Scottish Parliament e-Brief
Issue 20, 22nd May 2000
SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK
THE CHAMBER
Wednesday 24th May
Thursday 25th May
For briefings on the main debates, see section 3. More detailed briefings are available on request.
COMMITTEE BUSINESS
Many committees are still considering next year’s budget. However, some of this week’s highlights are likely to be:
Also Meeting:
Transport and the Environment; Rural Affairs; European; Finance; Education, Culture & Sport; Public Petitions; Subordinate Legislation.
Copies of agendas / minutes will be available from the office or the Scottish Parliament website as soon as they are published.
SECTION 2 - NEWS
ADULT BASIC EDUCATION MUST TAKE CENTRE STAGE SAYS HENRY MCLEISH
The Scottish Executive is committed to improving adult basic education and ensuring everyone has the skills to play a full role in Scottish society and the economy, Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, Henry McLeish said today.
Speaking at the launch of Adult Learners Week, Mr McLeish welcomed the goals set by the organisers. These are to increase access to information, advice and guidance, while stimulating the participation of men, women and families in different forms of learning.
Mr McLeish said:
"I am committed to creating a learning nation in Scotland. A nation where everyone has access to learning throughout their lives.
"We live in a time where the workplace is changing rapidly and where advances in technology change the way we do business daily. It is vital that people are able to learn new skills and update old ones in order to play a full role in the Scottish economy.
"The Scottish Executive has already announced the creation of 'Learndirect Scotland', the Scottish University for Industry. This will be made up of learning centres in libraries, football clubs, community centres and other local facilities. People can access a variety of courses from IT to accountancy to languages through these learning centres. This is a central part of the drive to encourage Scots to take part in learning.
"Learning is for all. Without a skilled and knowledgeable workforce, Scotland will not be able to compete in the fiercely competitive global marketplace. With it we can be up there with the best.
"Adult Learners Week has an important role to play in getting out information, advice and guidance to people needing help to improve their skills and increasing participation in learning.
"I wish every success to the first of two Adult Learners weeks in 2000 and everyone taking part in learning projects throughout Scotland."
Adult Learners Week in Scotland runs from 20th – 26th May 2000 and is coordinated by Community Learning Scotland. It is intended to cover all aspects of adult learning from family learning, vocational and non-vocational. The week will take on a variety of forms from celebrations to promotions throughout Scotland.
CHILDREN'S COMMISSIONER FOR SCOTLAND - DEBATE MOVES ON
Would a Children's Commissioner help to protect children's rights and promote their interests? That's the question Minister for Children and Education Sam Galbraith has asked the Scottish Parliament's Education Culture and Sport Committee to consider.
Emphasising that he has an open mind on the issue, Mr Galbraith, who has submitted a memorandum to the Committee to assist its consideration, said:
"Protecting the rights and promoting the interests of our children is not a matter about which we can be complacent. One suggestion that has been made for further improvement is to appoint a Commissioner for Children in Scotland. This is a potentially interesting suggestion and that is why I asked the Education, Culture and Sport Committee to consider it. I am delighted that the Committee has decided to look at the matter in some detail. I hope there will be a wide debate on the issue.
"To start that debate I have sent a memorandum to the Committee looking at this matter. The memorandum submitted today discusses a range of issues that the Committee may want to take account of when considering the case for a Children's Commissioner for Scotland.
"We have an open mind on whether there would be merit in such a development. But the memorandum draws out both the potential roles that a Commissioner could undertake and the complexities there might be in setting up such a post. Clearly if it were decided to create a Children's Commissioner we would want to be sure that this brought added value to existing structures for looking after children's rights and interests. It would also make sense to re-examine funding for existing bodies - including voluntary bodies - to ensure that none of it was being duplicated."
Mr Galbraith wrote to Mary Mulligan MSP, Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament on 10th January this year, seeking the Committee's views on the establishment of a Children's Commissioner. When the Committee met on 19 January, it agreed to consider the issue and to request a memorandum from the Scottish Executive that would look at it in more detail.
The full text of the memorandum is available on the Scottish Executive website www.scotland.gov.uk
PETER PEACOCK URGES SCOTS TO HELP SHAPE THE DIGITAL FUTURE
Scots were urged on Saturday to have their say in the country's digital future by Deputy Minister for Children and Education Peter Peacock.
Mr Peacock asked for views as he launched the report of the Digital Scotland Task Force, now out for consultation on the world-wide web.
Mr Peacock said:
"The world around us is changing very fast and in many ways. The Scottish Executive and UK Government are committed to helping Scotland perform as an effective, modern and inclusive 'digital society'.
