Scottish
Parliament e-Brief
SECTION
1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK
THE
CHAMBER
|
Wednesday 27th September 2006 |
|
| 14:05 – 17:00 | Stage 1 Debate: Crofting Reform etc. Bill |
| 17:00 – 17:30 | Member's Business: Glasgow Crossrail Scheme (Bill Butler (LAB)) |
|
|
|
|
Thursday 28th September 2006 |
|
| 09:15 – 10:25 | Scottish National Party Debate: Trident |
| 10:25 – 11:40 | Scottish National Party Debate: Small Business |
|
11:40 – 12:00 |
|
|
12:00 – 12:30 |
First Minister's Question Time |
| 14:15 – 14:55 |
* Justice and Law Officers; * Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning |
| 14:55 – 15:25 | Ministerial Statement: Right to Buy |
|
15:25 – 17:00 |
Stage 1 Debate: St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Bill |
| 17:00 – 17:30 | Member's Business: Withdrawal of Alimta for Mesothelioma Patients (Shona Robison (SNP)) |
In Committee
| Monday 25th September 2006 | ||
| AM | Airdrie-Bathgate
Railway and Linked Improvements Bill |
The Committee returns to the Committee Chambers this
week to hear evidence on whether the Bill should proceed as a Private
Bill from no less than 12 panels of witnesses. Interests
represented include anglers, sailors, the Royal Mail, SEPA, SNH, local
authorities and Network Rail. |
| Tuesday 26th September 2006 | ||
| AM | Audit |
The Auditor General for Scotland (AGS) will brief
the Committee on his report on the relocation of Scottish Executive
departments, agencies and NDPBs which made headlines last week.
The AGS will also brief members on his section 22 report on the
Scottish Prison Service. A busy meeting will also see the
Committee considers Scottish Executive responses to its reports,
"Supporting New Initiatives and Leadership Development" and
"Tackling Waiting Times in the NHS in Scotland". |
| Finance |
The Committee will consider its approach to
scrutinising the Financial Memorandum of the Prostitution (Public
Places) (Scotland) Bill. |
|
| Subordinate
Legislation |
The Committee will consider a response from the
Executive to points raised regarding the delegated powers in the Aquaculture
and Fisheries (Scotland) Bill. It will also examine the
delegated powers in the Prostitution (Public Places) (Scotland)
Bill. |
|
| PM | Enterprise
and Culture |
Stage 2 of the Bankruptcy and Diligence etc.
(Scotland) Bill continues for a 5th day. |
| European
and External Relations |
Finance and Public Service Reform Minister, Tom
McCabe, gives evidence on the Scottish Executive’s progress against
its EU priorities for 2006. Deputy Minister for Parliamentary
Business, George Lyon, then gives evidence on a Legislative Consent
Memorandum regarding the UK Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill.
Finally, the inquiry into the European Commission's strategy for
growth and jobs hears from senior Scottish Enterprise officials. |
|
| Justice
1 |
The Committee will consider the possible contents of
the report on its inquiry into the Scottish Criminal Record Office. |
|
| Justice
2 |
Stage 2 of the Legal Profession and Legal Aid
(Scotland) Bill begins. |
|
| Local
Government and Transport |
Stage 1 evidence on the Transport and Works
(Scotland) Bill comes from objectors to Edinburgh Tram (Line
One) Bill, Network Rail and the Chief Reporter of the Scottish
Executive's Inquiry Reporters Unit. |
|
| Wednesday 27th September 2006 | ||
|
AM |
Communities |
Stage 2 of the Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill
continues. |
| Public
Petitions |
New petitions cover topics including nuclear power;
the Home Loss Payment; environmental designations in Local Plans;
extension of the smoking ban; the provision of community leisure
facilities; and protecting the public from the danger of broken glass.
The Committee will also return to a number of petitions including
those on payments by criminals of financial reparation to victims of
crime; spiritual care in hospitals; solvent abuse; and a number on the
Forth Road Bridge, the need for a second bridge and the question of
tolls. |
|
| Environment
and Rural Development |
Stage 1 evidence on the Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Bill comes from Executive officials, the Institute of Aquaculture, the Institute of Fisheries Management and the Chair of the SEERAD Gyrodactylus salaris Task Force. |
|
| Justice
1 |
Stage 2 of the Scottish Commissioner for Human
Rights Bill continues and, looking to European law, the Committee
will consider an update on recent developments in relation to the
proposals relating to applicable law and jurisdiction in divorce
matters. |
|
| Education |
The Committee takes evidence on the draft National Plan for Gaelic and will consider whether to seek approval from the SPCB to publish its report thereon in Gaelic. |
|
SECTION 2 - NEWS
Microsoft
Forum on way to Scotland
Microsoft's annual Government
Leaders' Forum (GLF) is to be staged in Edinburgh this January, it has been
announced.
