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Scottish Parliament Annual Report 2003 to 2004

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Annual Report 2003 - 2004Scottish Parliament Annual Report 2003 to 2004

SP 169 Session 2 (2004)

Foreword by George Reid, Presiding Officer 3

Election Results 2003 4

The Parliamentary Bureau and the SPCB 5

Our Elected Representatives 6-7

The Chamber 8-16

The Conveners’ Group 17

The Committees 18-35

Official Report 36-37

Other Activities 38-41

Our Place in the World 42-44

Holyrood 45-47

How to contact us 48

Contents

Annual Report7 May 2003 to 6 May 2004

Annual Report 2003 to 2004

3

Foreword by George Reid, Presiding Officer

6 May 2004

When I was elected PresidingOfficer in May 2003, I said that thejob of Parliament is to delineate,debate and decide the issues ofdevolved life in Scotland.

This report records how, in the yearsince then, we have done so.

In summary form, it provides asnapshot of how the members ofthe Scottish Parliament haveaddressed a vast range of matters inboth the Chamber and committees.

In doing so, we have been guidedby our founding principles ofAccessibility, Accountability, EqualOpportunities and the Sharing ofPower. Throughout all our businesswe have endeavoured to work inpartnership with the people ofScotland. We have taken oral and

written evidence throughout theland, the better to inform ourdecisions.

That is right and proper, since ourParliament belongs to our people. Ivery much hope that this report willhelp them to decide how well wehave engaged with the issues ofbuilding a better country.

That process of engagement has,over the past five years, beendamaged by the continuing delaysand rising costs of our newHolyrood campus. It is with realanticipation that we look forward,therefore, to moving into our newhome in September 2004 and to itsofficial opening by the Queen thefollowing month.

At Holyrood we have a remarkablenew parliament building – a fusionof art, engineering and architecture– rooted in the landscape ofScotland.

At Holyrood we face the challengeof working in a world class buildingon a World Heritage site.

We shall meet the challenge bestthrough the clarity of our ideas, thescrutiny of our debate and thequality of the decisions we take.


4

Election Results 2003

Conservative Party

Green Party

Independents

Labour Party

Liberal Democrats

Scottish National Party

SSCUP

Scottish Socialist Party

The Chamber

No party achieved an overallmajority in the 2003 election.Labour won most seats (50)followed by the SNP (27), theConservatives (18) and theLiberal Democrats (17).Representation from the smallerparties and independentsincreased significantly from atotal of three MSPs in 1999 to14. The ruling Labour-LiberalDemocrat coalition, formedafter the election, has 67 seatscompared to the 62 of theother parties and independents.

4

18

15 4

671

1

46

9

3

13

2

Labour SNP Conservatives LibDem SSPGreen SSCUP Other0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Constituency MSPs

Regional MSPs

Comparison between 1999 and 2003 Election results

The second General Election to the ScottishParliament took place on 1 May 2003. Comparedto the 1999 election, Labour and the SNP lost atotal of 14 seats to the smaller parties andindependents, while both the Conservatives andLiberal Democrats maintained their level ofrepresentation.

Allocation of seats by first and second vote

Under the Additional Member System used for Scottish Parliament elections voters have two votes each. The firstis to elect a constituency MSP and the second is for a regional MSP. Labour and the Liberal Democrats wonmost of their seats through their first or constituency vote. The SNP and the Conservatives won most, and thesmaller parties won all, of their seats through their second or regional vote. Independent candidates won twoconstituency seats and one regional seat.

The key elements of the Parliament’sdecision-making processes were re-established in May.

The Parliamentary Bureau proposesthe agenda for each meeting of theParliament in what is called a‘business motion’. Chaired by thePresiding Officer, the othermembers are representativesnominated by each party or groupwith five or more MSPs. Those whotook their seats round the table atthe first meeting of the newParliamentary Bureau on 13 May2003 were:

George Reid, Presiding Officer;

Trish Godman, Deputy PresidingOfficer;

Murray Tosh, Deputy PresidingOfficer;

Patricia Ferguson, Scottish LabourParty;

Fiona Hyslop, Scottish National Party;

Alex Johnstone, ScottishConservative and Unionist Party;

Euan Robson, Scottish LiberalDemocrat Party;

Mark Ballard, Scottish Green Party;

Carolyn Leckie, Scottish SocialistParty;

Fiona Hyslop, Alex Johnstone andEuan Robson stood down early in thesession and have now been replacedby Bruce Crawford, Bill Aitken andGeorge Lyon (substituting for TavishScott).

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB)


5

The Parliamentary Bureau

The Scottish ParliamentaryCorporate Body is appointed underthe Scotland Act 1998 to providethe buildings, staff and servicesneeded by the Parliament to carryout its work. This includes theemployment of all parliamentarystaff, the construction of the

Holyrood building, and manycontracts for goods and services.The SPCB is also chaired by thePresiding Officer. The four othermembers are elected by theParliament from its MSPs.