"I would encourage those with an interest in the future of Scotland to read the report of Digital Scotland Task Force. They have drawn attention to issues which are vital to our economic and social well-being in the future. I urge everyone to read this report, understand its implications for them, and give their views.
"I am very grateful indeed to the Task Force members, who have given a lot of their time to advise on this very wide range of issues. I am grateful, too, to others who contributed in specialist sub-groups.
"I am glad to have been able to help facilitate discussions as Chairman of the Task Force - but the report is the work of the members themselves."
The report makes a series of recommendations for action, including:
Mr Peacock said:
"The recommendations produced by the Task Force affect a great many organisations across Scotland - in business, education and government. We in the Scottish Executive will be looking carefully at the recommendations, particularly those addressed to Government. I will be considering the report with my Ministerial colleagues over the next few weeks, and we will respond as soon as possible. But first of all we are eager to get as many comments as possible on the report."
The Digital Scotland Task Force was set up by the Scottish Executive in October 1999. It was asked to produce recommendations for action which would help ensure that Scotland obtained and retained maximum economic and social advantage from the new digital technologies. The report is available on the Digital Scotland web site: www.scotland.gov.uk/digitalscotland. The Task Force has asked for comments before the end of June.
The Digital Scotland web site provides details of the Task Force, its remit and membership - as well as the Task Force report. Instructions for obtaining hard copies of the report are available on the web site.
A public consultation area has been set up on the Digital Scotland web site, enabling interactive comments from members of the public and interested organisations. Comments can also be sent in writing to the Digital Scotland Team.
The Digital Scotland Task Force met four times. It also set up short life sub-groups to examine some issues in more detail - for example, the impact of digital technologies on education and training, social inclusion and public services.
The Scottish Executive will consider the report in the light of comments and will respond thereafter.
SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S DEBATES
THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING (SCOTLAND) BILL
Introduction
The Education and Training (Scotland) Bill is a short bill that makes the statutory arrangements for the Scottish Executive to pay grants to individuals for their learning accounts (Individual Learning Accounts – ILA’s). The Stage 1 debate will be a short debate, held on the afternoon of Thursday 25th May in the debating chamber in Glasgow.
Background
Lifelong learning was a key component of the Scottish Labour Party’s manifesto in the 1999 Scottish election campaign.
This commitment has been translated into the Executive’s Programme for Government, with the target of delivering the 100, 000 ILA’s by the year 2002.
Individual Learning Accounts will be introduced this autumn and the Education and Training Bill provides the necessary legislation.
Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs)
ILAs form a central part of the Executive’s strategy to stimulate a culture of lifelong learning. Lifelong learning encompasses basic literacy to advanced scholarship.
Low pay and low skills go together and are the hallmark of the old approach to job creation. Scotland has suffered for too long from both unemployment and skills shortages. There is no future for Scotland as a low wage economy: we will never be able to compete on the basis of wages with countries paying a tenth or a hundredth of British wages.
Scotland must develop a learning society where everyone, regardless of background or prior education achievement, routinely expects to learn and upgrade skills throughout life.
The idea behind ILA’s is to encourage individuals to take responsibility for their own development and learning. Learning accounts will make it easier for individuals to fund their own learning and monitor their expenditure through their lifetime. This is based on two key principles: first, that individuals are best placed to choose what and how they want to learn; and second, that responsibility for investing in learning is shared.
Empowering individuals to take greater responsibility for investing in their own learning, possibly with the support of an employer, are key features of the Individual Learning Account. The ILA isn’t just a way of distributing funds to assist with the cost of further education and training; it is to a mechanism that promotes learning in itself.
The long-term aims are:
The Executive has agreed a package of public incentives for ILA holders. The incentive package includes a contribution of £150 for 100,000 starter accounts, provided the individual contributes an initial £25. The Chancellor announced tax breaks on employer contributions towards eligible learning on a UK-wide basis. He also announced discounts of 20% on eligible learning (with a maximum discount of £100 per year) and 80% on key courses such as basic computer literacy. Scottish Ministers are considering how best to apply this in Scotland.
Objectives of the Bill
The clear policy objective of the Bill allows the Scottish Executive to pay grants to or on behalf of individuals towards the costs of their education or training. Learning accounts will be a card-based membership scheme which will act as a gateway to a range of incentives or support that can be added to or changes as the overall approach to lifelong learning develops. At the initial stage of the development of learning accounts, special bank accounts will not have to be opened unless the individual seeks a credit or savings facility.
