SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER

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

SECTION 2 – NEWS

Worldwide interest in children's hearings system
Justice and child welfare officials from countries including Japan, America and Russia are in Scotland to study the children's hearings system.

Over the next two days they will learn about the distinctive way in which Scotland's system deals with welfare issues as well as tackling offending behaviour.  During the seminar, the visitors will learn about the structure of the hearings system and the way it deals jointly with welfare and offending issues. They will also compare the Scottish approach to their own justice systems.

The two-day seminar organised by the Executive, Scottish Children's Reporter's Administration and the British Council Scotland is taking place in Edinburgh and includes visitors from Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, India, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, the USA and Wales.

The Executive is currently undertaking a review of the children's hearings system which has not been reviewed since being set up in the 1970s. The purpose is to ensure the system is properly equipped for the 21st century. Phase one of the review has just finished and phase two is due to begin later this year.

Full Story

International Commission on Civil Status
As Scotland's system of civil registration approaches its 150th anniversary, the International Commission on Civil Status has come to Scotland.  The General Assembly of the International Commission on Civil Status will begin in Scotland tomorrow - the first time the event has been held in the UK. It will open at Edinburgh Castle and will run until Friday, discussing civil registration questions including how to prevent fraud, the registration of partnerships, the recognition of names and European civil status.

Full story

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

Wednesday’s Chamber Business begins with a Finance Committee debate on its Report on Relocation of Public Sector Jobs.

Published on 24^th June 2004, the report is critical of the Executive’s existing policy.

It raises concerns over inconsistency in the way that criteria were used in assessing previous relocations and strongly questions the lack of transparency in the decision to move Scottish Natural Heritage’s headquarters to Inverness. The Committee also found that, because of flaws in the way in which relocation reviews are conducted, some areas of Scotland may have been unfairly excluded from opportunities to benefit from the relocation of public sector jobs. The policy has not had as significant an impact on areas of deprivation as may have been suggested by the Executive, due to precedence given to perceived “operational effectiveness” considerations.

The report recommends that the Executive must be realistic about what relocation can achieve and that it should explain carefully the full potential and limitations of its current policy. The committee also proposes a new approach to relocation, which builds upon the strengths of the existing policy, but which is more open and transparent.

The Committee’s findings include that:

·     The Executive needs to be clearer if this is a policy of relocation, dispersal or decentralisation; whether these different terms mean different things and whether the initial numbers of posts or staff suggested for any particular relocation relate to what can actually be delivered.

·     The way in which relocation has operated so far has not had as significant an impact on areas of deprivation as the policy may suggest. Consultants consistently recommend areas within commuting distance of Edinburgh which are not necessarily in greatest need of economic support.

·     The Executive should instruct each department, agency or non-departmental public bodies which has not been through a relocation in the past five years to prepare a report on the viability of large scale relocation, or decentralisation though the relocation of small units.

·     Each report would then be subject to an independent assessment by a central unit within the Scottish Executive, which would determine whether the department or agency would be suitable for relocation.

·     The central unit would also be responsible for coordinating an analysis of which areas of Scotland would benefit most from the relocation or dispersal of departments or agencies.

·     The Committee recommends that the issues of transferability and compulsory redundancies should be addressed immediately by the Executive.

The day concludes with a Member’s Business debate on Citizens Advice Week from Bill Butler (LAB).

THURSDAY sees an Executive debate on Growing Scotland’s Economy.

In his speech on the Scottish Executive’s programme for the coming parliamentary session last week, the First Minister reiterated that the Executive “has put growing the economy as our first priority.”

The task, he said, was to equip those who were unemployed with the skills and experience to take up employment.  But to do that, he continued, it was essential that the Executive help create the conditions in which companies can grow.  The key challenge of productivity must also be met, he added.

At the beginning of the month, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, Jim Wallace, launched the updated Framework for Economic Development in Scotland (FEDS 2).

First published in June 2000, FEDS is the foundation for government thinking across a range of policy areas including education and skills, enterprise support, and improving Scotland's transport and electronic infrastructure. FEDS 2 builds on the work of the original document and identifies four outcomes central to building a better Scotland:

·     Economic Growth - with growth accelerated and sustained through greater competitiveness in the global economy;

·     Regional Development - with economic growth a pre-requisite for all regions to enjoy the same economic opportunities, and with regional development itself contributing to national economic prosperity;

·     Closing The Opportunity Gap - with economic growth a pre-requisite for all in society to enjoy the same economic opportunities, and with social development in turn contributing to national economic prosperity; and

·     Sustainable Development - in economic, social and environmental terms.

It is suspected that the details of this strategy and the First Minister’s comments will form the basis for Thursday’s debate.

Click here to read FEDS 2

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), the Chamber debates Stage 3 of the Tenements (Scotland) Bill.

The changes in this Bill will ensure that basic repair and maintenance work on tenements can be carried out - even if a minority in a tenement property will not comply – and ensures that owners are taking on their responsibilities.  It will also make it easier for home-owners in a shared property to work together to maintain the shared areas of their buildings, such as the close and roof.

At the moment, if a dispute about liability arises around an issue which is not dealt with in an owner’s title deeds, the matter is determined by common law.  Much of this is based on the rules on tenements developed in the 17^th Century, supplemented by case law and is now seen as unsatisfactory and in need of updating.

The Bill, therefore:

·    Clarifies and restates the common law rules which demarcate ownership of parts of the tenement;

·    Introduces a tenement management scheme (TMS) which will allow easier decision making and swifter action in making repairs; and

·    Provides that there will be compulsory insurance for all flats in a tenement.  (NB This is not a mandatory common policy.)

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 is then rounded off with a Member’s Business debate on the Children of Drug Abusers Trish Godman (LAB).

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