Scottish Parliament e-Brief

Issue 118, 10^th June 2002

SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER

IN COMMITTEE
The likely highlights in the Committee Rooms this week include:

• Health discusses cancer services with Health Minister, Malcolm Chisholm, and specialists.
• Procedures hears from Minister for Parliamentary Business, Patricia Ferguson, on parliamentary questions, and considers Sewel motions.
• Equal Opportunities is to receive an explanation from Tommy Sheridan (SSP) for his failure ever to attend meetings.
• Justice 1 continues with the Prison Estates Review.
• Audit continues with the issues around the funding of FE colleges.
• Education takes evidence from major stakeholders on the purposes of education.
• Local Government hears from business organisations regarding the Local Government Bill.
• Rural Development continues considering integrated rural development.

SECTION 2 - NEWS

ABOLITION OF FEUDAL SYSTEM
The abolition of Scotland’s feudal system will be completed under proposals contained in the Title Conditions (Scotland) Bill introduced to the Scottish Parliament last week.

It aims to ensure the law relating to conditions and burdens on land contained in title deeds is modernised and simplified and will clarify the existing law to make it more accessible. It will also reform the law where it is uncertain or unsatisfactory.

The Bill will:

• Give Scotland a simplified framework for the ownership of property;
• Provide a majority rule system for communities where the title deeds do not provide a decision-making mechanism for the management and maintenance of common property;
• Help make the property registers more transparent and easier to use;
• Make it easier for property owners to remove restrictions on the use of their property; and
• Complete the process of feudal abolition.

The Bill is expected to receive Royal Assent by early Spring 2003 and is the second stage in the Executive’s programme of property law reforms, following the Abolition of Feudal Tenure Act 2000. The two pieces of legislation are very closely related and they will be commenced at the same time. Land which was previously held under feudal tenure will then be absorbed into the system of ordinary, outright ownership. A further Bill to reform the law of the tenement will be brought forward in due course.

Full Story

EDUCATION FOR CITIZENSHIP IN SCHOOLS
Pupils are to learn about their rights and responsibilities as citizens as part of the school curriculum.

Recommendations made in the Education for Citizenship in Scotland report, which have been endorsed by the Executive, will form the basis for a national framework on education for citizenship for young people aged 3 to 18.

Recommendations include:

• A development programme to provide guidance and support on matters such as teaching and learning, assessment and approaches to evaluation of provision;
• Identification of needs for pre-service education and continuing professional development;
• Support for networking and information exchange and for the promotion of partnership across sectors; and
• Systematic national monitoring, evaluation and reporting on progress.

The Executive asked Learning and Teaching Scotland to produce a national statement and associated guidance on education for citizenship. The principal focus was on clarifying the role of formal education (pre-school and school) in equipping young people aged 3-18 as citizens. A national Review Group was established. This carried out a wide-ranging consultation to obtain views from education authorities, schools, pupils, educationalists and the general public.

Full Story

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

Chamber Business returns to its usual format this week and begins on WEDNESDAY with a short debate on Stage 1 of the University of St Andrews (Postgraduate Medical Degrees) Bill.

A Private Member's Bill from Lib Dem, Iain Smith, this short (a mere 2 clauses) and simple Bill will amend the Universities (Scotland) Act 1966 to allow the University of St Andrews to grant postgraduate medical degrees.

Although a technical drafting issue has been raised, this will be dealt with at Stage 2. The debate, therefore, is likely to be uncontroversial.

Click here to read the Bill as introduced
Click here to read the Explanatory Notes
Click here to read the Policy Memorandum

This is followed by an Executive Debate on The Value of Participation in Sport in Increasing the Quality of Life in Scotland.

This comes after last week's announcement that a National Physical Activity Co-ordinator (or "Fitness Tsar") has been appointed in a bid to encourage improved activity levels across all age and social groups in Scotland.

The move followed a report by the Physical Activity Task Force which highlighted alarming rates of inactivity and set out recommendations for how to tackle the problem. At the same time, a campaign entitled Let's Make Scotland More Active has been launched.

The Task Force, chaired by Scotland ex-rugby international and journalist, John Beattie, found that:

• More than 70% of women and almost 60% of men were not active enough for health, i.e. they were not building up 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week;
• 27% of boys and 40% of girls are not active enough to meet the recommended 60 minutes of accumulated moderate activity on most days; and
• Scotland’s level of physical inactivity is the most common risk factor in our rates of coronary heart disease in Scotland, a disease which currently affects half a million Scots a year and lead to 12,400 deaths in 2000.

Conversely, it stressed that benefits of physical activity, include longer life, better general health, decreased risk of obesity, type II diabetes, and weight problems, better mental health and fewer sick days.

To tackle poor activity levels and help achieve the target of 50% of adults aged over 16 and 80% of children aged 16 and under meeting the recommended levels of physical activity by 2022, the Task Force recommends the following measures:

• Appointment of a National Physical Activity Co-ordinator (Mary Allison is to be the first Co-ordinator);
• A review of the status and content of the PE curriculum and the resources available for its delivery;
• Giving young people access to a range of physical activities including play, sports, dance, exercise, outdoor activities, active travel, such as walking and cycling, and encouraging them to be active in daily tasks in and around school;
• Personal counselling through family health services to help adults become more active, including referral to appropriate activities;
• Giving incentives to employers to promote physical activity among their employees; and
• Providing self-help resources and staff to support people in later life who are frail but living at home.

Click here to read the Report in full
Click here to read "Let's Make Scotland More Active" in full

The day ends with a debate on the Sale and Use of Fireworks from Shona Robison (SNP).

THURSDAY begins with two opposition debates from the Conservative Party: the first on Youth Justice and the second on Education.

While neither motion has yet been published, it is possible that the latter will focus on schools. Beyond that, no further information is available.

The text of both motions, however, will appear in the Business Bulletin shortly. The full transcript of the debate will be available online from 08:00 on Thursday.

In the afternoon, after Question Time and First Minister's Question Time, there is an Executive debate on Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.

Again, at the time of writing the motion has not been published. However, this issue has been extensively discussed at the European Committee and it is likely that the same issues (protecting fish stocks and the fishing industry), together with subjects such as the fish processing industry, will be raised.

As always, though, the text of the motion will appear in the Business Bulletin shortly and the full transcript of the debate will be available online from 08:00 on Thursday.

The day is rounded off by a Member's Business Debate on Epilepsy from Labour's Gordon Jackson.

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