Committee News
Issue 96, 18th February 2003
Audit Committee
At this week’s meeting, the Convener will report on the recent
meeting with members of the House of Commons Committee of Public
Accounts. The Committee will also consider a response from
the Scottish Executive on "Overview of the 2001/02 Water
Authority Audits". This highlights the modernisation of
water services through substantial investment. It also says
Scottish Water is working with local authorities on best practice
to improve collection rates for water charges.
There is also a response from the Executive on "Overview of Further Education Colleges 2000/01". This reports on significant progress made by Inverness College on its financial situation, and highlights increased investment. The Committee will then consider a report from the Scottish Executive outlining progress made on implementing the recommendations of the Audit Committee during the first term of the parliament, covering all but one of its reports before the end of 2002.
The Committee will take evidence on Dealing with Offending by Young People from Renfrewshire Council, children’s charities and SACRO. In the papers, CoSLA welcomes the new funding to tackle youth crime, but complains about the way it has been allocated. Barnardos argues against custodial sentences, as does NCH.
Education, Culture & Sport Committee
Last week’s meeting was mainly a private session to consider
a draft report on the Gaelic Language Bill.
This week, the Committee returns to the petition on the colour of the Saltire; it will also be considering whether to produce a ‘child friendly’ leaflet to accompany the Children’s Commissioner Bill, before returning to Gaelic and a draft report on the Purposes of Scottish Education.
European Committee
Last week’s meeting continued the Inquiry into Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR), with evidence from the European
Commission, and Enterprise Minister, Iain Gray. Worthy but
uneventful discussion focussed on the EU’s employment
strategy and the place of National Action Plans and CSR within
this. It became clear that CSR is a voluntary affair for the EU,
because member states are not unanimous in wishing to legislate.
The Commission highlighted Scotland’s Lifelong Learning
Strategy as an example of good practice. Iain Gray confirmed that
Scotland makes an input into the UK National Plan.
Other matters raised at the meeting were the ongoing investigation of the food supplements directive, and when it would be appropriate to discuss the current GATS round on services.
Finance Committee
The Committee took evidence at its last meeting on the budget
documents for 2003/04 from Deputy Finance Minister, Peter
Peacock. The stage 2 amendments were agreed to without divisions.
The Minister indicated that the right time to review the budget
process is after the elections, with a view to condensing the
process, while allowing maximum scrutiny. The Committee also took
evidence from the Minister on Outcome Budgeting. The
Executive agrees that Outcome Budgeting is desirable, but it may
take a long time to establish.
The Committee considered a report on the progress of the Holyrood Project and took evidence from Parliament Chief Executive, Paul Grice and others. They reported that the building is on course to be completed by November, although it will take some time after that to move in. Entry at the beginning of 2004 should be possible. There is also a high degree of confidence that the estimate of £324 million, which has not changed since the last report, should be the final figure.
In private, the Committee considered a draft report on its cross-cutting expenditure review on Children in Poverty.
Health & Community Care Committee
Last week, the Committee returned to stage 2 of the Mental
Health Bill, and once again consensus was the order of
the day. No divisions were required, with many amendments being
technical. The amendments were on the issue of patients subject
to criminal proceedings. Responding to a question from Margaret
Jamieson (LAB) on assessment and treatment of patients in this
situation, Deputy Health Minister, Mary Mulligan, said that
current legislation is being clarified by the Bill so that
patients who are detained for assessment under this process will
not be disallowed any treatment.
This week the Committee returns to stage 2 consideration.
Justice 1 Committee
This week’s meeting includes stage 2 of the Council
of the Law Society Bill; evidence on the alternatives
to custody Inquiry from the Sheriffs’ Association; and a
return to the petition from Grandparents Apart Self Help,
concerned with rights of access to grandchildren. The
Sheriffs’ Association in a written note confirms that it is
sceptical about and resistant to non-custodial sentences.
Justice 2 Committee
This week’s meeting largely consists of subordinate
legislation, including Regulation of Investigatory Powers which
caused comment at the Subordinate Legislation Committee regarding
the rank of police officer who can authorise surveillance –
although this is not the purpose of the instrument, which relates
to NHS fraud.
Local Government Committee
The Committee approved subordinate legislation agreeing the
amount paid to local authorities to reimburse their support of asylum
seekers.
The Committee also published their report into the Prostitution Tolerance Zones Bill last week. It concluded that, although it was not the intention of the Bill, there was a danger that it could be seen as indicating that local authorities should manage – and thus implicity accept – prostitution, and on that basis recommend that its general principles should be rejected. However it also argues that the evidence taken on the Bill showed that the current laws on prostitution are inadequate and calls on the Executive to conduct a full scale review of the issue.
