Committee News
Issue 85, 19th November 2002
Audit Committee
The Committee considered a proposed change of its remit
as set out in Standing Orders at last week's meeting. This is a
technical amendment to allow it to properly consider all of the
Auditor General’s report. The Committee agreed to ask the
Procedures Committee to seek approval for the change from
parliament.
The Committee also considered a response from the Scottish Executive to its Report on Public Accounts. The Principal Finance Officer reported that a preliminary report on accounting treatment of PPP / PFI contracts is expected by the end of the year.
Education, Culture & Sport Committee
The main item of discussion last week was the Public
Appointments & Public Bodies Bill. The Committee had
expressed concern at Stage 1 about the proposed abolition of the
Historic Monuments Board for Scotland and the Historic Buildings
Council for Scotland, arguing that there was insufficient detail
on the replacement arrangements.
The Committee therefore agreed to lodge amendments proposing to delete from the Bill the sections referring to their abolition unless adequate successor arrangements are proposed.
The Committee also agreed that the convenor would write to the Minister for Tourism Culture and Sport to ask what progress had been made in the light of the recommendation that the role, purpose and function of Historic Scotland should be reviewed.
The rest of the meeting continued in private and included consideration of the Committee’s Stage 1 report on the Protection of Children Bill, published on Friday. The Committee supports the general principles of the Bill, but, as will be recalled from yesterday's e-Brief, highlighted some concerns, including the issue of which organisations should be covered and the training and guidance to be provided to these.
Enterprise & Lifelong Learning
Committee
At last week’s meeting, the Committee took evidence on
its Tourism Inquiry from
representatives of Ryanair, BA, HIAL, BAA and Prestwick airport.
The papers included submissions from British Airways, who return
to their favoured theme of the need for expansion of Heathrow as
a UK hub; Ryanair, who wish to see more use of the Internet in
promoting the industry and budget increases; and BAA, who want to
see increased use in the industry of PPP schemes. The Committee
requested further information from Ryanair on the percentages of
incoming and outgoing passengers to Scotland via its flights and
from Ryanair and easyjet on the numbers of their staff and crew
currently based in Scotland.
The Committee received an update on the British Tourist Authority restructuring plans, and on a meeting between the Convener and the Chair of the BTA.
The Committee agreed to invite Tourism Minister, Mike Watson, VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to give further evidence. In private, the Committee considered the key issues for its Tourism Inquiry draft report.
Equal Opportunities Committee
Last week’s meeting saw
the Committee taking evidence on its Sexual Orientation
Inquiry from Deputy Social Justice Minister, Hugh Henry and
officials, who outlined the Executive’s commitment to
equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
individuals.
Issues raised in questioning included the funding available to LGBT groups and the balance to be struck between Executive and local authority funding in this respect; and the need for more awareness of LGBT issues within the health service and to encourage greater access to health services particularly by gay men.
European Committee
The papers for this Committee are always extensive and cover the
various Council meetings and Directives. Amongst those for this
week, it is worth noting Deputy Tourism, Culture and Sport
Minister, Elaine Murray, leading for the UK on the movement of
cultural workers. Also this week, there will be private
discussion of a report on the modest topic of the future of
Europe.
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee is out and about this week, and is
meeting twice. It met yesterday in Portree to discuss the budget
process, taking evidence from Deputy Finance Minister, Peter
Peacock, and discussing the approval of the draft Budget
Act Amendment Order.
The Committee returns to Edinburgh today to consider the Stage 2 budget reports of the Committees and will also consider a draft report on the Financial Memorandum for the Homelessness Bill. The stage 2 budget reports from many of the Committees generally welcome the budget allocations, while highlighting specific areas of concern. A common theme is for the provision of additional figures to allow extra scrutiny.
Health & Community Care Committee
At last week’s meeting, the Committee took evidence on
its Inquiry into GM crops from the Munlochy GM
Vigil. Their submission to the Committee argues there is too much
risk associated to the development of GM crops and highlights
concern about GM crops from academics in various nations, and
calls for a moratorium on GM crops to allow further research.
The Committee also agreed to take evidence on compensation for people who contracted Hepatitis C from blood transfusions from Health Minister, Malcolm Chisholm; Lord Ross, Chair of the Expert Group on Financial and Other Support; and the Haemophilia Society.
