Committee News
Issue 75, 2nd July 2002
Audit Committee
Last week Audit met to take further evidence on the Auditor
General’s Overview of Further Education Colleges in Scotland
2000/01, hearing from Angus, Clydebank and Inverness
Colleges. It was also agreed to seek further written evidence to
inform the Inquiry.
Education, Culture & Sport Committee
Dealing with a number of issues last week, the Committee
heard from the Scottish Council Foundation, CBI Scotland and
religious groups for the Purpose of Education Inquiry. The
Scottish Council Foundation presented thoughtful evidence,
concentrating on the creation of an education system that meets
the needs of the future, merging education for work and educating
for life and moving out of the factory age.
The Committee also discussed a letter from the Scottish Parent Teacher Council who were unhappy with their treatment at an evidence taking session on the School Meals Bill – the letter is not available but as the debate with the Bill’s proposer and sponsors got a bit heated, we can assume this is what it concerned. The Committee agreed to refer the concerns to the Standards Committee and ask it to take a view on what can be done to prevent a similar incident in the future.
Enterprise & Lifelong Learning
Committee
The Committee met in private to select an adviser for its Tourism
Inquiry.
Equal Opportunities Committee
Last week the Committee took evidence from the Commission for
Racial Equality for its Gender Equality and Best Value Inquiry.
Part of the evidence concerned the Local Government (Scotland)
Bill - they argue for the inclusion of equal opportunities
alongside measures of economy, efficiency and effectiveness when
evaluating best value. The Committee also agreed draft guidelines
on Mainstreaming Equality in the Work of the Parliamentary
Committees on which it will consult widely.
The Committee also discussed how to proceed with the Chhokar case – it is awaiting a reply from Mr Chhokar and his representative to an invite to attend the Committee in September, providing Mr Chhokar is well enough. In private, members noted correspondence from Tommy Sheridan (SSP) regarding his non-attendance at meetings and agreed to defer consideration until after the recess.
Finance Committee
Last week the Committee met in private to agree its report on
the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill’s Financial
Memorandum, and consider a draft of its PFI / PPP report.
Health & Community Care Committee
The Official Report is not yet available for last week’s
meeting. The Committee took evidence on the Local Government
in Scotland Bill from Tayside NHS Board, East Ayrshire
Council, Ayrshire & Arran Primary Care Trust, and Greater
Glasgow Health Board. Those giving evidence said the general
principles of the bill represented a good step forward. They
highlighted the fact that community planning was essential, and
that joint working between local authorities and health boards
was also integral to progressing care. In private, the Committee
considered:
At a second meeting on Wednesday evening, the Committee considered its future work on the Executive’s proposed Bill on mental health.
Justice 1 Committee
All of last week’s meeting was private, or preparatory,
or both. The preparations were for an Inquiry into alternatives
to custody and for the Title Conditions Bill. The
Committee’s report on the Prison Estates Review was
considered in private.
Justice 2 Committee
Last week, the principal business was the start of stage 2 of
the Land Reform Bill. The Committee considered only the
first three sections which deal with access. Although there is a
great deal of consensus around the Bill's objectives, a number of
amendments put forward by Rural Development Minister, Ross
Finnie, were defeated by Committee members as they were unhappy
with the precise wording.
An issue remains regarding whether rights of access are being secured on their historic basis or created for the first time. The Committee favour the former interpretation and amended the first line of the Bill to say so.
The main discussion and block of amendments was on commercial access. The Committee wants the prohibition on commercial access removed from the Bill completely and put in the Code of Conduct. However, the Executive moved an amendment to specifically allow mountain guides to ply their trade, and this was passed with only the SNP against. The Executive accepts that provision must also be made for photographers and an amendment from Rhona Brankin (LAB) was passed to this end. It is unlikely that this is the end of this matter, however, and it is likely that the issue will be revisited at stage 3.
Finally members voted, against the wishes of the Executive, that responsible exercise of access rights should be detailed in the Code of Conduct rather than the statute.
There was also private consideration of the Committee’s report on the Criminal Justice Bill. The report on the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service was again deferred - although a Sunday newspaper claims to have a leaked draft, much to the annoyance of Labour and Liberal members.
Local Government Committee
Last week the Committee concluded evidence taking on the Local
Government in Scotland Bill, hearing from Deputy Minister
Finance and Public Services Minister, Peter Peacock. The Minister
welcomed the support for the Bill’s general principles and
indicated where the Executive would respond to concerns with
further clarification – the extent to which the guidance on
best value applies throughout the public sector; which bodies
should have a duty to participate in community planning; the
suggestion of a provision for community planning partnerships to
become incorporated bodies; and the importance of co-ordinating
the accompanying guidance.
In private, the Committee agreed proposals for considering the Executive’s Public Appointments and Public Bodies (Scotland) Bill and Keith Harding’s (CON) Dog Fouling (Scotland) Bill, with stage 1 considerations beginning after the recess.
