Committee News
Issue 88, 10th December 2002
Audit Committee
This week the Committee will receive a briefing from the
Auditor General on the 2001/02 Water Authority Audits
and Dealing with Offending by Young People. The
papers show the main issue of concern in the Water Authority
Audits is the increase in debt across the three authorities
between 2000 and 2002, prior to the creation of Scottish Water.
The report on youth crime highlights problems with the speed of
the system and consistency across Scotland.
The Committee will also consider a possible Inquiry into the Water Authority Audits and its work programme up to the election.
Education, Culture & Sport Committee
This week the Committee will be looking at Mike Russell’s
(SNP) Gaelic Language Bill with evidence from
Professors MacKinnon and Meek, both of whom are members of the
Ministerial Advisory Group on Gaelic. Professor MacKinnon has
submitted evidence stating that to clear up anomalies "an
act is urgently needed which officially recognises Gaelic as a
national language of Scotland."
The Executive, however is not supporting the Bill. Its memorandum explains that it believes that support for the Bill would undermine the establishment of a Gaelic Language Board (Bòrd Gàidhlig na h-Alba), which should have the opportunity to consider any such legislation. It also believes that the geographical restrictions contained within the Bill would cause problems and are the subject of divisions within the Gaelic community.
The Committee will then continue its consideration of the Protection of Children Bill at Stage 2.
Enterprise & Lifelong Learning
Committee
This week the Committee will take evidence on its Inquiry
into tourism from Tourism Minister, Mike Watson;
Highlands and Islands Enterprise; Scottish Enterprise; and
VisitScotland. Scottish Enterprise has submitted a paper on the
issue of aviation. It suggests that effort must be directed at
developing traffic in the three areas of low fare flights to
"out of town" airports, city to city flights, and
conventional services feeding major hub airports.
A paper on the work programme outlines plans for hearings on the issues of science and the economy and the right choices for young people (focussing on skills gaps and entrepreneurship).
European Committee
Last week there were concerns about the transposition of
directives on GM and waste incineration. There was
evidence for the Committee’s Inquiry into corporate
social responsibility; and a request for more detail from the
Executive regarding the forthcoming Fisheries Council.
Finance Committee
Last week, the Committee elected Tom McCabe (LAB) to be its new
Convener, and welcomed Richard Simpson (LAB) back as a member.
The Committee then considered a paper on cross-cutting reviews. Members agreed that there should only be one review at a time, but that all Committee members should take part in it and that issues should be chosen for review because of their importance as policies, not just because of how much was spent on them.
Health & Community Care Committee
Last week, the Committee considered a number of petitions.
There were several petitions from a Mr James Mackie on issues
including autism and the side effects of psychiatric
drugs. The only one on which further action is being taken
concerns heavy metal poisoning and its relation to autism,
where the Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Executive
highlighting the Medical Research Council response to this
petition. The Council found no general concern about risk to the
population, but say further research with relation to its effect
on children is needed.
The Committee agreed to write to the Minister for further information as a result of petitions on consultation on siting a medium secure psychiatric unit in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area; health service provision in Fife; and on MMR. The last of these referrals requests the Executive's response to the Expert Group report. Consideration of a petition on chronic pain was delayed until receipt of the Executive's response to the chronic pain questionnaires.
In private, the Committee considered a draft report on GM crops.
This week the Committee takes evidence on Hepatitis C from the Expert Group on Financial and other Assistance and from Health Minister, Malcolm Chisholm. The papers include a letter from Lord Ross arguing that the Executive should make available lump sum financial payments and additional financial support to those who contracted Hepatitis C from blood transfusions. He argues that it is wrong for them to be treated differently from those who contracted HIV in the same circumstances.
Justice 1 Committee
Last week saw a discussion on prisons, with evidence
from Clive Fairweather amongst others - the purpose of which was
not clear.
This week sees stage 2 of the Title Conditions Bill and private discussion of the Council of the Law Society Bill. Two possible points of interest from the written papers:
Justice 2 Committee
Last week there were two more meetings on the Criminal
Justice Bill at stage 2. The first took evidence on two
subjects where amendments have been introduced. The first was
strengthening the law on wildlife crime, and this was consensual.
The second was sectarianism. The Association of Chief Police
Officers said that Donald Gorrie’s (Lib Dem) amendment on
religious aggravation would send a strong signal, but that it
would not add anything to existing law. Campaigners Nil by Mouth
were pressed on their case, that where sectarianism was a factor
in sentencing it should be identified as such. The Committee
emerged sceptical and will take further evidence this week.
The second meeting continued with amendments, with little controversy. There was sympathy for an amendment from Johann Lamont (LAB) increasing police powers to obtain information.
This week’s two meetings should conclude stage 2.
Local Government Committee
The Committee accepted subordinate legislation on the regulation
of postal ballots before moving on to consider the Public
Appointments & Public Bodies Bill at Stage 2. The SNP
members moved amendments that would have prevented members of the
House of Lords or those holding the somewhat ill-defined
‘high office’ in a political party from becoming the
Commissioner for Public Appointments but these were both
defeated. An amendment to remove the provision that the
commissioner would have to retire at 65 was however passed. A
long stream of amendments from Sandra White (SNP) giving further
prescription over the role of the commissioner were all defeated.
