SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

This week sees a wide range of relatively short debates in the Chamber.

WEDNESDAY begins with Stage 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Bill.

The Bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 28^th June 2004 and aims to:

• Define the role of a modern Fire and Rescue Service;

• Ensure that the fire and rescue authorities have clear national and local priorities and objectives;

• Improve the protection offered to communities; and

• Revise fire safety legislation.

It is divided into five parts:

Part 1: Fire and Rescue Authorities

This determines the bodies which are fire and rescue authorities and makes provision for the constitution of joint fire and rescue boards to replicate the current position in which six joint boards operate on behalf of the majority of local authorities in respect of the issues.

Part 2: Fire and Rescue Services

This sets out:

• The functions of the fire and rescue authorities;

• Provisions for the supply of water;

• The powers of employees of fire and rescue authorities and police constables in relation to fires;

• Provisions for assistance to authorities in the discharge of their functions;

• Provisions for central supervision and support of authorities (including a National Framework, equipment and services); and

• Provisions on employment issues.

Part 3: Fire Safety

This concentrates on fire safety and proposes to consolidate and rationalise much of the existing fire safety legislation, with a view to maintaining and enhancing the protection afforded to both users of premises and others who may be affected by a fire on the premises.

Parts 4 and 5 deal with miscellaneous and general matters including the abolition of the Scottish Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council and the determination of false alarms of fire as an offence.

This is followed by the Preliminary Stage Debate of the Edinburgh Tram (Line Two) Bill.

This Private Bill will is being promoted by the City of Edinburgh Council, which is seeking to re-introduce trams to Edinburgh. Line Two is intended to run from Princes Street to Newbridge via the Airport.

The Private Bill Committee set up to examine the Bill, reported on its general principles earlier this month, concluding that the Bill should proceed, but identifying areas where further work is required.  The report finds that the scheme does appear to have the potential to “produce transport, socio-economic and environmental benefits to the local, regional and national economy” and recommends to the Parliament that the general principles of the Bill should be agreed. The Committee has also received a commitment from the promoter to provide updated information on a range of issues, including the financial package for the scheme, before Final Stage consideration of the Bill.

The day concludes with a Member’s Business debate on the Responses to Extreme Weather Conditions in the Western Isles from Alasdair Morrison (LAB).

THURSDAY morning is given over to the Green Party, who have called two debates on Energy Efficiency and Identity Cards.

As is normal with opposition debates, no motion has yet been published.  As always, however, the motion will be published in Section F of the Business Bulletin in due course and a full transcript of the debate will be available in the Official Report from 08:00 on Friday.

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 a Procedures Committee Debate on the report of its Final Review of Oral Questions.

Not of much interest outwith Holyrood, the report recommends that:

• First Minister’s Question Time (FMQT) should be retained at 12 noon on Thursdays;

• A General Question Time of 20 minutes should be held immediately before FMQT;

• A separate Themed Question Time of 40 minutes should be held at the beginning of the afternoon session on Thursdays; and

• A new system should be introduced for both General and Themed Question Time. Members’ names rather than questions would be selected randomly two weeks in advance, with the Members chosen then having a week to lodge questions of their choice.

If agreed to, the first separate Themed and General Question Times will take place immediately after the Easter recess.

This is followed by a Standards Committee Debate on the report of its inquiry into Replacing the Members’ Interest Order.

The report sets out the Committee’s intention to introduce a Committee Bill to Parliament later in 2005 to replace the existing secondary legislation (the Members' Interests Order) which governs the registration of Members' financial interests.

The Committee is proposing that Members should be required to register those interests which the public might reasonably think could influence an MSP’s actions, using an objective “influence” test.  It would be for each Member to ask themselves not whether they would or might be influenced by the interest, but whether a fair minded and informed observer would conclude that their impartiality would be or appear to be prejudiced by the interest. This is in practice no different from the current position on declaring an interest prior to participating in parliamentary proceedings.

The report also proposes that the Bill should include the following provisions:

• MSPs and their partners register the market value of any shareholdings (as opposed to the value at the time of issue of those shares);

• MSPs register interests held by partners in heritable property (partners’ interests in heritable property is not covered by existing legislation); and

• MSPs register all gifts above 0.5% of their salary value (currently £251).

The day concludes with a Member’s Business debate on the Scottish Civic Forum from Linda Fabiani (SNP).