SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER

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

SECTION 2 – NEWS

Allocation of antisocial behaviour cash
The allocation of an additional £30 million to local authorities to tackle antisocial behaviour (ASB)was announced today.

Communities Minister Margaret Curran said she expected some of the money to be used to put in place services to:

·         Encourage people to report incidents of ASB;

·         Support them when they do; and

·         Help resolve neighbourhood disputes before they get out of hand.

Over the next two years, £20 million will go towards helping councils and their partners deliver the ASB strategies which are a requirement of the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Bill.  An additional £10 million will be used at national level to support local authorities through practical projects to pilot new approaches.

Full story

International Women's Day
New support services for women who have been trafficked into Scotland or made homeless because of sex abuse are among a number of projects to share around £5 million, it was announced today. Nearly 80 projects will receive cash to target women and children who have been raped, abused, exploited, sexually assaulted or who live with the threat of domestic abuse.

The money will be allocated over the next two years and comprises:

·         £3 million for domestic abuse services – 56 services for women and children;

·         £1.5 million for rape and sexual assault services – 21 services; and

·         £300,000 for Rape Crisis Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid.

Latest police statistics show that over 36,000 incidents of domestic abuse were reported in 2002 and the number of rapes or attempted rapes reported increased by 21% to 913 incidents that year.

Full Story

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

Business in the Chamber on WEDNESDAY is dominated by Stage 1 of the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Bill.

A Bill which has generated much public interest and comment, it aims to introduce a range of proposals designed to address the problems caused by antisocial behaviour in Scotland. These would include:

·         The extension of Antisocial Behaviour Orders to 12-15 year-olds;

·         New powers to designate areas from which the police can disperse groups; and

·         The extension of Restriction of Liberty Orders (RLOs) to under-16s.

The Bill also includes measures to give local authorities the power to implement a noise nuisance service for up to 24 hours, 7 days a week, as well as a more effective regime to tackle littering and fly-tipping.

Click here for more information on the Bill’s provisions.

In its Stage 1 report, the Communities Committee endorses the general principles of the Bill, with Convener, Johann Lamont, saying “the Committee is of the view that the legislation will help to provide respite to communities in Scotland suffering from persistent and unacceptable levels of antisocial behaviour.”

Green MSP, Patrick Harvie, dissented from the report and is reportedly planning to publish his own.

Click here to read the Bill as introduced
Click here to read the Health Committee’s Stage 1 Report in full
Click here to read the Explanatory Notes
Click here to read the Policy Memorandum

The day concludes with a Member’s Business debate on Commonwealth Day 2004 from Dr Sylvia Jackson (LAB).

THURSDAY is an opposition day sees 4 very short debates.

The first two are from Scottish Senior Citizens’ Unity Party and cover the topics of Pensioner Poverty and Concessionary Travel.  As is normal with opposition debates, the motions have not yet been published, leaving their exact focus – asides from what is obvious from the title - unclear.

The full text of both motions, however, will be published in the Business Bulletin in due course.

These are followed by two debates from the Scottish Socialist Party on Council Tax and Nursery Nurses.

As, unusually for opposition debates, both motions have been tabled, we know that the former calls for the replacement of the Council Tax with “an income-based alternative.”  Whether or not this will simply be a re-run of the almost annual “Scottish Service Tax” debate remains to be seen.  In the event that it is, see e-Brief 12 for more information.

The latter concerns the current pay dispute between some local authority nursery nurses and their employers and calls for a nationally negotiated settlement.

This is followed by First Minister’s Question Time.

In the afternoon, after the new-style Question Time (now featuring a themed section – this week sees Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Transport; and Justice and the Law Officers - followed by a shorter general section), there is an Executive debate on The Historic Environment.  In other words, “structures and places of historical, archaeological and architectural interest.”

Under the terms of the Public Appointments and Public Bodies (Scotland) Act 2003, a new Historic Environment Advisory Council for Scotland (HEACS) was created.  This is an advisory Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) the function of which is to provide Scottish Ministers with strategic advice on issues affecting the historic environment.

The HEACS came into being last June and, last July, its first members were appointed.  Its members are appointed for a period of three years.  At the time of the appointments, Tourism and Culture Minister Frank McAveety said that “the remit of HEACS is a far-reaching one and … the new Council will work in partnership with everyone who cares about our historic environment. 

“I look forward to receiving advice that will provide a valuable input to the decision making process. The historic environment is a varied and inter-dependent resource. I am sure that HEACS will have an important role to play in safeguarding its future.”

It is not known whether the debate will contain any announcements regarding the operation of the HEACS, or will simply allow MSPs to question the Executive on the progress which is being made.

The day is rounded off with a Member’s Debate on Maternity Services in Caithness from Rob Gibson (SNP).

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