The event provides a platform for Prime Ministers, Ministers, EU Commissioners and policy advisers from across Europe to consider the contribution which cutting-edge technology can make to education, governance and economic development. Working sessions will be held in the Scottish Parliament and the event is likely to include a devolution theme, as well as discussions on how to bring the EU and its institutions closer to the people of Europe.
It is expected that between 300 and 350 invited delegates from across Europe will attend. The line-up of keynote speakers and presenters will be announced closer to the event along with details of the conference agenda.
Previous GLF Europe speakers have included the Hon Jos Manuel Barroso, President, European Commission and the Honourable Jos S crates, Prime Minister, Portugal, and Bill Gates, Microsoft chairman.
The 2007 forum will be the fourth time the annual event has been held in Europe: Lisbon (2006), Prague (2005) and Rome (2003).
Scottish
Ambulance Service Board
Health Minister, Andy Kerr, has
announced the appointment of Mr Andrew Richmond as a member of the Scottish
Ambulance Service Board.
Mr Richmond is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh and is married with two small children. He is a non-executive board member of NHS Tayside and was formerly a number one rated stockbroking healthcare analyst in the City of London.
Mr Richmond's appointment will be for a period of four years from October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2010.
The Scottish Ambulance Service provides pre-hospital treatment and care for some 500,000 accident and emergency patients a year. It also provides non-emergency services for transporting patients to and from hospitals and clinics for elective treatment and therapies. This Ministerial appointment was made in accordance with Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland (OCPAS) Code of Practice. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees' political activity (if any declared) to be made public. Within the last five years, Mr Richmond has not been involved in any political activity.
SECTION
3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS
WEDNESDAY begins with the Stage 1 debate on the Crofting Reform etc. Bill.
The Bill aims to dampen down speculation in croft land and enable crofting communities to buy renewable energy leases over land acquired under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. It proposes to extend the rights of crofters to small holdings beyond the Highlands and Islands and give landowners the ability to create new crofts for the first time. There are just over 17,700 crofts in the former counties of Argyll, Caithness, Inverness, Ross and Cromarty, Sutherland, Orkney and Shetland, with between 12,000 and 13,000 croft tenants. Including family members, around 30,000 people live on crofts.
In addition to the measures creating new crofts, the Bill provides that the Crofters Commission will become a fully-fledged NDPB with its own budget and staff. It will have a development role and the Commission will be responsible for setting strategic direction for crofting administration.
The day concludes with a Member's Business debate on the Glasgow Crossrail Scheme from Bill Butler (LAB).
THURSDAY morning begins with two SNP debates on Trident and Small Business.
As
is normal with opposition debates, no motions have yet been published and so the
focus of both debates, and what will be proposed, is unclear. It is a fair
assumption, however, that the former will relate to the ongoing debate around
whether the Westminster government will opt to replace the Trident system.
The motions will, as always, be published in the Business
Bulletin in due course and full transcripts of both debates will be
available from the Official
Report on Friday.
This is followed by General Question Time and First Minister's Question Time.
In the afternoon, following Themed Question Time, there is a Ministerial Statement on the Right to Buy.
The Right to Buy changed significantly when the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 reduced and capped discount levels, extended the qualifying period to five years and introduced the pressured area mechanism. The legislation also requires Scottish Ministers to report to Parliament by 30th September 2006 on the effect of the Right to Buy - hence this Statement. The substantive content, however, must first be made available to Parliament and so no further information will be available until the Minister delivers the Statement.
This is followed by the Stage 1 debate on the St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Bill.
This very short (it only runs to 2 sections) Member's Bill would establish a bank holiday to mark St Andrew's Day. It would amend
Schedule 1 of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 to create a bank holiday on 30th November or, if the 30th of November falls on a weekend, the following Monday.Some members are concerned over who in practice would actually receive the holiday - asking how many shopworkers and staff in the leisure and hospitality industries would benefit from it.
The day closes with a Member's Business debate on the Withdrawal of Alimta for Mesothelioma Patients from Shona Robison (SNP).
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