Scottish Parliament e-Brief

 Issue 11, 20^th March 2000

SECTION ONE - THIS WEEK’S BUSINESS

THE CHAMBER

Wednesday

• Stage 1 of the Standard’s in Scotland’s Schools etc. Bill
• Members’ Business: Lothian and Borders Police

Thursday

• SNP led debate. (TBC)
• Executive Questions
• First Minister’s Questions
• Executive Debate on Genetic Modification Science
• Members’ Business: Bus Corridors in Glasgow

For short briefings on the main debates, see section 3.

COMMITTEES BUSINESS

Audit

• Future Work Programme *
• Draft Committee Report *

Education, Culture & Sport

• Hampden Park
• Children (Leaving Care) Bill
• Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Bill – Evidence

Enterprise and Lifelong Learning

• Local Economic Development Inquiry – Evidence *
• Tourism Strategy
• Local Economic Development Inquiry – Final Report

Equal Opportunities

• Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Bill – Evidence
• Review of Evidence

European

• Review of the European Structural Fund Project Management
• Executives and their Relationship with the Scottish Executive and the role of the Project Monitoring Committees
• Remit of the Inquiry into European Structural Funds and their implementation in Scotland

Finance

• Inquiry into the finance functions of the Scottish Executive & Review of Evidence

Health & Community Care

• Community Care Inquiry – Evidence
• Joint Investment Funds
• Contacts from Outside Organisations

Justice & Home Affairs

• Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Bill

Local Government

• Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Bill *

Please note that Rural Affairs; Social Inclusion; Standards; and Subordinate Legislation committees will also be meeting.

* Session will be held in private

SECTION TWO - NEWS

NEWS FROM WESTMINSTER: INHERITED SERPS

Social Security Secretary Alastair Darling has announced measures to deal with the problem of misinformation regarding inherited SERPS.

In 1986 the government changed the terms of SERPS so that, from April this year, a husband or wife could inherit a maximum of half their spouse’s entitlement. It is clear that some people knew about the change but others did not.

• A leaflet issued in 1986 describing the change was withdrawn early in 1987 and replaced with one that did not. This was not corrected until 1996.
• Incorrect guidance to staff meant that incomplete or wrong information was given out for some time after that.

As a result, a number of people were misled and so could have lost out. It is therefore the responsibility of the current government to address the situation it inherited. Redress must be given where people were misinformed. Giving incomplete information is inexcusable. Government Departments have a clear responsibility to ensure the information they provide is accurate and complete.

The government is therefore setting up a special Inherited SERPS Scheme (ISS), which will protect the rights of people who have been misled and, had they known the true position, might have made different arrangements. It will be run by a unit separate from the Benefits Agency.

The policy change announced in 1986 and due to come into force in April 2000 will be postponed for 30 months until 6 October 2002. This will allow people to seek redress and have their claims assessed. Anyone who is widowed before that date will therefore not be affected by it.

To prevent this happening again, the Westminster government is making root and branch reforms to the Department of Social Security.

GALBRAITH PRAISES TEACHERS

At an awards ceremony in Edinburgh yesterday, Sam Galbraith congratulated Scottish teachers and set the tone for the forthcoming education debate. In praising their efforts, the Minister said:

"Your hard work across all areas of education is fully recognised and appreciated. You help them to develop their potential, give them knowledge and skills they need to be the confident, active and responsible Scots we all want to see.

"With the Education Bill and the work of the McCrone Committee we have a unique opportunity to shape the future in which we will acknowledge the value of good teaching to young people."

SECTION THREE - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S DEBATES

STANDARDS IN SCOTLAND’S ETC. BILL

The Executive is committed to improving standards in Scotland’s schools. The Standards in Scotland’s Schools Etc. Bill is a radical programme to improve the education of our children and will introduce greater transparency and accountability to our school system. The ultimate aim is to develop a school system which is fully inclusive, child-centred and offers opportunity for all.

The key points of the Bill are as follows:

• The right of every child to receive a school education from a local authority
• A duty on local authorities to provide education directed at the development of the personality, talents and mental and physical abilities of the child or young person to their fullest potential
• Involving parents in their children’s education, promoting family-centred learning, focusing on the needs of the child.
• Setting national priorities in education
• Extending the role of HMI to inspect education authorities on the basis of a Code of Practice
• Changes to the composition, operation and powers of the General Teaching Council.
• The abolition of the Scottish Joint Negotiating Committee
• A guarantee for pre-school provision for all three and four year olds.
• Improve School Boards to encourage partnership and participation.
• Repeal of legislation which allows state schools to opt out of local authority control.

The Standards in Scotland’s Schools Etc. Bill addresses commitments made both in the Labour Party’s 1999 Manifesto and in the Partnership Agreement.

GENETIC MODIFICATION SCIENCE

The Executive’s basic position is neither for nor or against GM, but in favour of public safety and public choice.

• No new GM foodstuffs have been licensed since the current government came to power;
• It was under Britain’s presidency of the EU that labelling for GM was introduced;
• The government negotiated a moratorium on commercial release of GM products with the major companies.
• The government, through the Cabinet Office, has put in place a rigorous, comprehensive and transparent regulatory framework. It is recognised that people have concerns. It is therefore important that we have an informed and balanced debate.
• At present, only four GM foods are licensed for sale in UK shops or restaurants – all of which were given licenses under the previous administration.
• The Executive is supporting the principle of consumer choice by ensuring that GM foods are properly labelled – since September 1999 labelling has been extended to catering premises. The government will continue to press for more comprehensive labelling of GM materials in Europe, and will continue to actively support the organic sector.
• Biotechnology should not be rejected out of hand – it has already produced life-saving vaccines, diagnostic tests and given us other health and environmental benefits. And GM crops do have the potential to bring improvements to crops, for example crops could be designed to survive in dry environments, or could be designed so that pesticide use could be decreased.
• The Executive is acting cautiously and on the best available science. There will be no general cultivation of GM crops unless the government is satisfied there will be no unacceptable effects on public health or the environment. There is now an agreement with the industry for no commercial planting of GM crops in the UK until at least 2002. This gives the government time to complete its rigorous scientific tests on the impact of GM crops on public health and the environment, before any commercial planting goes ahead. If in the course of these tests we discover that any GM crops damage our health or the environment more than conventional crops we will not allow commercial plantings to proceed.

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