Scottish Parliament e-Brief
Issue 180, 1^st December 2003

SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER

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

SECTION 2 – NEWS

New law on mobile phones
Transport Minister, Nicol Stephen, today welcomed new safety measures which come into force across the UK banning motorists from using hand held mobile phones when driving.

The Department for Transport's new regulation makes it a specific offence for a driver to use a hand-held phone, or similar device.

Initially drivers will be subject to a £30 fixed penalty or up to £1,000 on conviction in court.

Full story

Dublin waterfront visit
Scotland's Communities Ministers will be in Dublin today to look at the Irish capital's ambitious waterfront regeneration project and to discuss planning issues with their Dail counterparts.

Margaret Curran and her Deputy, Mary Mulligan, are to visit the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, where they will hear about and see evidence of major regeneration projects in the fastest growing area in Ireland.

The Ministers will also visit the Ballymun area of the city, a 1960s housing development which is undergoing comprehensive regeneration, and An Bord Pleanala, the Irish equivalent of the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit.  The day will conclude with attendance at a St Andrew's Day Reception for a visiting Scottish Trade Delegation.

Full Story

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

WEDNESDAY begins with an Executive debate on Modernising Access to Legal Advice, Information and Representation.

Scottish Ministers are committed to modernising legal aid, to streamlining the criminal justice system and pursuing an active access to justice agenda.  In recent years, a number of moves have been undertaken with the aim of realising these goals.

Last May, for example, it was announced that recommendations from a Working Group set up to look at current provision of legal advice and information across the country were to be implemented. This meant laying the foundations for a community legal service for Scotland by:

• The creation of three pilot partnerships, one in a rural area, to look at local advice needs and service provision and seek to tailor supply to demand;
• A national survey of current provision and supply of legal advice and information;
• A review of the advice and assistance scheme operated by the Scottish Legal Aid Board; and
• A review of service delivery mechanisms using IT and outreach services.

Also, in October this year, a six-month review of legal aid provision (which costs the Scottish public purse up to £150 million a year: two-thirds of it criminal legal aid) was announced at a joint Law Society and Scottish Legal Aid Board Conference. The strategic review is aimed at improving efficiency in the delivery of legal aid in all its forms and covers the role, functions and powers of the Board, as well as the role of all those involved in the delivery of publicly funded legal advice.

The day concludes with a Member’s Business debate on the subject of the Galloway Fisheries Inshore Exclusion Zone from the Conservatives’ Alex Fergusson.

THURSDAY morning sees two opposition debates from the SNP on the topics of The Financial Powers of the Parliament and European Parliament Seat Numbers.

As is normal with opposition debates, their precise focus is not yet known as the motions have not been published.  However, it can be surmised that the former is likely to reiterate the SNP’s call for the Parliament’s financial powers to be extended and the latter is likely to be a re-run of last Wednesday’s Member’s Business Debate of the same title.

The motions will, as always, be published in the Business Bulletin in due course and full transcripts of both debates will be available from the Official Report on Friday.

This is followed by First Minister’s Question Time.

In the afternoon, after Question Time, there is an Executive debate on Protecting Bathing Water Quality.

The results of the 2003 bathing season, announced by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in September, show that 95% of designated bathing waters meet the mandatory standard of the Bathing Water Directive and over 60% meet the higher guideline standard – the best ever.

While Deputy Environment Minister, Allan Wilson, at the time welcomed the improvement in the quality of Scotland's bathing waters, he warned against complacency.  He said that, working with SEPA, Scottish Water, industry and the agricultural sector, the Executive wanted to see continued improvement in the quality of Scotland's water environment, adding:

"Our goal must be to see all of Scotland's bathing waters meet the mandatory standards. Substantial investment made by Scottish Water as part of the recently announced capital programme is improving the sewerage infrastructure. Considerable effort and resources invested by SEPA and the agricultural community continue to help reduce diffuse pollution. Together these initiatives will help us to meet that objective."

The bathing season runs from 1^st June to 15^th September in Scotland.  SEPA monitors water quality at the 60 designated bathing waters by taking weekly samples.  These need to meet minimal criteria, which are laid down in the Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC).

The day is rounded off with a Member’s Debate on Unity Enterprise Glasgow Airport from Labour’s Trish Godman.

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