In private, the Committee considered a draft Stage 2 Report on the budget process 2003-04, and delegated authority to the Convener and Deputy Convener to agree the Report. The Committee considered a draft Stage 1 Report on the Mental Health Bill, again in private.
At this week’s meeting the Committee will take further evidence on GM crops from, amongst other, Rural Affairs Minister, Ross Finnie, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the BMA. It will also consider a draft Stage 1 report on the Mental Health Bill. The BMA argues that GM crop trials should be prevented from continuing and say more comprehensive risk assessments are required. The Royal Society calls for continued research but argues that there is no scientifically proven evidence of any threats of serious damage to public health.
Justice 1 Committee
No Official Report for last week’s meeting yet, but
private discussion of the Title Conditions Bill
continued, along with similar consideration of the Mental
Health Bill report.
A major piece of work in the coming months will be an Inquiry into alternatives to custody. Evidence last week came from organisations involved in rehabilitation, who argued that non-custodial alternatives should not be lumped together. Rather, they said, imprisonment should be viewed as just one of a range of disposals.
The Carbeth hutters petition, dating from 1999, is back, as the Committee tried to find out when the Executive will respond to the consultation which ended in March 2001.
Lastly, the Committee prepared to consider Prostitution Tolerance Zones.
The bulk of this week’s meeting is concerned with David McLetchie’s (CON) Council of the Law Society Bill, which has cross-party and Executive support. The Bill clarifies the legal powers of said Council to enable swifter and more independent handling of complaints against solicitors, by delegating to a sub-Committee that can include non-solicitors. This is backed by the Scottish Consumer Council. The Legal Services Ombudsman, however, still thinks there is too much discretion as the Bill is drafted. That being said, a number of individual members of the public have written arguing that solicitors should have no role whatever in policing their own profession.
Justice 2 Committee
Stage 2 of the Criminal Justice Bill began
last week. The parts of the bill are not being taken in numerical
order and consideration began with parts 5 and 6. The provisions
on drug courts, restriction of liberty orders (aka tagging) and
interim Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) were passed with no
amendment, Bill Aitken (CON) being in a minority of one on the
only divisions. Johann Lamont (LAB) argued for stronger
anti-social behaviour provisions.
There is also a possibility of further evidence-taking, as the Executive is laying amendments on a number of new topics, such as wildlife crime and human trafficking.
Stage 2 continues this week at two meetings and there is also further consideration of the Mental Health Bill.
Local Government Committee
Local Government last week continued its examination of the Local
Government in Scotland Bill at Stage 2, before moving on
to look at Dog Fouling.
Amendments to the Local Government Bill were all proposed or supported by the Executive. They included an important measure to place a duty on Ministers (as well as local government) to promote community planning. The Committee then took evidence on Keith Harding’s Dog Fouling Bill: Deputy Finance and Public Services Minister, Peter Peacock, reaffirmed the Executive’s support for the principles of the Bill and stated that, were it to be passed, the Executive would commit £100,000 for a publicity and educational campaign on the issue.
The Committee has a very busy agenda this week, including further consideration of the Local Government Bill, evidence taking on phase 2 of the Renewing Local Democracy Inquiry and on Stage 1 of Tricia Marwick’s (SNP) PR for local government Bill. Written submissions on PR have been received from the Scottish Borders Council (who support PR), CoSLA (who do not), Fairshare (who unsurprisingly are enthusiastic) and the Scottish Executive. The Executive states that it has its own plans to introduce a Local Government Bill which includes the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system of voting and that this will be available for decision following the 2003 elections. The Executive raises several concerns over Tricia Marwick’s Bill, including its cutting across work already in hand, the lack of policy context or consultation and its financial and resource implications.
Procedures Committee
Last week the Committee discussed parliamentary questions
in recess and agreed to retain the 28-day period for
answering questions. The Committee agreed changing Standing
Orders on answering written questions and allowing public
petitions to be accepted by the parliament in any language.
The Committee considered at some length an issues paper on the Consultative Steering Group. It was argued that there should be a greater focus on consultation on implementation rather than just policy development. There was also discussion on how long organisations were given to respond to consultation, and a variety of suggestions for involving more people and organisations in consultation processes than the ones who currently take part. The Committee agreed to a first draft report covering the following sections: Introduction, Access and Participation and Equal Opportunities. The Committee agreed that at its next two meetings it would consider the sections on Accountability and Power Sharing and the first draft reports of each section should be considered as working documents.