Procedures Committee
At its last meeting the Committee considered a letter setting
out concerns raised by the Conveners' Liaison Group regarding
prohibiting contributions from the public gallery during the
taking of evidence in formal Committee meetings. The Committee
agreed with the concerns of the Group, felt these concerns would
best be addressed through guidance and agreed to report this view
to the Group.
In response to a Memorandum from Donald Gorrie (LIB DEM) the Committee agreed to: seek the Executive's views on a potential extension of the time allocations for Stages 2 and 3 of legislation; consider a firm proposal from Mr Gorrie on a question time for the Parliamentary Bureau; and consider a paper examining various issues governing debate times, including time limits on speeches.
The Committee also agreed amendments to a letter on Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Parliamentary Business, raising issues including the costs involved.
Public Petitions Committee
At last week’s meeting, the Committee agreed to formally
refer a petition calling for single MMR jabs to the Health
Committee to consider within the context of its examination of
the MMR Expert Group’s report. Returning to a petition
calling for the employment of the precautionary principle in siting
telecommunication masts, it was agreed to write to the
Executive for further clarification. The Committee also agreed to
formally refer a petition on reviewing legislation governing the
display of pornography to the Justice Committee.
Rural Development Committee
The main business of last week’s meeting was once more
the Committee’s Inquiry into Integrated Rural Development.
Evidence was taken from the Borders Foundation for Rural
Sustainability (BFRS) and from Rural Development Minister, Ross
Finnie.
BFRS was set up five years ago and had undertaken an audit in the area which identified a substantial and previously hidden industry involving alternative land uses that compares significantly with farming and forestry in the region. Based on its research results on farm diversification and collaboration, BFRS are moving on to the setting-up of farm venture groups. The problems of funding community development projects were discussed, and BFRS argued that there were too many agencies working in the area of integrated development, and that a national development forum and regional development forums could provide guidance.
The Minister was quizzed on the issue of affordable housing in rural areas and he said the Executive was still considering this issue. Mike Rumbles (LIB DEM) tackled him on the issue of core funding for agencies working on rural development, with the Minster highlighting issues of sustainability and alternative funding. He also agreed that there was a bureaucratic maze of agencies working in the area and said the Executive was encouraging a "one-stop shop" approach.
The Minister spoke of his enthusiasm for land management contracts. There was a discussion about concerns over the number of farmers who would have access to modulation schemes. The Minister reported that a new paper on renewable energy will set out "desirable targets" and said that a new framework for dealing with planning applications for large wind farms will make the process more efficient. Asked about transport issues he said efforts had been made to move freight from roads to rail which should help on roads like the A9. He had not come to a view on whether the Rural Forum should be replaced.
Social Justice Committee
The Committee has identified several issues arising from stage 1
oral evidence on the Debt Arrangement and Attachment Bill:
The Committee agreed to consider a petition on summary warrants with its stage 1 report. The Committee also agreed that the issues raised in consultation on the legislative proposals contained in the Homelessness Task Force's final report will be covered in stage 1 consideration of the Homelessness Bill, if it is designated lead Committee. In private, the Committee agreed:
Subordinate Legislation Committee
Last week’s longer than usual meeting considered the Debt
Arrangement & Attachment Bill, with particular concerns
around the lack of consultation due to the imperative to have a
new mechanism in place by December. There was also discussion of
the human rights implications of treatments for incapable
adults.
Standards Committee
The Committee took evidence from Jackie Baillie (LAB) on her
application for a Cross Party Group on Learning Disabilities.
It approved the application and agreed to monitor the operation
of the group during its review of Cross Party Groups. The
Committee also agreed a draft consultation paper to invite
written evidence as part of its review of the groups. Tricia
Marwick (SNP) raised concerns about the funding obtained by some
Cross Party Groups, but agreed with Ken Macintosh (LAB) that
while procedures should be tightened up, there were no
suggestions that any group had behaved untowardly. Paul Martin
(LAB) and Mr Macintosh also highlighted the fact that there
needed to be equality of access to the groups for everybody
across Scotland.
It was agreed that the Convener should write to the Scottish Executive to explore when the Executive’s response to the Committee’s Report on Lobbying would be available. The Convenor agreed to write to the Convenors' Liaison Group to seek an early debate on the Committee’s proposals on Lobbying.
Transport & the Environment
Committee
A bits and pieces meeting last week. The biggest item was a
sympathetic Executive response to a petition concerned about the spreading
of organic waste on farmland (a euphemistic way of saying
blood and internal organs) which is a major concern to
communities affected. An EU directive will ban the practice, but
the Committee wishes the Executive to push ahead and outlaw it
straight away.
Work will be undertaken in response to a petition on pollution in built-up areas.
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