at Boghead.
Transport & the Environment Committee
Last week’s Committee took evidence from Jim Currie of the European Commission on the EU's Sixth Environmental Programme. This new EU environmental programme will establish the focus of environmental policy for the next ten years. One of Sweden’s principal goals as President of the EU has been to bring about a preliminary decision on the programme before the Göteborg Summit. The environmental programme has been strengthened and allows for greater integration of environmental policy into the different sectors.
Jim Currie’s opening statement is a concise and factual summary of the European environmental agenda and is excellent as a brief guide for those wishing to come up to speed on the issue. Click here to go to the Committee Official Report.
This week the Committee will consider formally the controversial petition laid by Friends of the Earth calling for an independent inquiry on fish farming.
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