Scottish Parliament e-Brief

Issue 91, 19^th November 2001

SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER

IN COMMITTEE

This week's likely highlights are:

• Finance takes evidence on its Budget Submission from a number of organisations in Kirkcudbright today and tomorrow. Members also continue taking evidence for the PFI Inquiry.
• Procedures continues taking evidence on its CSG inquiry – this week from Des McNulty (LAB) and Andrew Welsh (SNP).
• Subordinate Legislation considers a number of Executive Orders including more detail on the Order to close Northern College.
• Rural Development continues with Stage 2 of the Protection of Wild Mammals Bill.
• Local Government has a marathon evidence gathering session from CoSLA, the trade unions and academia for its finance inquiry.
• Education makes progress with its Children’s Commission Inquiry.

More detail will follow in tomorrow's Committee News.

SECTION 2 - NEWS

SEONAID MAKES HER DEBUT
Seonaid makes her debut today behind the desk of her virtual studio in the Junior Exec section of the Executive’s news website.

Seonaid (pronounced "Shona" and standing for Scottish Executive Online News and Information Distributor) is a virtual character on the cutting edge of modern animation technology, believed to be the first to be based on a government website anywhere in the world.

She was specially created by Digital Animations Group in partnership with the Executive, and her role is envisaged as extending to a youth audience (target age group: 8-16) the aim of delivering open and accessible government.

Modelled on children’s television presenters like Konnie Huq of Blue Peter and Melanie Sykes of the Big Breakfast – with inspiration from a range of other on-screen reporters – she was designed to add a new dimension to the educational e-learning experience of young people who are already part of a modern online culture.

Among other things, Seonaid will explain how a Bill passes through Parliament, narrate the history of the Stone of Destiny, and invite submissions to her Cornucopia of Curious Facts.

Surveys of the use of computers in schools have shown that pupils involved with them consistently display high levels of interest, motivation and enjoyment. The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) has found evidence to support a link between educational attainment and high-quality computer skills.

Click here to see Seonaid for yourself.

 Full Story

DRIVE TO RETAIN SCOTTISH NURSES
A £1.5 million package of additional investment to help keep more nurses in NHSScotland was announced today by Health Minister, Susan Deacon.

The plans include:

• Targeting local areas with particular winter problems in providing nurse cover through a £200,000 advertising campaign;
• Addressing NHSScotland’s nursing workforce needs through the creation of Scotland’s first NHS centre for recruitment and retention, and an Executive commitment to lead Scotland’s first national multi-media recruitment campaign in 2002;
• Creating up to 1,000 ‘clinical leaders’ among nurses supported by a £200,000 investment in the Royal College of Nursing’s Leadership Programme; and
• Attracting more former nurses and midwives to retrain and rejoin the NHS, including immediate steps to pilot innovative ‘Return to Practice’ grants schemes backed by £100,000 of investment over the next 3 months.

A further £1 million is also being made available by the Executive to get immediate ideas for further measures off the drawing board.

Full Story

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

With the election of the New First Minister on Thursday, a number of pieces of business are not in their usual slots this week. Nevertheless, the Chamber is still busy, dealing with 2 bills and a Sewel motion.

WEDNESDAY sees the first stage of the Sexual Offences (Evidence & Procedures) (Scotland) Bill.

Following the public concern which arose after several high profile rape cases in which the accused successfully conducted his own defence, the Scottish Executive began consulting on how to prevent this happening in the future.

The result is this bill, which is intended to prevent the accused in rape or other sexual offences cases from personally cross-examining the complainer. This will be done by requiring the accused to have legal representation. This is different to the approach taken in England & Wales where rules of evidence differ.

There are three other main provisions allied to this objective:

• Strengthening the existing law which restricts evidence regarding the sexual character and history of the complainer. There is a perception that the law as it stands has failed to prevent insinuations about the character of the complainer being introduced during trials.
• Prohibiting the accused from exercising their right (rarely used) to take a witness statement (‘precognition’) from the complainer in person. There is little controversy around this proposal, although once again many in the legal field believe that existing laws are adequate.
• Requiring the accused to give notice if they intend to use a defence that the complainer gave their consent. Notice must already be given for certain defences (so called "special defences" such as insanity, incrimination of another, and alibi.

Member's Business comes in the shape of John Home Robertson's (LAB) postponed debate on the Regulation of Opencast Mining in the Lothians.

THURSDAY morning begins with another Stage 1 debate, this time on the Scottish Local Government (Elections) Bill.

As avid readers of the Committee News will be aware, there are two aspects to the Bill:

• To change the local government term from three to four years and to hold local government and Scottish Parliamentary elections on the same day; and
• To allow local authorities to run innovative pilot schemes for local government elections to improve voter turnout and the efficiency of electoral administration.

The introduction of a four year term aims to provide stability and allow local authorities to better plan for the long term. Four years will allow councils a realistic term to develop strategies, will facilitate councils' strategic and community planning and budgeting processes, and will also allow administrations a realistic spell of time to deliver on manifesto commitments.

The bill proposes to hold Scottish Parliament and Council elections on the same day (as in 1999) in an effort to increase turnout. (The local government elections in May 1999 achieved a turnout of 59% – against a backdrop of turnout between 41% and 48% from 1976 to 1995.)

The Bill’s proposals regarding pilot schemes were not contained in the draft bill. This section has been introduced following representations from councils during the consultation on the draft bill. The plans proceed on the premise that encouraging voters to turn out for elections is vital for strong local democracy. With this in mind, local authorities will be asked to put forward ideas for pilot schemes to modernise the administration of local government elections – different ways of how, when and where people can vote such as electronic voting and counting.

For some excellent background information, see the Local Government Committee's Report on the Scottish Local Government (Elections) Bill.

This is followed by a short Sewel motion (where the Scottish Parliament allows Westminster to legislate on devolved issues) on the NHS Reform and Health Care Professions Bill - a piece of UK legislation which sets up a new cross border (ie UK-wide) body to deal with regulation of health professionals.

Regulation of the medical profession is, broadly, reserved and there is nothing in the current bill which impacts upon a devolved issue. This motion simply confirms that, should any devolved issue relating to regulation of the medical profession arise in the future, it can be dealt with by this body.

Immediately afterwards, at 11:30, Question Time followed by First Minister's Question Time will be held.

Decision Time will then take place, after which there will be a Member's Business debate on Contract Research Staff from the SNP's Alex Neil.

Parliament then reconvenes at 14:30 to elect a New First Minister.

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