The Bill has three sections. The first relates to the grants themselves and enables the Scottish Executive to make payments to individuals or on behalf of them to pay for education or training. Section two enables the ministers to set out by regulation the conditions that people must meet in order to be eligible for the grants. The final section provides for the regulations to be laid before the Scottish Parliament according to the negative procedure resolution. This means that regulations will only be debated if an MSP seeks a debate.
Financial Implications
The Executive intends to spend around £16.5 million directly on the grants to be paid to people with ILAs over the first two years of its operation. A ‘Customer Services Provider’ will be appointed to run the system and the estimated cost of that will be £4 million. The associated marketing, research and evaluation costs are expected to be £2.5 million.
The Role of the Committee
The Enterprise & Lifelong Learning Committee has been considering the Education Bill and has been taking evidence at recent meeting. On the basis of the views of the Committee, Nicol Stephen, Deputy Minister, has agreed to consider rural and childcare issues further given the Committee’s concern about access to ILA’s; and to clarify the funding position of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, which might impact on local provision for ILA supported training.
Further Information
Henry McLeish’s press release following the announcement of the intended legislation: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/news/press2000_07/se0792.asp
Introducing Learning Accounts booklet. This has been designed for education providers and has been distributed to all MSPs. It is available from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library2/doc13/ilas-00.asp
Scottish Executive press release looking for private sector support for ILAs: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/news/press1999_10/se1045.asp
The Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee have been considering Stage 1 of the Bill and recently took evidence from Nicol Stephen MSP. The Official Report is interesting and the link is: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/official_report/cttee/enter-00/el00-1202.htm#Col804
The Enterprise and & Lifelong Learning Committee report on Stage 1 of the Education and Training Bill will be published today, and will be available from their web site.
RACE RELATIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL
This is a Sewell motion which invites the UK to legislate for us in an area of devolved competence. This is because, although almost all of the Race Relations (Amendment) Bill is reserved, there is a tiny part that is devolved and it would make no sense to have separate legislation for such a small matter.
The Provisions of the UK Legislation
The Bill takes forward the government’s commitment, made in response to the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, to extend the Race Relations Act 1976 in relation to public authorities and to make chief officers of police vicariously liable for acts of racial discrimination by police officers.
The Inquiry Report recommended, amongst other things, that the Race Relations Act should be extended to the police. The government is going further than that by extending the Act not just to the police but to the functions of public authorities that are not currently covered.
The Bill would make it possible for an individual who has been directly or indirectly discriminated against or victimised because of their race, in relation to public functions not currently covered by The Race Relations Act, to bring a challenge in the courts. Ministers, officials, law enforcers and other office holders in public authorities that are to be listed in the Act will be subject to this provision.
Claims can already be brought under the Act where discrimination arises in the fields of employment, the provision of goods facilities and services, education and certain other defined fields.
The Bill also incorporates our commitment to place a statutory duty on public authorities to promote equality. How the duty will operate in practice, and how it will be enforced, will be decided after consultation.
The Race Relations Act already covers discrimination in employment, the provision of goods facilities and services, training, education and certain other specified activities. The Bill will add to this, prohibiting direct and indirect racial discrimination and victimisation in functions not currently covered by the Act. Law enforcement, tax collection and prison services, for example the public authorities to which the new prohibition will apply will be listed in a Schedule to the Bill.
The Bill will not prevent police officers from carrying out their duties. It will, however, make it unlawful for them to do so in a manner that directly discriminates on the grounds of race.
Whilst the Bill has been passing through Westminster, it has been strengthened to ensure that the Act’s provisions on indirect discrimination will apply to public bodies in respect of their functions.
Also, we will reinforce the Government’s existing commitment to provide a statutory requirement on public bodies to promote race equality by enshrining this principle on the face of the Bill. How the duty will operate in practice, and how it will be enforced, will be decided after consultation.
The Scottish Dimension
The Scotland Act allows the Parliament to impose duties on Scottish public authorities and cross-border public bodies in relation to their Scottish functions. In respect of this Race Relations legislation, the Scottish Executive have agreed with the UK government that certain regulation-making powers will be devolved to Scottish ministers. It has also been agreed that Scottish ministers must be consulted regarding any new Code of Practice brought forward by the Commission for Racial Equality.
Technically this conferral of powers is a devolved competence. In practice, though, this is only one clause out of the entire bill. Therefore Parliament is being invited to agree that it is simpler to allow Section 71(2) to go through as part of the UK bill to which it relates.
[ HOME ] [ News ] [ Articles ] [ Calendar ] [ Contacts ] [ Links ] [ E-Mail ]
[ Copyright ] [ Open Government ] [ Scottish Parliament ]