Procedures Committee
Procedures met last week with the goal of finalising as much
of the text of the report on its Consultative Steering Group
Inquiry as possible, but will need to return to its
deliberations at the next meeting on 25th February.
There are still some areas of debate, particularly with regard to
tone and emphasis of aspects of the report.
There was good deal of debate over a section which refers to over-dominance by the Executive in the legislative programme. Ken Macintosh (LAB) argued this was over-critical, particularly in its context in the report. It was suggested that he could work with the clerk to relocate the offending section. There was also debate over the emphasis given to the role of the Civic Forum. There was discussion over proposals for giving Committees adequate time between the various stages of a bill for sufficient consideration. There was also discussion on standing orders for, and the timetabling of, debates. The Committee is keen that, within reason, no-one should be prevented from speaking when they have an opinion to air. It was agreed that there should be more time given to consider Sewel motions, and procedures to enable more notice of motions for debate were also discussed. The Committee returns to the draft report at its next meeting to make further progress towards concluding it.
Public Petitions Committee
Current petitions last week included sewage spreading, the
shooting of red deer, aphasia, suburbanisation, the prohibition
of the sale of memoirs by murderers or the families of murderers,
educational provision for deaf children, the lack of care homes
for young physically disabled people, early years education and
the use of PPPs in schools.
There were new petitions on personal expense allowances in care homes, amateur boxing, a ‘none of the above’ option on ballot papers, the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on psychiatric services in the NHS, and the proposed Robin Rigg wind farm. The Committee agreed to write to the relevant departments of the Scottish Executive in each case except the "none of the above option" which was referred to the Electoral Commission.
Rural Development Committee
The Committee went to Aberdeen last week to hear evidence on
the Scottish fishing industry. The first panel of
witnesses comprised representatives of the fishing industry
bodies. They restated their unhappiness with Commission’s
proposals, and emphasised the measures the Scottish fleet has
already taken, such as mesh size changes. They argued that the
Executive’s assistance package was too focussed on
decommissioning; there was also discussion of what to do with
quota allocations once boats have been decommissioned.
The second panel included witnesses from the Sea Fish Industry Authority, the North East Scotland Fisheries Development Partnership and the North Sea Commission Fisheries Partnership. These witnesses emphasised the financial impact of the Commission measures on communities in the North East of Scotland and argued that fishermen need to be more involved in fisheries management.
The final panel of witnesses comprised representatives from the ‘Cod Crusaders’, the Scottish Fish Merchants Federation and the Scottish Fishing Services Association who raised similar concerns but also emphasised that fishing support industries – such as yards – would need assistance.
More on fishing this week with evidence from Fishermen’s associations from Mallaig, Clyde and the Western Isles; Highlands and Islands Enterprise; the Association of Scottish Community Councils; Fife Fish Producers Associations; the European Commission; Rural Affairs Minister, Ross Finnie and his Westminster counterpart, Elliot Morley MP.
Social Justice Committee
Social Justice is meeting
this week to consider two pieces of subordinate legislation.
There is an affirmative instrument on the Housing Support
Grant Order which fixes the amount of Housing Support Grant
payable to certain local authorities for 2003-4 and a negative
instrument on the Housing Revenue Account General Fund
Contribution Limits: this provides that local authorities may
not include in their estimates for 2003-4 any contribution from
their general fund to their housing revenue account.
The Committee will then consider, in private, a draft report on Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation.
Subordinate Legislation Committee
One point from last
week’s meeting: where an instrument is subject to
annulment for forty days, but a Committee deals with it
within the forty days, can an individual MSP still move a motion
to annul up to end of the forty day period? No answer was found.
Transport & the Environment
Committee
This week sees the Inquiry into telecoms planning take
evidence from local authorities and others with a stake in the
planning process. The written evidence seems to confirm that
objections to masts on health grounds are strongest in affluent
areas such as East Dunbartonshire. The Royal Town Planning
Institute says that councillors who refuse permission because of
health concerns are doing so against scientific advice and often
against the advice of their officials.
Other business includes the petition on pollution in built-up areas (in other words, the Carntyne Incinerator); the status of the Gourock-Dunoon ferry route; and subordinate legislation approving Nitrate Vulnerable Zones.
Other Committee Homepages:
Commissioner for Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill Committee
Enterprise & Lifelong Learning Committee
Equal Opportunities Committee
National Galleries of Scotland Bill Committee
Robin Rigg Offshore Wind Farm Committee
Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) Bill Committee
Standards Committee
[ HOME ] [ News ] [ Articles ] [ Calendar ] [ Contacts ] [ Links ] [ E-Mail ]
[ Copyright ] [ UK Online ] [ Scottish Parliament ]