Scottish Parliament e-Brief
Issue 200, 4^th May 2004

SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER

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

SECTION 2 – NEWS

Scotland's fight against poor health praised
"Scotland's combined strategic approach to diet and physical activity is an excellent example of how policymakers can adopt an integrated and multi-sectoral approach to improve public health and reduce chronic disease,” according to World Health Organisation (WHO) Assistant-Director General, Dr Le Gales-Camus.

Later this month, the WHO is due to advise that all countries take this approach.

In 2004-05 £1.4 million has been allocated to promote healthy living through the mass media. The new advertising aims to motivate individuals to take on the challenge of making daily health improving decisions / choices about eating and physical activity. It looks to build a predisposition to change by influencing attitudes and encouraging positive changes in behaviour.

Drawing from extensive research in to people's attitudes and beliefs to healthy eating and physical activity, the advertising presents relevant, everyday life scenarios, in an upbeat and positive tone. Four 30 second TV commercials have been produced. Two emphasise healthy eating messages, two physical activity messages. Each ad targets a different audience with three scenarios with messages, however the messages are broad and not wholly exclusive to these groups. The advertising is not intended to act in isolation but continues to be one of many co-ordinated elements of the wider SE strategy for delivering health improvement in terms of diet and physical activity.

Full story

Proposal to merge funding councils
A consultation is to begin on establishing a single funding body for colleges and higher education institutions. The new body would involve the merger of the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Councils.

Responses to the Executive's consultation paper and draft Bill should be made by 15^th July 2004.  As part of the consultation process, a series of events will be held around Scotland for interested parties to discuss the key issues surrounding the proposals. Copies of the consultation paper will be available on the consultation web pages of the Scottish Executive website. 

Full story

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

Business in the Chamber on WEDNESDAY is largely taken up with Stage 3 of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill.

The Bill seeks to amend and complement measures for protecting wildlife in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003.  In addition, it makes provisions for the conservation of biodiversity and increases the protection for Scotland’s most special natural heritage sites – Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

The key themes of the Bill are:

·         Sustainability and the environment;

·         Valuing Scotland’s natural environment and resources;

·         Working together with stakeholders and communities;

·         Tackling crime and securing rights; and

·         Implementing EU and international commitments.

The majority of amendments at Stage 3 are relatively non-contentious.  Many of them have been lodged by the Executive either as minor improvements to the Bill, or as a result of undertakings given to members at Stage 2.

Some of the issues which remain include:

Pigeons
Alex Neil (SNP) has tabled an amendment to allow the control of sparrowhawks to protect racing pigeons.  His amendment represents the interests of the Scottish Homing Union, who are calling for action to be taken against raptors in order to protect racing pigeons from an ‘unacceptable’ level of predation.  In the course of debate in Committee, Deputy Environment Minister, Allan Wilson, made it clear that his response Alex Neil’s proposals would ultimately be determined by the legal obligations placed on Ministers under European law. The Minister has also been explicit that any consideration of this issue should be driven by hard scientific evidence.  However, the joint research commissioned by SNH and the Homing Union showed that birds of prey are not the major cause of death in roosts. 

Snaring
In Committee, evidence was taken from a range of groups and individuals representing land management and animal welfare interests.  Having taken into account all of this evidence, the Committee was generally content with the balance struck by the provisions of the Bill in relation to snaring.  However, the Committee has recommended that the Executive considers making a number of drafting changes to the provisions in order to improve the clarity of the provisions and make them more enforceable.  Maureen Macmillan (LAB) had tabled amendments to ban drag snares and mark snares in order to link them more clearly with the person who sets them.  In response, the Executive said that it did see merit in exploring these proposals and that they may be addressed in subordinate legislation.  In essence, the Committee feeling remains the same – that snaring is accepted as one means of pest control, but that better regulation is needed.

Biodiversity
The Bill places duties on public authorities to “further the conservation of biodiversity”.  These duties are intended to underpin existing good practice, but are not intended to be overriding.  During Stage 2, the SNP’s Roseanna Cunningham tabled a number of amendments on Biodiversity, which were supported by the Greens (who also tabled their own amendments on the issue).  These have been resubmitted for the Stage 3 debate.  In particular, Mark Ruskell (GRN) is returning to his amendment to make compliance with the new Biodiversity Strategy obligatory for all public bodies.  At Stage 2, the Executive said that this was too prescriptive and that flexibility is required to enable the Biodiversity strategy to function effectively.

Crown Application
Dennis Canavan’s (IND) amendment removing the current exemption for the Queen from the provisions of the Bill is being brought back at Stage 3.  At Stage 2 he stressed the need for the Bill to apply to the Balmoral estate in particular.  At the moment, this estate is not covered by SSSI designation and the Queen has not asked for any exemption from the provisions in the Bill.  Indeed, the Executive has made it clear that the Queen is keen to play her part in conserving natural heritage in her estates.  The Executive will be supporting Mr Canavan's amendment.

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

The day concludes with a Member’s Business debate on Space Invaders from myself. Nothing, sadly, to do with video games, it concerns the less fun subject of the abuse of disabled parking spaces by non-disabled drivers.

THURSDAY morning sees another Stage 3 debate – this time on the National Health Service Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Introduced to Parliament on 26^th June 2003, the primary aim of the Bill is to reform the organisation and management of the NHS in Scotland. The Bill seeks to abolish the last vestiges of the internal market by dissolving NHS Trusts and integrating the management of acute and primary care services into NHS Boards. The reforms also intend to devolve decision making and resources to frontline staff through the establishment of Community Health Partnerships.

The Bill also contains proposals to:

·         Place a duty of co-operation on Health Boards;

·         Give Ministers greater powers to intervene where health services are deemed to be failing;

·         Allow greater involvement of the public in service planning;

·         Dissolve local health councils; and

·         Place a duty on Health Boards and Ministers to promote health improvement.

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), there is an Executive debate on Scotland’s Beaches – A National Resource.

The Executive has stated its commitment to safeguarding and improving the quality of Scotland's bathing waters to ensure that we achieve European standards and, back in February 2002, 9 of Scotland’s most popular beaches were conferred "sensitive area" status.  This means that the water authorities already have - or are planning to have - more stringent tertiary sewage treatment - this includes a final disinfection process for any discharges which might affect the quality of the bathing water in these areas.

However, in the absence of, at the time of writing, the text of a motion from the Executive, the exact purpose of this debate is unclear.  As always, however, the text of the motion will be published in the Business Bulletin in due course and a full transcript of the debate will be available in the Official Report from Friday.

The day is rounded off with a Member’s Debate on the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat from Jackie Baillie (LAB).

[ HOME ] [ News ] [ Report to the People ] [ Interact ] [ Links ] [ E-Mail ]

[ Copyright ] [ UK Online ] [ Scottish Parliament ]

Previous Page