Committee News
Issue 46, 30th October 2001
Audit Committee
This week the Committee continues to take evidence for its
inquiry into the financial mismanagement at Moray College.
The Committee also receives a briefing from Audit Scotland on its
recent report "In good supply – managing supplies in
the NHS in Scotland".
Education, Culture & Sport Committee
Last week was a busy one.
The Committee took evidence for stage 1 of the School Education (Amendment) Bill. This is a straightforward bill which, as well as enabling parents of children under 5 starting school to place placing requests, also abolishes the position of assistant headteacher in line with the new career structure. The Committee considers the draft report on stage 1 this week, as well as a draft report of its inquiry into Scottish Ballet. Both will be in private.
The Committee also took evidence last week from Education Minister, Jack McConnell, on Budget 2002-03. The Minister gave members a commitment to provide them with details of the recent £100 million spending announcement. Several key issues such as community schools, mature student teachers and Special Educational Needs were discussed.
Culture and Sports Minister, Allan Wilson also gave evidence on the budget for Sport and Culture. Issues raised included the expenditure for the Ryder Cup bid and support for tourism.
The Committee returned to the SQA with the appeals timetable and, more problematically, the associated fee. It was agreed to write to the SQA for an explanation and invite them to the Committee for a progress update before the end of the year. It was also agreed to write to the Scottish Media Group and the ITC with concerns over staff redundancies and regional programming.
Finally, the Committee took evidence on the Holyrood Park Amendment Regulations 2001 (Draft) which would permit commercial vehicles to use a specified route through the park as an alternative route to Holyrood Road and permit the display of advertising material on such commercial vehicles.
Enterprise & Lifelong Learning
Committee
Last week’s Committee took evidence from the National Union
of Students and the STUC on its inquiry into lifelong learning.
The STUC described their involvement in the Executive’s
Trade Union Learning Fund – where unions receive money to
promote lifelong learning within the workplace. This week the
Committee gathers more evidence but this time from a business
panel and from the National Training Partnership.
Equal Opportunities Committee
An important meeting this week as the Committee considers its
approach to the recent report on the liaison arrangements with
the Chhokar family. The Committee has always said that it
would not rule out any options, including a public inquiry, until
the reports had been produced.
The Committee also takes evidence from Deputy Social Justice Minister, Margaret Curran, on Gender Issues and is keen to pursue an inquiry in this area. There will also be a report from the gender reporter, Elaine Smith (LAB), on work done by Zero Tolerance and their "Respect Initiative Pilots" aimed at younger people.
European Committee
Last week’s meeting saw two Westminster MPs, from the
Conservatives and the SNP, speak on EU Governance. Richard
Spring (CON) quoted Romano Prodi, that the EU "should do
less but do it better", then outlined quite radical ideas on
democratisation of EU institutions. Angus Robertson (SNP) was
less surprising, concentrating on analyses of what percentage of
Council of Ministers meetings have been attended by Scottish
Executive ministers and how many MEPs Luxembourg will have after
the Nice Treaty is implemented.
This week there are two meetings. The first continues the governance inquiry, with an assortment of MEPs giving evidence. The Committee will continue its pressure on the European Parliament over the implications for Scotland of the liberalisation of postal services.
A second meeting later in the week looks in private at the Committee’s remit (whether it should become ‘external affairs’) and at the Euro.
Finance Committee
A fairly straightforward and technical finance Committee meeting
last week took evidence on next year’s budget and
received a briefing from an academic who has conducted research
on outcome budgeting (see last week’s Committee News for a briefing).
Health & Community Care Committee
Last week’s Committee considered only two items: its
report into Organ Donation (taken in private) and
considerable evidence on the Community Care and Health Bill.
Giving evidence, the Royal College of Nursing welcomed the Commitment to free personal care from both the Parliament and the Health Committee and stated they believe that a definition of personal care should be included in the Bill. This is becoming an issue in the evidence gathering of the Committee. A number of organisations giving evidence to the Committee wish the definition to be on the face of the Bill and not within the Regulations as currently proposed.
The main carers' organisation, Carers Scotland, explained that they are particularly pleased with the Bill, as it gives carers a status they have not had before and names carers as equal partners with care arrangements. However they feel very strongly that this status should not be defined within the guidance – they too want their issue on the face of the Bill. Their argument for doing so is that Carers have to fight with local authorities and the NHS to be listened to, and having their status defined on the Bill would enhance their position within these partnerships. Finally, Age Concern gave evidence and they, like those before them, argued strongly for a definition of personal care to be included on the face of the Bill.
Justice 1 Committee
Last week’s Official Report is not yet available. The
issues in the petition from Scotland Against Crooked Lawyers will
be incorporated into the inquiry on regulation of the legal
profession. Evidence from the Prisons Officers Association and
from the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service did
not produce a meeting of minds, which was only to be anticipated.
