Scottish Parliament e-Brief, Issue 201

Scottish Parliament e-Brief
Issue 201, 10^th May 2004

SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER
As this is a Committee week, there is no business in the Chamber.

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

Tuesday 11^th May 2004
AM	Procedures	The Committee will take evidence on the timescales and stages of Bills from a range of witnesses with experience of the system with particular reference to the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, which is one of the case-study Bills in the inquiry. Members then move on to consider the forthcoming review of the changes it recommended to the timing of First Minister’s Question Time and the structure and duration of Question Time.
	Audit	Members receive a briefing from the Auditor General for Scotland on the report on Day Surgery in Scotland: reviewing progress.
PM	European and External Relations	Philip Riddle, Chief Executive of VisitScotland; Tom Wright, Chief Executive of VisitBritain; and Jim McFarlane, Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothians give evidence on the promoting Scotland worldwide Inquiry.
	Health	A range of witnesses Health give evidence on the Breastfeeding (Scotland) Bill.
	Local Government and Transport	Stage 2 of the Local Governance (Scotland) Bill continues.
Wednesday 12^th May 2004
AM	Education	A range of witnesses, including the Minister and Deputy Minister, give evidence on the School Education (Ministerial Powers and Independent Schools) (Scotland) Bill.
	Communities	Stage 2 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Bill continues.
	Environment and Rural Development	The Committee will take evidence on the progress of the Organic Action Plan from Deputy Minister for the Environment and Rural Development, Allan Wilson.
	Justice 1	A range of witnesses, including Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry, give evidence on the UK Civil Partnership Bill.
	Public Petitions	New petitions cover topics including TETRA masts and civil partnerships. The current petitions on institutional child abuse and sportscotland policy on funding for talented athletes are also considered.
PM	Justice 2	The Committee will consider a petition from a Mr Donald MacKinnon, calling for the Scottish Parliament to take the necessary steps to extend the right of absolute privilege available to those who complain about the conduct of a range of public bodies, to young and vulnerable people who report abuse to an appropriate authority. Members then move on to take evidence on the UK Constitutional Reform Bill from Colin Boyd QC, the Lord Advocate.
	Waverley Railway (Scotland) Bill Committee	Members consider a paper on late objections to the Bill, a paper on the petition of Stow Station Supporters and a paper on the preliminary consideration of objections.
Thursday 13^th May 2004
	Communities	Stage 2 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Bill continues.

SECTION 2 – NEWS

Appointments to advisory board
Four new members have been reappointed, and the two existing members re-appointed to the Scottish Industrial Development Advisory Board.

The four new appointees are:

Professor Robert Beaty OBE is Vice Chair of Court at the University of Paisley, Vice Chair of the James Watt College Board of Management and a Visiting Professor in Product Design at the University of Glasgow. Professor Beaty is Managing Director of Glencon Ltd and is also a Board Member of the Scottish Institute for Enterprise and the Engineering Education Scheme for Scotland. He was formerly Director of Personal Computer Manufacturing and Development, IBM Greenock, and Chair of Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire.
Archie Bethel OBE is Managing Director of Babcock Engineering Services and a Board Member of Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire. He is also immediate past President of Scottish Engineering. He was previously Chief Operating Officer of Motherwell Bridge Group Ltd and a former Chief Executive of Lanarkshire Development Agency. Until recently Mr Bethel was also a Member of the Scottish Advisory Task Force for New Deal.
Afzal Khushi is Managing Director of Jacobs & Turner Ltd based in Kinning Park Glasgow, which produces the Trespass range of snowboarding, surfing, and outdoor clothing. Mr Khushi is a Member of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry and an Independent Adviser to the Enterprise Networks Review. He is also a Member of the Board of Snowsport Industries of Great Britain.
Judith MacKenzie is an Investment Manager with Aberdeen Murray Johnstone and is currently a Director of Citel Technologies Ltd. She was formerly a Technology Analyst at Bell Lawrie White and prior to that a research analyst with Albert E. Sharp.

The two reappointments are:

Dr Dominic McKay is Managing Director of FCI Systems and Assembly Division Europe. A mathematician with a PhD in Colour Physics and a Diploma in Management Studies, he was a visiting Professor in Business Studies at Glasgow Caledonian University.
John Quigley is Scottish Regional Secretary of Trade Union, AMICUS.

These appointments/reappointments will be for three years and will run until 31^st December 2006.

The posts are part-time and Members receive no remuneration. None of the appointees holds any other Ministerial Appointment.

The Scottish Industrial Development Advisory Board (SIDAB) advises Scottish Ministers on the exercise of their devolved powers under Section 7 of the Industrial Development Act 1982, specifically in relation to the Regional Selective Assistance scheme. In practice, SIDAB provides advice to officials on larger RSA cases, where grants of over £250,000 are under consideration.

Further information on the RSA scheme is available on the internet at www.rsascotland.gov.uk

Full story

UK National Allocation Plan
The UK National Allocation Plan (NAP) under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) has been was published today following its submission to the European Commission on 30^th April.

The NAP sets out how greenhouse gas emission allowances will be allocated to affected UK industry sectors for the first phase of the scheme running 2005 to 2007. It is accompanied by a consultation document, to which responses are invited by 3^rd June.

Around 100 energy intensive Scottish installations covering almost 50% of carbon dioxide emissions will be part of the scheme.

The EU ETS is the most significant measure in the EU Climate Change Programme. It will begin on 1^st January 2005 and its objective is to reduce EU emissions of CO2 cost-effectively.

The overall number of allowances to be allocated for the first phase of the EU ETS is intended to deliver reductions consistent with an overall reduction (including measures in the UK and Scottish Climate Change Programmes) in UK carbon dioxide emissions of 15.2% by 2010.

This moves the UK beyond its Kyoto target and towards the domestic goal of moving towards a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions on 1990 levels by 2010.

Full story

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

There is no Chamber business this week.

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