Scottish Parliament e-Brief

Issue 129, 2^nd September 2002

SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER

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

• Justice 1 begins consideration of the Title Conditions Bill.
• Justice 2 continues with stage 2 of the Land Reform Bill.
• Audit discusses the review of the management of waiting lists.
• Education has an item on the Protection of Children Bill, plus the petition calling for more support for the Scottish film industry.
• Local Government discusses the Public Appointments & Public Bodies Bill.
• Rural Development’s integration Inquiry hears from Enterprise Minister, Iain Gray.
• Enterprise receives a presentation on international levels of support for tourism industries.
• Social Justice considers in private its stage 1 report on the Debt Arrangement & Attachment Bill.
• Transport hears from private businesses on the Water Environment & Services Bill.

SECTION 2 - NEWS

NEW RIGHTS FOR SCOTLAND'S CARERS
New legal rights to ensure Scotland's many thousands of unpaid carers get the help and support they need have come into force.

At present, carers can only have their own needs assessed when the person they are caring for is being assessed. Now, under the Community Care and Health Act 2002, they will be entitled to an assessment whenever they want, regardless of whether the cared for person is being assessed.

Other key points of the new system include:

• Young carers now have the same right to an assessment (formerly those under 16 did not);
• Local authorities have a duty to tell carers of whom they are aware of their entitlement to assessment;
• Local authorities are required to recognise the care which a carer is providing and to listen to the views of the carer in deciding what additional care services to provide and not to take the carer's contribution for granted;
• Ministers have the power to require NHS Boards to put strategies in place for informing cares about their rights.

"Carers" are defined as people who support or look after family, partners or friends in need of help as a result of illness, frailty or disability. They are not paid for providing this care.

The new rights introduced by the Act apply to any carer who provides or intends to provide "a substantial amount of care on a regular basis". Local authority social work staff can interpret this definition locally and in the light of each individual carer's role and circumstances.

For more information, call the carers helpline on 0800 22 44 88.

Full Story

INTERNATIONAL OUTLOOK CAN FOSTER CHANGE
In a major speech in Johannesburg during the World Summit on Sustainable Development, First Minister Jack McConnell has said that bad habits can be changed if people become more environmentally aware.

Conceding that Scotland had to do more to improve its performance towards sustainable development, he condemned the injustice of the gap between developed and developing worlds as something which was totally unacceptable.

He said:

"We in Scotland will not be all that we can be unless we lift our eyes to the horizon and look beyond our own set of circumstances.

"There has been a perception that environmental issues are about things that don’t really matter when you are faced with the daily reality of poverty. Being concerned about the environment was considered a luxury for the middle classes.

"But, in fact, environmental concerns are about the serious issues people are living with all around the world. And in Scotland today – people are still living next to polluting factories, landfills and opencast mines.

"But the greatest environmental injustices are between the developed and the developing world.

"There is injustice internationally which those of us who believe in a fairer distribution of power, wealth and opportunity cannot and will not accept.

"Ultimately we are all interdependent, we share the same planet and the actions of one will matter to others."

Mr McConnell is on a three-day visit to South Africa. He has visited the Mountain of Hope project at Soweto, where a rubbish dump is being converted into vegetable gardens, and held a reception for residents of Scottish origin.

After delivering his environmental justice speech, he is due to visit Banareng Primary School in the township of Mamelodi, near Pretoria. Pupils at the school have links with their counterparts at Dunkeld, where the Scottish eco-schools programme is being launched today.

Full text of First Minister's speech

Full Story

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

WEDNESDAY, and the last Parliamentary session before the 2003 election, begins with an Executive Debate on Scottish Water Supplies and Public Health.

This follows two news stories regarding the quality of drinking water in Scotland in recent months: the contamination of water supplies in Glasgow and the decision by East Dunbartonshire Council to reject a proposal for a new £100m water treatment plant at Mugdock Reservoir, near Milngavie.

As regards the latter, Scottish Water will be appealing East Dunbartonshire Council's decision to the Scottish Executive. It is therefore likely that MSPs on both sides of the argument will take this opportunity to put their case to the Minister.

The day concludes with a Member’s Business debate on Attacks on Emergency Services from Labour's Karen Gillon.

THURSDAY begins with a Ministerial Statement on the Prisons Estates Review.

Published in March of this year, the review contained a number of controversial proposals. This statement follows the consultation on these proposals, which saw a sustained campaign from those opposed to closing Peterhead Prison.

While some movement on this topic is expected, no concrete information will be available until the Minster makes his statement.

This is followed by an Executive debate on the Fuel Poverty Statement.

Published last month, the statement sets a target of reducing the number of people living in fuel poverty (people who, in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime, require to spend more than 10% of their income on all household fuel use) by 30% within the next 4 years.

The target draws on advice provided by the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group, which was established earlier this year by the Scottish Executive.

Although since 1999 over 140,000 homes have been improved under the Warm Deal and since 2001 almost 10,000 central heating systems have been installed under the Central Heating Programme, the Executive says there is more to do and has already made a commitment to end fuel poverty within 15 years. The purpose of this latest statement is to set out how the Executive will work with its partners to build on what has been achieved to date.

This includes, for example, encouraging and supporting public / private partnerships, like the Dundee Community Energy Partnership, and supporting work such as Transco's awareness training for front-line staff.

Click here to read the Fuel Poverty Statement in full

In the afternoon, after Question Time and First Minister's Question Time, there is an Executive debate on Throughcare and Aftercare of Looked After Children.

At the time of writing, however, the motion has not been published and no further details are available.

The full text of the motion will appear in the Business Bulletin in due course and a transcript of the debate will be available in the Official Report from 08:00 on Friday.

The day concludes with a Member's Business debate on NHS Dental Services in Moray from the SNP's Margaret Ewing.

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