Scottish Parliament e-Brief
Issue 72, 25th June 2001
SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK
THE CHAMBER
Wednesday 27th June
14:30 – 15:00 Ministerial Statement (Subject to be Announced)
15:00 – 17:00 Executive Debate: Serious Violent and Sexual Offenders
17:00 – 17:30 Member's Business: Lung Disease in Scotland (Michael Matheson (SNP))
Thursday 28th June
09:30 – 10:15 Stage 1 Debate: Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Bill
10:15 – 12:15 Finance Committee Debate: the 2002/2003 Budget Process
12:15 – 12:30 Ministerial Statement (Subject to be Announced)
14:30 – 15:10 Question Time
15:10 -–15:30 First Minister's Question Time
15:30 – 17:00 Executive Debate: the New Opportunities Fund
17:00 – 17:30 Member's Business: Endometriosos (Annabel Goldie (CON))
IN COMMITTEE
Likely highlights from the Committee Chambers this week are:
SECTION 2 - NEWS
Transport Minister, Sarah Boyack, and Deputy Justice Minister, Iain Gray, joined forces with the police today to launch a new initiative to combat drug driving.
The Transport Minister also announced additional funding of £180,000 to the Scottish Road Safety Campaign to produce a TV advert targeting young drivers on the dangers of drug driving.
The message of the new drug driving initiative launched today by ACPOS (The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland) is that driving under the influence of illegal drugs is equally unacceptable and dangerous as drink driving.
The aim is to raise awareness of drug driving issues following research findings that 18% of people killed in road accidents had used illegal drugs and that knowledge of the law on drug driving was very poor.
As part of the campaign all eight police forces in Scotland have been trained to detect drug-impaired driving using voluntary physical co-ordination tests, as from 1st June 2001. Drug Driving Awareness Weekend ran from Friday 22nd June to Sunday 24th June 2001. Enforcement of the new detection methods will begin on 29th June.
In September 2000 the Scottish Executive announced a £100 million package of expenditure on drug misuse, covering the three years from April 2001 until March 2004. The package funds the continued implementation of the Scottish Executive’s comprehensive and multi-agency drugs strategy Tackling Drugs in Scotland: Action in Partnership published in March 1999.
GROUPS DECIDE ON CHILDREN'S COMMISSIONER
Children's groups are to gathering in the Scottish Parliament to decide whether the country needs a children's commissioner. The event forms part of an inquiry by the Education Committee.
Karen Gillon (LAB) says around 80 delegates will air their views.
Ms Gillon added that the event would begin with an seminar in the main chamber so MSPs could "listen to the views of individuals and organisations working in the field".
Among the children's charities and welfare groups taking part in are Childline, Barnardo's and Save the Children. They are being joined by representatives by local authorities, social services, community education and academia.
Children from the Royal Blind School, National Children's Home Scotland and various other youth groups are also taking part.
SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS
The last parliamentary week before the summer recess begins with a Ministerial Statement on WEDNESDAY afternoon. At the time of writing, the subject has not been announced. Details will be found shortly in the Business Bulletin or in the Week at a Glance section of the Scottish Parliament website.
This is followed by an Executive Debate on Serious Violent and Sexual Offenders.
Earlier this month, following a commitment given in its Programme for Government, the Executive issued the White Paper, Serious Violent and Sexual Offenders: Criminal Justice, which includes its proposals for the sentencing and management of high risk violent and sexual offenders.
The White Paper also includes the Executive’s response to the recommendations of the Committee on Serious Violent and Sexual Offences (MacLean committee) published in June last year. The Executive is accepting all the main recommendations of the MacLean report.
The Executive's proposals, which reflect the recommendations of the MacLean report, contain the elements of punishment, treatment and rehabilitation. Key proposals include:
(For the story which accompanied the announcement, see the News section of e-Brief 70.)
For more information, see the White Paper, Serious Violent and Sexual Offenders: Criminal Justice and the Crime and Criminal Justice Research Findings No. 46: Review of the Research Literature on Serious Violent and Sexual Offenders.
The day closes with a Member's Debate on Lung Disease in Scotland from the SNP's Michael Matheson.
THURSDAY begins with Stage 1 of the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Bill. Originally a Private Member's Bill, it is now being brought forward by the Justice 1 Committee, making it the first ever Committee Bill in the Scottish Parliament.
As a member of the former Justice & Home Affairs Committee (before it split into the current Justice 1 and Justice 2 Committees), Maureen Macmillan (LAB) proposed the idea of extending the scope of matrimonial interdicts under the Matrimonial Homes (Family Protection) (Scotland) Act 1981. At only its second meeting in August 1999, the Committee agreed to consider the possibility of legislation to provide greater protection from abuse, developing the idea into a proposal for a Committee Bill. Ms Macmillan was appointed as reporter to the Committee and met with ministers and officials from the Scottish Executive to discuss the proposals.
The basis for the Bill is the Justice Committee’s 9th Report, Proposal for a Protection of Abuse Bill, published in November 2000.
The problem the bill aims, in essence, to address is that the 1981 Matrimonial Homes Act only offers protection to current spouses, and many more people (such as former partners) are at risk of domestic violence. Having considered various options, the Committee’s solution is to allow any person who has taken a common law interdict against a harasser to ask for a power of arrest to be attached to it.
This is followed by a debate from the Finance Committee on the 2002/2003 Budget Process. For an outline of some of the issues which have been raised by this detailed (if somewhat dry) procedure, see the report of the Finance Committee in Committee News, Issue 36.
For the enthusiast, Volume 1 of the Committee's report on Stage 1 of the 2002/03 Budget Process is available by clicking here and Volume 2 (evidence) is available (in .pdf format) by clicking here.
The morning session closes with another Ministerial Statement. Again, the subject has not yet been announced but details will be found shortly in the Business Bulletin or in the Week at a Glance section of the Scottish Parliament website.
In the afternoon, after Question Time and First Minister's Question Time, there is a short Executive debate on the New Opportunities Fund (NOF), which distributes lottery money to support activity in the public services which would not otherwise take place. To pick one example, through the NOF, £23 million of Lottery money has been allocated to train Scottish Teachers and school librarians in the use of ICT.
The day, and indeed the parliamentary session, closes with a Member's Business debate on Endometriosos from Conservative, Annabel Goldie.
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