The four MSPs elected to the SPCBon 21 May were:

Robert Brown,Scottish Liberal Democrat Party;

Duncan McNeil,Scottish Labour Party;

John Scott,Scottish Conservative and UnionistParty;

Andrew Welsh,Scottish National Party.

The new corporate body held itsfirst meeting on 27 May 2003.

Members of the Parliamentary Bureau, May 2004

In May 2003, the 129 people pictured above were electedas your MSPs. Of these, 73 were elected for a particularlocal area (known as a single member constituency) and56 were elected to regional lists. Each of the eightregions represents a group of constituencies and hasseven MSPs.

All the MSPs are listed here under their political parties,alphabetically by constituency and then by regional list.

Scottish Labour Party Constituency MSPsAberdeen Central: Lewis MacdonaldAirdrie and Shotts: Karen WhitefieldCarrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley: Cathy JamiesonCentral Fife: Christine MayClydebank and Milngavie: Des McNultyClydesdale: Karen GillonCoatbridge and Chryston: Elaine SmithCumbernauld and Kilsyth: Cathie CraigieCunninghame North: Allan WilsonCunninghame South: Irene OldfatherDumbarton: Jackie BaillieDumfries: Dr Elaine MurrayDundee West: Kate MacleanDunfermline East: Helen EadieDunfermline West: Scott BarrieEast Kilbride: Mr Andy KerrEast Lothian: Mr John Home RobertsonEastwood: Mr Kenneth MacintoshEdinburgh Central: Sarah BoyackEdinburgh East and Musselburgh: Susan Deacon

Edinburgh North and Leith: Malcolm ChisholmFalkirk East: Cathy PeattieGlasgow Anniesland: Bill ButlerGlasgow Baillieston: Ms Margaret CurranGlasgow Cathcart: Mike WatsonGlasgow Govan: Gordon JacksonGlasgow Kelvin: Pauline McNeillGlasgow Maryhill: Patricia FergusonGlasgow Pollok: Johann LamontGlasgow Rutherglen: Janis HughesGlasgow Shettleston: Mr Frank McAveetyGlasgow Springburn: Paul MartinGreenock and Inverclyde: Mr Duncan McNeilHamilton North and Bellshill: Michael McMahonHamilton South: Mr Tom McCabeKilmarnock and Loudoun: Margaret JamiesonKirkcaldy: Marilyn LivingstoneLinlithgow: Mrs Mary MulliganLivingston: Bristow MuldoonMidlothian: Rhona BrankinMotherwell and Wishaw: Jack McConnellPaisley North: Ms Wendy AlexanderPaisley South: Hugh HenryStirling: Dr Sylvia JacksonWest Renfrewshire: Trish GodmanWestern Isles: Mr Alasdair Morrison

Scottish Labour Party Regional List MSPsHighlands and Islands: Maureen Macmillan,

Peter Peacock North East Scotland: Richard Baker, Marlyn Glen


6

Our elected representatives

Scottish National Party Constituency MSPsAberdeen North: Brian AdamAngus: Mr Andrew WelshBanff & Buchan: Stewart StevensonDundee East: Shona RobisonInverness East, Nairn and Lochaber: Fergus EwingMoray: Mrs Margaret EwingNorth Tayside: Mr John SwinneyOchil: George ReidPerth: Roseanna Cunningham

Scottish National Party Regional List MSPsCentral Scotland: Linda Fabiani,

Michael Matheson,Alex Neil

Glasgow: Nicola Sturgeon,Ms Sandra White

Highlands and Islands: Rob Gibson,Jim Mather

Lothians: Fiona Hyslop, Mr Kenny MacAskill

Mid Scotland and Fife: Bruce Crawford,Tricia Marwick

North East Scotland: Richard Lochhead South of Scotland: Christine Grahame,

Mr Adam Ingram,Alasdair Morgan

West of Scotland: Campbell Martin,Mr Stewart Maxwell,Mr Bruce McFee

Scottish Liberal Democrats Constituency MSPsAberdeen South: Nicol StephenArgyll and Bute: George LyonCaithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross: Mr Jamie StoneEdinburgh South: Mike PringleEdinburgh West: Margaret SmithGordon: Nora RadcliffeNorth East Fife: Iain SmithOrkney: Mr Jim WallaceRoss, Skye and Inverness West: John Farquhar MunroRoxburgh & Berwickshire: Euan RobsonShetland: Tavish ScottTweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale: Jeremy PurvisWest Aberdeenshire and Kincardine: Mike Rumbles

