SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER

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

SECTION 2 – NEWS

School for careless drivers
From this week careless drivers could pay to go back to driving school.

Launching the Scotland-wide driver improvement scheme, Justice Minister, Cathy Jamieson, described the move as a smart alternative to prosecution which would help make Scotland’s roads safer.

The scheme, which starts on 1st April 2004, will be self-financing with offenders picking up the tab for the course from their own pockets – a standard fee of £129 will be set across Scotland.

An evaluation of a pilot scheme in West Lothian found that it was an effective way of addressing behaviour amongst drivers charged with careless and inconsiderate driving offences (under section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988).

Full story

Rolling out Scottish welcome mat
The Highlands and Islands Convention was today told that everyone has a responsibility to ensure that tourists enjoy the “Scottish experience” again and again.  On the island of Arran, First Minister, Jack McConnell, told delegates that while a skilled, well organised industry is important, the warmth of the welcome and the quality of the overall experience is equally as vital in making Scotland a must visit, must return destination.

He also used the occasion to challenge more Scots to holiday or take short breaks in their own country.

The Convention of the Highlands and Islands is normally held twice a year and brings together the Executive, local authorities, local enterprise companies, area tourist boards and other institutions in the Highlands and islands. It is a forum for discussing a range of economic and social development matters of importance to the area.

Full Story

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

Business in the Chamber on WEDNESDAY begins with two opposition debates from the Conservatives on The Effect of Strip Stamps on the Whisky Industry and The Failure of the BBC to Hand Over Tapes to the Fraser Inquiry.

The former will concentrate on the decision in the recent Budget to introduce tax stamps, or “strip stamps”, on whisky and other spirits to combat duty fraud. Concern has been expressed over the compliance costs associated with the measure.  The government, however, maintains that funds will be invested in minimising the impact.  Being a reserved issue, however, it is unclear exactly what role the Scottish Parliament can play.

The latter raises the issue of the well publicised dispute around the refusal of the BBC to supply the Fraser Inquiry into the Holyrood Project with material from the programme entitled “The Gathering Place.” This Wark Clements production interviewed two key figures who sadly cannot give evidence to the inquiry: the late Donald Dewar and Snr Enric Miralles.  The refusal is based on a confidentiality agreement given by the programme makers to the interviewees concerned.  Others do not accept that this is binding and wish to see the BBC required, under section 23 of the Scotland Act 1998, to deliver such documents to the Parliament.

The day concludes with a Member’s Business debate on the London Olympic Bid from Alex Neil (SNP).

THURSDAY begins with a Ministerial Statement, the subject of which is to be announced.  Thereafter, proceedings are dominated by Stage 3 of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill.

The Bill proposes a new duty on local authorities to provide for the additional support needs of children. Its main purpose is to make provision for extra assistance in connection with the school education of children and young persons with additional support needs.  Its measures take account of wider factors which can affect the educational attainment of our children and so works to ensure that all pupils - regardless of their needs - can achieve their full potential and enjoy a positive, inclusive education.  It also promotes partnership working between agencies dealing with children such as education authorities, social work services and others, including parents.  In addition, the Bill seeks to involve children and young people in decisions affecting their own education and extends rights to young people (i.e. 16 and 17 year olds still at school).

The main provisions can be summarised thus:

1. Widening of support
This current definition of “special educational needs” which traditionally only applies to specific learning difficulties is expanded to “additional support needs”.  This new term takes account of social, behavioural, cultural and personal factors which may affect the educational attainment of children and young people either in the short or longer term.

The Bill will replace the Record of Needs (RON) document with a Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP) for pupils with multiple or complex needs who require services from several agencies to support their learning. The CSP will focus on aims for each pupil and the support required to achieve this. Unlike the RON, the CSP will be reviewed annually, or if a pupil's circumstances change.

2. New duties on education authorities and others
The Bill creates a duty on local authorities, health and social services to work together to develop integrated support for individual children. Parents will be provided with named contacts who offer information and advice. Parents will find it easier to liaise with the local authority and their child's school.

3. New rights for parents and pupils
The Bill will promote and support parental involvement in their child's education. Local authorities will have a duty to provide new mediation services for parents of all children with additional support needs and a new, more user-friendly, independent tribunal will be established to hear appeals relating to any part of the CSP, including the support it specifies. (There is no right of appeal against provision in the RON.) Placing requests will be extended to allow all parents of children with additional support needs to request a place at an independent special school. This is currently limited to pupils with a RON.

4. Planning for the future
Schools will devote adequate time to preparing for a pupil's life beyond the classroom, including liaison with other agencies to ensure continued support when the pupil transfers between schools and, most importantly, when they leave school.

Click here to read the Bill as amended at Stage 2
Click here to read the Explanatory Notes
Click here to read the Policy Memorandum

This is followed by First Minister’s Question Time.

In the afternoon, after Question Time (for the departments featured in the themed section this week, see Section 1 above), Stage 3 of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill is concluded.

The day is rounded off with a Member’s Debate on Nursery Nurses’ Pay and Conditions from Elaine Smith (LAB).

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