This week sees evidence from Premier Prisons Ltd who run Kilmarnock jail. Their written submission acknowledges certain failings and aims to explain them: for example, they account for higher levels of indiscipline by pointing out that more prisoners at Kilmarnock go to work.
Stage 1 evidence on the Freedom of Information Bill begins with the Executive.
Justice 2 Committee
Last week’s meeting decided to continue to pursue the
petition on delays in legal procedures for those seeking civil
justice for asbestos related diseases. The Committee is not
satisfied with responses to date and will next ask the Lord
President to give evidence.
Witnesses from the Crown Office and academia, along with Deputy Justice Minister, Iain Gray, gave evidence on the Sexual Offences (Procedures & Evidence) Bill. By contrast with some earlier witnesses, the Crown Office in particular seems to regard the bill as a proportionate and balanced response to a rare but unacceptable situation. A draft report will be considered in private this week.
This week’s agenda includes discussion of what, if any, further action to take following the publication of the inquiry reports on the Chhokar case.
Local Government Committee
Asides from evidence from the Local Government Association
for their inquiry into local government finance, the
Committee members meet in private this week. Discussions will be
on a progress report for the inquiry, stage 1 reports on the Scottish
Local Government (Elections) Bill and the Community Care and
Health Bill, and a draft stage 2 report on the Budget 2002-03.
The Committee has made good progress on the Scottish Local Government (Elections) Bill - which will extend council terms to four years, with elections on the same day as the Scottish Parliament elections, and enable flexibility with voting methods such as postal and Sunday voting. In giving evidence, Deputy Local Government Minister, Peter Peacock, also confirmed that there would be amendments to limit ministerial power to coincide local government elections with an extraordinary Scottish Parliament election, by ensuring that local government and extraordinary Scottish Parliament elections are not coincided unless they are within a very short period.
Procedures Committee
Last week’s meeting was dominated by the presentation
from MORI of their research as part of the CSG principles inquiry.
Amongst the fascinating facts were:
This week’s CSG evidence is from Minister for Parliament ,Tom McCabe, Mike Watson (LAB) and Dennis Canavan (IND).
Considering David Steel’s request that points of order be limited to one minute, the Committee noted that very few - even when spurious or disruptive - are this long anyway. The Committee agreed that the proposal was not appropriate.
Rural Development Committee
Last week’s consideration of petitions on the Less
Favoured Areas scheme brought an outbreak of consensus. LFA
is a designation for European subsidy which is important to
Scotland because it applies to most of our agricultural land.
Rural Affairs Minister, Ross Finnie, assured Committee members
that the Executive shares their concerns about the scheme.
In discussion of the budget with the minister, SNP members focussed on the "underspend" in the last financial year, particularly arguing that £5m of it should have been given to owners of fishing vessels as a one-off payment. The Minister pointed out, though, that the money has been carried forward for the purposes originally intended.
The main business this week is Stage 2 of the Protection of Wild Mammals Bill, where a large number of amendments have been submitted.
Social Justice Committee
At its first meeting since the recess, the Committee meets to
take evidence for its voluntary sector inquiry from
Volunteer Development Scotland, the Council for Voluntary
Services and the Active Communities Forum. Issues of concern
raised in their submission include the impact of regulation on
volunteering, sustainable funding, and the importance of the role
of volunteer managers.
The Committee also considers a negative instrument on registered social landlords to bring those currently registered with Scottish Homes within the scope of the new statutory register of social landlords.
Standards Committee
Although the meeting was quorate, several members were absent
and it was agreed to postpone the discussion of possible new
categories of registerable interests to the next meeting (see
last week’s Committee News for the proposals). The Committee moved
into private discussion to consider a letter from Fiona Hyslop
(SNP) forwarded to it by the Presiding Officer.
Subordinate Legislation
The Committee has asked Executive officials to attend this week
to flesh out the intentions of the Community Care &
Health Bill. Margo Macdonald (SNP) described it as
"skeletal." However, other members argued for the need
for flexibility, so that further primary legislation is not
needed in future.
Transport & the Environment
Committee
The Committee members are now experts on the Water industry,
following their major inquiry last year. With the publication of
the Water Industry Bill, the Committee is doing it
all over again and last week it took evidence from industry
representatives and the trade unions.
In the evidence from new Chairman and Chief Executive of the new Water Body - Scottish Water - members heard that Scottish Water are making the preparations for the change from three water authorities to one. They assured the Committee that there will be no disruption of service for customers. The Trade Unions expressed their concern about the new arrangement – and in particular the way in which Scottish water will find £168 million of efficiency savings. The Unions remain to be convinced about the transfer and involvement of employees within the new structures.
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