Scottish Parliament e-Brief (No Expense Spared Festive Edition)

Issue 47, 18^th December 2000

This is the last e-Brief before the Christmas recess. The next edition will be published on Parliament’s return on Monday 8^th January 2001.

SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER

Wednesday 13^th December

• Stage 3: Transport (Scotland) Bill
• Members Business: Home and Community Safety (Cathy Jamieson (LAB))

COMMITTEE BUSINESS

Although a fairly quiet week for committees, Transport and the Environment is taking evidence on its inquiry into water and the water industry from Sam Galbraith, SCVO and the Campaign for Lower Water Charges.

The following agenda items from other committees may be of interest:

• Education: considers 2^nd draft report of Special Educational Needs inquiry in private.
• Standards: considers lobbying and establishment of a Standards Commissioner.
• Audit: will decide whether to seek a debate in Parliament on its report on The New Scottish Parliament Building.
• Rural Affairs: continues to discuss Salmon Conservation Bill Stage 2, and is expected to recommend an inquiry into Sea Cage Fish Farming.

For a fuller account on the work of the committees, please see tomorrow’s Committee Brief.

SECTION 2 - NEWS

HEALTH PLAN ANNOUNCED

Announced to the Parliament on Thursday by Health Minister, Susan Deacon, Our National Health - A Plan for Action, a Plan for Change is a far-reaching document which outlines how the investment committed to health in Scotland will be matched by improvements in services and health for patients.

The plan is the culmination of nearly a year's work - and has drawn heavily on input from the NHS, professional bodies, and patients.

Investment on health services in Scotland will rise from £4.9 billion in 1999-2000 to £6.7 billion a year by 2003-4. The plan sets out how this money will be spent improving standards of care:

Some of the key points are:

For everyone in Scotland:

• A fair share of future health spending;
• Clear local accountability from a streamlined NHS when things go wrong;
• The largest health improvement drive ever; and
• A guarantee that by 2003 nobody will wait longer than 9 months for treatment in hospital (3 months less than today).

For the 25,000 patients who come into hospital each day:

• National standards of care will be established; and
• Quality and cleanliness will be set for all our hospitals to end the 'postcode lottery of care'.

For the 60,000 people who visit their local surgery each day:

• Access within 48 hours to an appropriate member of the primary care team (e.g. a GP or practice nurse) will be ensured; and
• Consultation times will be longer when patients are referred to these professionals.

For busy working people;

• Access to health services and advice at weekends and after working hours will be increased through 24-hour advice lines, and on the local High Street through pharmacists.

For the 80 people requiring a heart operation each day:

By 2002 -

• Patients will wait no longer than 12 weeks for angiography tests; and
• No more than 24 weeks for follow-up surgery.

For vulnerable people;

• The elderly will become an NHS priority; and
• More resources will be directed into low-income communities to promote better health and close the gap between rich and poor.

For a copy of the full plan, click here.

Full Story

HOUSE SURVEY BURDEN MAY SHIFT

The burden of paying for housing surveys could be shifted from the buyer to the seller under proposals being examined by a Scottish Executive task force. Task force members will consider the effect of introducing sellers surveys and sellers packs.

The initiative is part of a raft of measures outlined by social justice minister Jackie Baillie to improve the quality of housing in Scotland.

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

The last week before the Christmas break sees only one piece of business in the chamber - the final stage of the Transport (Scotland) Bill.

After a rigorous first stage involving 5 Committees and 30 sets of witnesses between June and September and a robust debate in the Chamber (14^th September), the Bill returned to the Transport and Environment Committee for Stage 2 amendment in October and November. It now comes back to the chamber for its third, and final, stage.

The Bill, the first Transport Bill for 20 years, legislates for:

Joint transport strategies: improved joint planning by local authorities to address shared cross boundary issues – for instance, how to manage travel in and out of Scotland’s largest cities.

Quality Bus Partnerships: improving bus services by giving the force of law to partnerships between local authorities and bus companies to provide quality services to passengers.

Quality Bus Contracts: If quality partnerships are tried and fail, or are inappropriate, the Bill also allows for the Scottish Executive to approve ‘Quality Contracts’, bringing an exclusive franchise by competitive tendering awarded to a single operator.

Road user charging: empowering local authorities to introduce tolls on roads which are not trunk roads or motorways.

Concessionary fares: the power to help deliver a minimum level of concession for pensioners and disabled people travelling in Scotland, and progressively enhance the minimum level of concession over the next few years. This applies to buses, trains, ferries and internal flights.

Through-timetabling and through-ticketing: local authorities will be given the power to create ticketing schemes and will be required to ensure that timetable information about bus services is available.

Disability issues: amends the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 regarding the enforcement of the orange badge scheme which gives special rights to badge holders.

Stage 2: amending the Bill

Nearly 300 amendments were tabled at Stage 2. Many of these related to the minutiae of bus service provision, local authority processes, competition and contracts. The most significant of the amendments are outlined below.

Removing workplace charging proposals: the Committee were not convinced by the case for charging businesses according to the number of parking spaces they provided. Amendments to remove the clauses on workplace charging were tabled by various committee members and were accepted by the Executive and Committee.

Fares and frequencies: after pressure from Committee members, the Executive tabled amendments to ensure that bus partnerships will be able to specify the minimum frequency of bus services.

Introducing contracts: the Bill as originally drafted stipulated a 21 month period between the date when the scheme was devised until the date when it was to come into operation. At Stage 1 the Transport and Environment Committee expressed concern at this long period, and the Executive brought forward an amendment which reduces that minimum spell to 6 months, or less with consent. This gives local authorities more flexibility.

Complaints processes: an Executive amendment has toughened the bus service complaints process and enabled tribunals to take 20% of a bus company’s fuel duty rebate as a punishment. This is a lower threshold of penalty which should encourage more use to be made of the reprimand.

Concessionary fares: an Executive amendment means that the bill will enable ministers to extend eligibility for concessionary fares to more than pensioners and people with disabilities. Current Executive priorities are for these groups but increasing eligibility will promote social inclusion.

What can we expect at Stage 3?

Home zones: the Executive has pledged amendments to introduce amendments to provide for home zones, in line with the UK Transport Bill. Home zones aim to reduce child road accidents through safe play areas, and develop vibrant communities.

Limits to timetable changes: the Executive is expected to introduce an amendment limiting the number of times in a given period that operators can change timetables – ensuring stability and reducing passenger confusion.

Redetermination: the Executive has indicated it will bring an amendment allowing experimental powers to split pavement rights between cyclists and pedestrians, known as redetermination orders.

For further information, please see the Bill and its explanatory notes.

The parliamentary year closes with a private member’s debate from Cathy Jamieson (LAB) on Home and Community Safety.

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