Public Petitions Committee
The Committee did not meet last week but has plenty for
consideration at this week's meeting.
There is a medical focus to the majority of the new petitions, which include calls for an independent advisory Committee to be set up to adequately differentiate treatment and support for those suffering from autistic spectrum disorder; mental illness, personality disorders and learning difficulties; an independent Inquiry into the affects of psychiatric drugs; and, more narrowly, inquiries into the effects of Ritalin (used for attention deficit disorder) and of Clozapine.
There are also new petitions on funding for support workers for those suffering from domestic abuse; FE colleges in rural Scotland; title deeds to land; and a bypass for Elgin.
Petitions returning to the Committee include those on independent complaints review panels in the social services; the handling of mental health complaints; the adoption and maintenance of roads by local authorities; access to public roads at Scottish airports; and (most interestingly perhaps) the publication of criminal memoirs for profit.
Rural Development Committee
Last week the Committee met entirely in private to consider a
draft report of its Inquiry into integrated rural development.
This week, the Committee will continue with the Agricultural Holdings Bill, taking evidence from the Scottish Gamekeepers Association and the Rural Affairs Minister, Ross Finnie.
The Scottish Gamekeepers oppose the pre-emptive right to buy, arguing that the fragmentation of estates will be bad for conservation and may lead to gamekeepers redundancies. They are even more opposed to the absolute right to buy advocated by the Tenant Farmers Action Group.
The Committee will then return to the perennial favourite, scallops, with further evidence from Mr Finnie and Deputy Health Minister, Mary Mulligan. Evidence will once again concern Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning. The Committee had written to the Ministers to voice concerns expressed by the industry about the proposed tiered testing regime and also regarding conservation measures.
The Minister's reply states that the Food Standard’s Agency Scotland’s proposals are at present provisional and will take the views of the industry on board. He reaffirmed his support for a weekend ban however. Health Minister, Malcolm Chisholm, has responded stressing that substantial research and consultation on this issue has already been undertaken.
Social Justice Committee
No official report was available at the time of writing for
last week’s meeting, which took evidence on the Homelessness
Bill.
This week, the Committee will continue its consideration of the Homelessness Bill, with evidence from Deputy Social Justice Minister, Hugh Henry. Members are also discussing their response to a petition from Mr Nick Fletcher which calls on the Scottish Parliament to take the necessary steps to "ensure that the citizens of Scotland continue to have access to free and independent advice services", on which they have received a response from the Minister.
Standards Committee
This week the Committee will consider responses to its
consultation paper on Cross-Party Groups. It will consider
a report on a conference in Budapest on lobbying from
Tricia Marwick (SNP). There are draft also reports in private on
the Business Exchange and on the complaint against
Christine Grahame (SNP) which was upheld at the last meeting.
Issues raised in the paper on Cross-Party Groups include whether there should be tighter regulation by the Standards Committee; the lack of time available for MSPs to spend on Group activities; the possible merging of some Groups; and a re-statement of the principle that the Groups should be driven by the needs of MSPs to be briefed on specific areas.
Tricia Marwick’s report outlines the Hungarian, Canadian and European Commission guidelines on lobbying on which there were presentations at the conference in Budapest.
Subordinate Legislation Committee
Last week, the Committee
expressed concern at receiving the Executive response to its
comments on the Debt Arrangement & Attachment Bill
less than 48 hours before the stage 3 debate. This week, Tricia
Marwick (SNP) will take questions on her Proportional
Representation Bill.
Transport & the Environment
Committee
Last week’s meeting included private consideration of a budget
report, and evidence from Deputy Social Justice Minister,
Hugh Henry, on the Building Bill. Issues were
familiar:
Stage 2 of the Water Environment & Water Services Bill began with a debate on flooding. There is no disagreement that flood prevention needs to be improved, co-ordinated and strategically planned. Deputy Environment Minister, Allan Wilson, disagreed with some remedies proposed, since River Basin Planning is already intended to include flooding, but promised to bring forward an appropriate amendment. Other amendments dealt with how much detail on the new regulatory regime should be in the Bill.
This week, the Water Bill continues, along with private consideration of the Building Bill report.
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