Committee News
Issue 56, 22nd January 2002
Audit Committee
This week the Committee returns to its overview of the NHS
in Scotland.
As has been reported in the press, the Committee’s report on FE colleges has expressed concern at the number of colleges struggling to balance their books.
Education, Culture & Sport Committee
The Education (Disability Strategies and
Pupils’ Records) (Scotland) Bill continues this
week, with the Committee taking Stage 1 evidence from Deputy
Education Minister, Nicol Stephen, Capability Scotland, Children
in Scotland, the Disability Rights Commission and CoSLA.
Equal Opportunities Committee
The Committee will consider its approach on the Chhokar
report into family liaison and take evidence on Taking
Stock – Disability Issues from
Deputy Minister for Social Justice, Margaret Curran.
European Committee
The European Committee agreed last week to write to all subject
Committees asking if there are relevant issues that should be
included in the European Committee’s work programme.
Health & Community Care Committee
Last week the Committee continued stage 2 of the Health
& Community Care Bill. The question of personal care
for disabled people below pension age remains on the agenda.
Stage 2 continues this week, alongside the beginning of evidence on Nicola Sturgeon’s (SNP) bill to ban tobacco advertising. Written submissions from health education bodies support the general principles but believe that a UK-wide ban would be more effective.
Justice 1 Committee
This week sees important evidence on the regulation of the
legal profession from the Scottish Consumer Council, who
argue on balance that the self-regulating Law Society complaints
procedure should be replaced by an independent body.
There is also a fascinating piece of correspondence. The operations manager of Premier Prisons, which runs Kilmarnock Prison, had told the Committee that it was welcome to view the company’s contract with the Scottish Prison Service. She has now written to say this was an error and asks for it to be ‘struck from the record’: due to commercial confidentiality the contract cannot be seen in its entirety.
Justice 2 Committee
Last week, discussion of the Land Reform (Scotland)
Bill continued, with a meeting in Inverness. There was
much discussion of commercial access, which is exempted by the
bill: the majority view in evidence is that this exemption should
be removed. It was also of interest that environmental
organisations such as the RSPB are in favour of greater access
rights, arguing that other remedies are available to protect
ecologically significant areas.
No papers are available yet for this week but land reform evidence continues.
Local Government Committee
More evidence on the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill
this week with Stage 1 evidence from local government officials
and Councillors.
Procedures Committee
Last week’s evidence in the seemingly never-ending CSG
inquiry was from the churches and the Civic Forum. The church
representative repeated concerns about the turnover in Committee
membership. The Civic Forum were given quite a hard time by
members for putting forward views on greater participation by
themselves that were vague and at times contradictory.
Rural Development Committee
The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill continued last
week, including evidence from land-owning interests and the Isle
of Eigg Heritage Trust. The latter talked glowingly of the
benefits of community ownership. The landowners, however, were
subjected to robust questioning regarding their opposition to
many aspects of the Bill.
The Subordinate Legislation to ban cockle fishing on the Solway returned. Rural Development Minister, Ross Finnie, argued that cockle numbers have fallen to levels which threaten their extinction. Local shellfishermen disagree and have walked out of negotiations with the Executive. Despite some concerns, the order was approved.
This week’s witnesses on land reform include the National Farmers' Union – which has major concerns about the Bill – and the Ramblers, who would like it go still further. In addition, the submission from Visitscotland is scathing about the prohibition on commercial access, which it describes as ‘insidious and particularly ill-timed’.
Social Justice Committee
Social Justice is considering a Scottish Executive
consultation on the use of interim accommodation for
unintentionally homeless applicants in priority need.
Transport & the Environment
Committee
Stage 2 consideration of the Water Industry
(Scotland) Bill continues.
The Committee will also consider a paper from the Committee’s Reporters on petitions by Scotland Opposing Opencast and the Confederation of UK Coal Producers, outlining possible next steps on the petitions.
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