Scottish Parliament e-Brief
Issue 206, 14^th June 2004

SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER

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

SECTION 2 – NEWS

School pupils to get physical
Physical Education will have an increased role in Scotland’s schools according to new measures announced today.

Responding to the PE Review Group's report, published today, Education Minister Peter Peacock said that he was committed to boosting the opportunities for all Scotland's pupils to adopt more active lifestyles.

The measures include: 

- At least two hours PE per week for all pupils

- 400 more PE teachers

- Greater choice of activities

Guidance will be issued to councils to help them meet the requirements and regarding performance measures to monitor progress towards the two hour target. HMIE will monitor improvements and develop best practice guidance.

Over the three years to 2005/06, £24 million is being invested to develop and expand the Active Schools Programme. More than 600 Active School Co-ordinators will be in post by 2007 to increase activity levels among all pupils. The 400 additional teachers will be part of the Executive's commitment to increase teacher numbers to 53,000 by 2007.

Full story

Revamped crime and victimisation survey
More members of the public than ever before are to be asked their views on crime, “hidden” crime and the criminal justice system as part of the revamped Scottish Crime and Victimisation Survey (SCVS), which will begin on Tuesday.

Around 27,500 randomly selected adults – compared to 5,000 in the past – will be interviewed by telephone each year as part of the new survey, which will aim to improve information about reported crime as well as crimes that may not be reported to the police.

Information to be collected will include:

• Information on the levels and types of crime experienced by individual victims and households in Scotland over time;

• Estimates of the number of victims in Scotland both nationally and, for the first time, at police force area level;

• Information on people's attitudes to a range of issues such as their concerns about crime and other social problems, their perceived risk of crime and their views on the justice system; and

• Estimates of the numbers of victims before and after implementation of the new Scottish Crime Recording Standard in April this year, measuring the impact of this change on recorded crime figures.

The main aim of the survey is to measure trends in household and personal crime as reported directly by victims themselves. It also aims to collect a broader range of information about people's experiences of crime, including their fear of crime, and their views on crime, policing and the justice system.

Full story

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

Chamber Business begins on WEDNESDAY with an Executive debate on Family Matters - Improving Family Law in Scotland.

The strategy Family Matters: Improving Family Law in Scotland was published at the beginning of last month.  This contains firm proposals to:

• Give parental rights and responsibilities to unmarried fathers who register the birth of their child alongside the mother; and
• Reduce the minimum period over which couples must live apart before a divorce is granted – aimed at reducing acrimony in divorce and allowing parents and children to move on.

In addition, Ministers are seeking views on how best to provide:

• Better arrangements for grandparents who do not play as great a part in their grandchildren’s lives as they would like.

• Legal safeguards for cohabiting couples which address their current legal vulnerability; and

• A recognised role for step-parents in parenting.

This consultation runs until June 28.

There have been a number of reports on areas of Family Law in recent years, including a consultation paper, Improving Family Law, published by the Scottish Office in 1999.  This was followed by a Scottish Executive White Paper in 2000, Parents and Children.  Family Matters:  Improving Family Law in Scotland is available, along with these earlier publications, at www.scotland.gov.uk/familylaw

Responses to these papers mean that the paper being debated on Thursday contains firm proposals on: extending Parental Rights and Responsibilities (PRRs) for Unmarried Fathers; reducing the non-cohabitation periods required for divorce from five years to two years where there is no consent, and from two years to one with consent; and updating the law on matrimonial interdicts and exclusion orders.  However, a settled view does not yet exist on:  legal protection for cohabitants; step-parent parental responsibility and rights agreement; and contact between children and wider family.

Research findings on family formation and dissolution in Scotland were published earlier this year by the Executive. The research looks at trends in families and attitudes towards family life among the Scottish population. The research found, among other things, that over half of those surveyed (57%) in Scotland believed that unmarried couples who live together have a “common law marriage” (which does not exist in Scotland).  Nearly half (49%) of the population wrongly believed that unmarried fathers have the same rights as married fathers in relation to consent to children’s medical treatment.

The day concludes with a Member’s Business debate on International Refugee Week from Kenny MacAskill (SNP).

THURSDAY is largely given over to Stage 3 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Bill.  This is likely to be a lengthy process, which the parliamentary timetable has been altered slightly to accommodate.

The most famous Bill to go through the Parliament this session, 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

It is likely, however, that there will be much disagreement between opponents of the Bill, who will seek to water it down with a string of amendments, and its backers who will strongly resist such moves.

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 Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Bill is concluded.

As the consideration of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Bill is likely to last for some time, there will be no Member’s Business on Thursday.

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