The Committee then moved on to look at allotments, taking evidence from Deputy Public Services Minister, Peter Peacock, who suggested that they offered benefits such as good health and the production of cheap, healthy food. A discussion characterised by a series of terrible horticultural puns covered planning regulations, the possibility of allotments receiving lottery funding and the possibility of allotment availability being advertised.
The Committee also published its stage 1 report on Keith Harding’s (CON) Dog Fouling Bill last week, recommending that Parliament approve its general principles.
This week the Committee will continue looking at the Public Appointments & Bodies Bill at stage 2 before deciding how to proceed with the Gaelic Language Bill, Renewing Local Democracy and Proportional Representation.
Procedures Committee
Last week the Committee continued its consideration of the
report on the Consultative Steering Group Inquiry, this
time considering power sharing. Specific issues included lack of
public understanding of the terms and respective roles of the
Executive, parliamentary bureau and the SPCB. The operation of
the parliamentary bureau was also discussed. This continues this
week.
Public Petitions Committee
Last week’s new petitions included those on
buses; on possible links between family break up and the ensuing
litigation and male suicide; on windfarms; on the legal rights of
children; and on complementary medicine within the NHS. The
Committee agreed to write to the Executive about the issues
raised in each case.
This week the Committee will be looking at one new petition only, on the topical issue of fishing. The Petition, on behalf of Save our Scottish Fishing Communities, calls on the Scottish Parliament to represent the interests of the Scottish fishing industry to ensure its long term survival.
Rural Development Committee
The Committee met in private last week to discuss its report
into the Agricultural Holdings Bill. The Report has
now been published with the majority of the Committee approving
the Bill’s general principles. The contentious issue was
again the right to buy. The majority of the Committee support the
pre-emptive right to buy and are sympathetic to the absolute
right, reserving judgement until stage 2 amendments have been
lodged.
Further contention looks probable this week with evidence taking on the Organic Targets Bill, followed by the Committee’s opportunity to decide on the subordinate legislation covering the Cairngorms National Park designation order.
The Committee will hear evidence on Organic Targets from Professor Hugh Pennington, organic producers, and the Minister. In written evidence, the producers offer strong support for the Bill, but Professor Pennington believes that the Executive would do better to take a broader approach to the aims of the Bill and focus on the processes involved in food production, rather than the outcomes. The Executive does not support the Bill on similar grounds. It argues that while it is committed to supporting the development of a prosperous and environmentally friendly organic sector, the Bill would be unworkable as it creates a duty for the Executive to attain targets, even though the attainment of these targets is outwith the Executive’s power.
The Committee will then take evidence on the Cairngorms National Park from Perth & Kinross Council, before considering the subordinate legislation that approves the designation order for the park. Perth & Kinross’s written evidence calls for the park boundaries to follow those proposed by Scottish National Heritage, a position that the Committee has previously supported. The convenor has selected an amendment to the motion to this effect, which regrets the exclusion of areas originally within the SNH’s proposals, and suggests that this may threaten the park’s World Heritage status.
Social Justice Committee
Last week’s meeting took evidence from Des McNulty (LAB)
on the Homelessness Bill. Next week’s meeting
will be entirely in private to discuss the Committee’s draft
report on the Bill.
Standards Committee
Last week, the Committee considered a report on the operation of Cross
Party Groups. It was felt that an independent view of this
issue would be desirable and the Committee decided to commission
external research. It is unlikely this will be completed before
the end of the parliamentary session, and so will be part of the
legacy the Committee will leave to its successors to act upon. It
is therefore unlikely there will be any changes to the code of
conduct this session.
In private, the Committee received an update on the recruitment process for the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner from the Convener. Also in private, the Committee considered a report from the Adviser on a Complaint. The Committee agreed to refer the report back to the Adviser for clarification.
Transport & the Environment
Committee
Last week the Water Environment & Water Service
Bill continued. The amendments and the voting were
extensive and complex, with all sides (with the exception of
Labour members) voting in different directions at different
times. The main topics, however, were the incorporation of
environmental objectives and the efficacy of river basin
planning. There was no real dissent from these ends - only the
means.
There was also evidence and discussion on the contentious designation order for the Cairngorms National Park. The Committee was only considering the planning powers, which will be shared between the local authorities and the National Park Authority (in all other parks the Authority controls all planning). The range of views was on show, from the National Trust who wish the Rural Development Committee to reject the order, to Highland Council who regard it as ‘an acceptable compromise’.
Aside from continuing with the Water Bill, this week the Committee moves on to Robin Harper’s (GRN) Organic Farming Targets Bill. This week’s evidence comes from conservation groups and will be strongly pro-organic, although Scottish Natural Heritage warn that extra resources for organic conversion should not come from within existing agri-environment schemes.
Other Committee Homepages:
Equal Opportunities Committee
Robin Rigg Offshore Wind Farm Committee
Subordinate Legislation Committee
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