Scottish Parliament e-Brief
Issue 177, 10^th November 2003

SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER

IN COMMITTEE
This week’s likely highlights in the Committee Corridors include:

SECTION 2 – NEWS

Economic development framework
The Executive is to revisit and refresh the Framework for Economic Development in Scotland (FEDS), it has been announced.

Scottish Ministers believe that the principles of FEDS remain the right ones for economic development in Scotland and that there is no need to re-write or re-invent any of its fundamental principles.

However, it is recognised that both the domestic and international economic and policy contexts have moved on in the period since it was published in 2000. It is therefore intended to revisit and, if necessary, refine the Framework to reflect such changes and bring the analysis that supports these principles up to date.

The Way Forward: Framework for Economic Development in Scotland can be downloaded from the Scottish Executive website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/economics/feds-00.asp

Full story

Top team for financial strategy group
The senior level group charged with delivering a strategy for Scotland’s financial services sector has been unveiled.

The Financial Services Strategy Group is aimed at ensuring the long-term success of the financial services industry, which directly employs around 100,000 people – some 4.5% of the working population.

The group comprises:

The first meeting if the Strategy Group will take place later this month, at which it is expected to consider and agree its terms of reference and timeframes.

Full Story

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

WEDNESDAY begins with a Ministerial Statement, the subject of which remains to be announced.

Full details, however, will be available from the Official Report on Thursday.

This is followed by a debate from the Justice 1 Committee on the report of its Inquiry into Alternatives to Custody.

Published in March 2003, the Committee report explores the types of offenders currently being imprisoned and the alternatives available.

The Committee finds that short term prison sentences offer only limited opportunities for rehabilitation.  It also concludes that community alternatives to custody should be actively promoted and resourced for minor offences where a longer sentence is clearly inappropriate, particularly for three groups of offenders:

1)     The Committee believes that very few people should be sent to prison for fine default, especially where the original offence could not in itself have led to a custodial sentence.

2)     The Committee recommends that more residential bail schemes should be made available as an alternative to remanding people in custody, although remand should continue to be used where someone represents a danger to the public, or where there are concerns that bail conditions will be breached.

3)     Evidence was heard that there are a substantial number of women imprisoned in Scotland who should not necessarily be there as they do not represent a danger to the public. The Committee agrees with this view.  The lack of appropriate programmes and facilities in the community was cited in evidence as the main reason for these women being sent to prison. The Committee therefore welcomes the Executive's commitment to fund the development of such programmes, and also believes that adequate residential places for women offenders should be provided across Scotland.

In addition to existing alternative sentences, the Committee supports mediation and restorative justice projects. These projects can demonstrate to the community where the offence was committed that action is being taken, and they allow offenders opportunities to face up to the impact of their crimes.

There are five main alternatives to custody available to the courts in Scotland: 1) probation orders; 2) community service orders; 3) restriction of liberty orders; 4) drug treatment and testing orders (DTTOs); and 5) supervised attendance orders.

In 2001 Scotland imprisoned 121 people per 100,000 of population. In Western Europe only England and Portugal, where numbers imprisoned are falling, show higher imprisonment rates.

Click here to read the report in full

The day is rounded off with a Member’s Business debate on Access to Terrestrial TV Channels in Rural Areas from the Lib Dem, John Farquhar Munro.

THURSDAY morning is dominated by an Executive debate on Reforming Child Protection in Scotland.

Plans to strengthen and accelerate child protection reforms were outlined on 5^th November 2003 by Minister for Education and Young People, Peter Peacock.  The Minister recently updated Cabinet colleagues on the work which has taken place since the publication of the audit and review of child protection in Scotland - Its Everyone's Job to Make Sure I'm All right.

The Executive is committed to a three year child protection reform programme and has recruited professionals from the various disciplines to help develop and deliver this. Within the programme, the Executive has already been:

• Working with Save the Children in the development of a Children’s Charter to be published later in the year;
• Undertaking a huge consultation exercise with practitioners, managers, the voluntary sector, professional bodies and parent groups on multi-disciplinary standards for child protection which should be published around the turn of the year;
• Considering the possible future role and remit for Child Protection Committees and how they might help drive forward the change agenda.  It is planned to publish the outcome early in the New year;
• Considering the multi-disciplinary inspection programme needed to provide assurance that outcomes for children are improving; and
• Ensuring lessons are learned from the various reports and inquiries into situations where, tragically, things have gone wrong.

This is followed by First Minister’s Question Time.

In the afternoon, after Question Time, there is an Executive debate on Celebrating 150 Years of Public Libraries in Scotland.

While the motion has not yet been published, the debate is likely to centre around the place of the public library service in the 21st Century – not just the traditional book lending service, but its new roles in helping deliver the People's Network.  This is a programme which offers the public free access to computers and the Internet and supports the National Grid for Learning, the University for Industry and other lifelong learning initiatives.

As always, the motion will be published in the Business Bulletin in due course and the full transcript of the debate will be available in the Official Report on Friday.

The day closes with a Member’s Debate on Women’s Social and Political Union from Labour’s Cathy Peattie.

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