Scottish Parliament e-Brief

Issue 19, 15^th May 2000

SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER

Wednesday 17^th May

• Executive Business: Debate on the Regeneration of Glasgow
• Statement on Agricultural Holdings White Paper
• Members Business: Epilepsy (Mike Watson)

Thursday 18^th May

• Executive Business: Debate on Community Care
• Question Time
• Ministerial Statement: Subject TBA
• Stage 1 of the Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Amendment (Scotland) Bill
• Members Business: Slopping Out in Scottish Prisons (Dorothy Grace-Elder)

For briefings on the main debates, see section 3. More detailed briefings are available on request.

COMMITTEE BUSINESS

Justice and Home Affairs

Draft Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Bill. The Committee will take evidence on the general principles of the draft Bill from:

• Assistant Chief Constable Graeme Pearson and Detective Chief Superintendent Gordon Irving, Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland;
• Jim McLean, Convener of the Intellectual Property Committee;
• Murray Macara, Criminal Law Committee, Michael Clancy, Director, and Anne Keenan, Deputy Director, Law Society of Scotland.

Draft Bail, Judicial Appointments etc. (Scotland) Bill: The Committee will take evidence on the general principles of the draft Bill from Professor Christopher Gane, University of Aberdeen.

Education, Culture & Sport

Standards in Scotland's Schools etc. Bill: The Committee will consider the Bill at Stage 2 (Day 5).

European

Inquiry into European Structural Funds and their implementation in Scotland: The Committee will take evidence from:

• Dr Gillian Bristow and Dr Nigel Blewitt, Institute of Welsh Affairs (Sefydliad Materion Cymreig)
• Councillor Christine May, Convention of Scottish Local authorities
• Manfred Beschel and Tim Figures, Directorate-General for Regional Policy, European Commission

Convener's Report: The Convener will report to the Committee on:

• Response from the Scottish Executive on the Committee's Report into Objective 2 Plans
• Response from the Scottish Executive on the Committee's Report into Programme Management
• Executive's Correspondence received from Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission
• Proposal to meet a delegation from Norbotten and Westerbotten, Sweden (25th May)
• Referral by the Presiding Officer of the invitation from Clare Short MP, Secretary of State for International Development, to comment on the forthcoming second White Paper on International Development

Local Government

Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Bill: The Committee will take evidence from Scottish Enterprise

Social Inclusion, Housing & the Voluntary Sector

Inquiry into Drug Misuse and Deprived Communities: The committee will take evidence from the Scottish Prison Service from:

• Nick Royle (SPS Drugs Strategy Co-ordinator)
• Kate Donegan (Governor, HMI Cornton Vale) Kennedy Roberts (Medical Officer, HMI Cornton Vale).

The committee will take evidence from the Association of Chief Police Officers (Scotland) from:

• James Orr (Director, Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency)
• Colin McKerracher, (Assistant Chief Constable, Strathclyde Police).

Also Meeting: Finance; Enterprise and Lifelong Learning; Subordinate Legislation; Rural Affairs; Health and Community Care.

Copies of agendas / minutes will be available from the office as soon as they are published.

SECTION 2 - NEWS

2.4% GROWTH IN GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT IN SCOTLAND

In the 4 quarters to 1999 Q4, Gross Domestic Product (including the extraction of oil and gas) in Scotland rose by 2.4 per cent from the level in the 4 quarters to 1999 Q4. The average growth in GDP between 1990 and 1999 was 2.2 per cent.

GDP (excluding the extraction of oil and gas) fell by 0.1 per cent from 1999 Q3 and rose by 2.4 per cent in the 4 quarters to 1999 Q4, from the level in the 4 quarters to 1998 Q4. The equivalent UK figures were 0.8 per cent and 1.8 per cent, respectively.

In the four quarters to 1999 Q4, output in the Scottish service sector rose by 2.4 per cent, compared with 2.8 per cent in the production sector, and 2.6 per cent in construction. The equivalent figures for the UK were 2.4 per cent (services), 0.5 per cent

Commenting on the figures, Enterprise Minister, Henry McLeish, said

"I am pleased to see the Scottish economy has grown over the last year. This growth has been at a faster rate than in the UK.

"Over the year to December 1999 Scotland's Gross Domestic Product increased by 2.4 per cent, with all industries showing positive growth over this time.

"In particular, retailing and wholesaling, and financial services both achieved substantial rates of growth and the construction industry continued to recover.

"In acknowledging the slight fall in output from the third to the final quarter in 1999, the Scottish Executive will continue working to help deliver continuous growth across all sectors of the economy."

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON DEBATES THIS WEEK

COMMUNITY CARE

Community care refers to two things:

1. A social work philosophy based around empowering people to live as normal a life as possible in their own homes or in a homely setting. Community care is now the way in which social work departments deliver their services to adults. The starting point is an individual assessment of each person’s needs.
2. The legislative and funding regime introduced by the NHS & Community Care Act 1990. This was the same act that introduced the internal market into the NHS.

The Executive has:

• Published a Carers’ Strategy, in November 1999, which amongst other things doubled the amount of money available for carers’ services, particularly respite care, to £10 million a year.
• Established a new Joint Futures Group on community care forming part of the Executive’s plans for responding to the Royal Commission on Long Term Care.
• The Action Plan to Modernise Community Care sets out ways in which agencies can work together to secure better and faster results and £5 million of Grant Aided Expenditure has been allocated to local authorities on the basis of their response to the Action Plan in this financial year.
• Resource Transfers are in operation from health boards to local authorities, to assist in the financing of care in the community. At least £115 million of transfers is predicted for this financial year.
• Through the Warm Deal, the Executive is investing millions in the homes, mainly of older people. In addition, £300,000 extra money over 3 years has been committed to help older people and people with disabilities remain in their own homes through the Care and Repair scheme.
• The Learning Disability Review will improve the quality of life enjoyed by people with learning disabilities

STAGE 1 DEBATE ON THE SEA FISHERIES (SHELLFISH) AMENDMENT (SCOTLAND) BILL

The Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Amendment (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Parliament by Tavish Scott on 8^th March 2000 as a member’s bill.

The Bill seeks to amend section 7(4) of the Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Act 1967. The Bill states:

In section 7 of the Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Act 1967 (c.83) (protection of fisheries), in subsection (4)(a), after sub-paragraph (11) there is inserted:

"or (iii) in the case of several fishery, an implement of a type specified in the order and so used as not to disturb or injure in any manner shellfish of the description in question."

The bill has a single purpose: to amend section 7(4) of the Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Act 1967 to permit Scottish Ministers to authorise the use by fishermen of non-damaging types of fishing gear such as creels in areas covered by Several Fisheries Orders.

As the Act currently stands: a shellfish farmer seeking a Several Order to allow him to farm shellfish in a designated area can often encounter opposition from fishermen who fish in the area.

Fishermen will oppose because, once the Several Order for farming shellfish is issued, all fishing is banned within the area covered, regardless of whether or not the fishing operations damage the interests of the shellfish farmer.

This amendment would allow: Scottish Ministers to issue a Several Order which allows the continuation of ‘specified non-damaging fishing operations’ such as the use of creels, within the area covered by the Order.

The aim of the bill: is to avoid unnecessary and avoidable conflicts of interest between shellfish farmers and fishermen.

In other words this is a straightforward bill which will allow shellfish farmers and fishermen to share an area of seabed as long as they do not harm the interests of the other.

No costs are expected for the Executive, local authorities or any other bodies.

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