Scottish Liberal Democrats Regional List MSPsCentral Scotland: Donald GorrieGlasgow: Robert Brown

Mid Scotland and Fife: Mr Keith RaffanWest of Scotland: Ross Finnie

Scottish Conservative & Unionist PartyConstituency MSPsAyr: John ScottEdinburgh Pentlands: David McLetchieGalloway and Upper Nithsdale: Alex Fergusson

Scottish Conservative & Unionist PartyRegional List MSPsCentral Scotland: Margaret MitchellGlasgow: Bill AitkenHighlands and Islands: Mr Jamie McGrigor,

Mary ScanlonLothians: Lord James Douglas-HamiltonMid Scotland and Fife: Mr Ted Brocklebank,

Murdo Fraser, Mr Brian Monteith

North East Scotland: Mr David Davidson, Alex Johnstone,Mrs Nanette Milne

South of Scotland: Phil Gallie, David Mundell

West of Scotland: Miss Annabel Goldie, Murray Tosh

Scottish Green Party Regional List MSPsGlasgow: Patrick HarvieHighlands and Islands: Eleanor ScottLothians: Robin Harper,

Mark BallardMid Scotland and Fife: Mr Mark RuskellNorth East Scotland: Shiona BairdSouth of Scotland: Chris Ballance

Scottish Socialist Party Regional List MSPsCentral Scotland: Carolyn LeckieGlasgow: Tommy Sheridan, Rosie KaneLothians: Colin FoxSouth of Scotland: Ms Rosemary ByrneWest of Scotland: Frances Curran

Scottish Senior Citizens’ Unity Party RegionalList MSPCentral Scotland: John Swinburne

Independent Constituency MSPsFalkirk West: Dennis CanavanStrathkelvin & Bearsden: Dr Jean Turner

Independent Regional List MSPLothians: Margo MacDonald


7


8

Every elected Member of theScottish Parliament (MSP) must takean oath of loyalty to Her MajestyThe Queen. Accordingly, at the firstmeeting of the Parliament after thegeneral election all 129 MSPs tookthe oath. Of these, 26 were newlyelected to the Parliament, including:

• Three members of the ScottishConservative & Unionist Party;

• Six members of the ScottishGreen Party;

• Three members of the ScottishLabour Party;

• Two members of the ScottishLiberal Democrat Party;

• Five members of the ScottishNational Party;

• One member of the ScottishSenior Citizens’ Unity Party;

• Five members of the ScottishSocialist Party; and

• One independent member.


9

The Chamber

MSPs voting for the Deputy Presiding Officers

The Chamber is where theParliament meets to debate politicalissues and to decide on proposalsfor new laws. The Chamber is alsowhere MSPs can question the FirstMinister and other Scottish ministerson a weekly basis.

The range of business considered inthe Chamber is varied and wide.Debates during the past yearcovered topics including health, theenvironment, justice, culture, andtransport, as well as many otherareas of Scottish life.

In addition to normal business,there were other procedures whichwere necessary because of theelection on 1 May 2003.

Post-election Procedures

Following a general election, theParliament must ensure that the newparliamentary year is set up in linewith certain rules and regulations.

A new Presiding Officer and twoDeputy Presiding Officers wereelected at the first meeting of thesecond session of Parliament.George Reid was the only candidatefor the post of Presiding Officer andwas duly elected. The Parliamentelected Trish Godman and MurrayTosh as Deputy Presiding Officers.

All other post-election events tookplace in the Hub, Edinburgh’sFestival Centre. This was becausethe General Assembly of the Churchof Scotland was meeting in theAssembly Hall, which has been thetemporary location of theParliament’s Debating Chamber.

The new session also saw the electionof the First Minister.

The candidates were:

• Dennis Canavan (IndependentMSP);

• Robin Harper (Principal Speaker ofthe Scottish Green Party);

• Margo MacDonald (IndependentMSP);

• Jack McConnell (Leader of theScottish Labour Party);

• David McLetchie (Leader of theScottish Conservative & UnionistParty);

• Tommy Sheridan (Leader of theScottish Socialist Party); and

• John Swinney (Leader of theScottish National Party).

As more votes were cast for JackMcConnell than for all the othercandidates combined, Mr McConnellwas agreed as the Parliament’snomination. His appointment wasthen approved by Her Majesty TheQueen.

The Parliament also saw the electionof new Scottish ministers and juniorScottish ministers.

In addition, MSPs elected fourmembers of the Scottish ParliamentaryCorporate Body (SPCB).


10

Time for Reflection

Normally the first item of businessto be taken in the Chamber eachweek, Time for Reflection givespeople of different beliefs and faithsthe chance to share their thoughtsand reflections with the Parliament.A wide range of religious groupsand faiths have participated in Timefor Reflection during the past year,with representatives from theChurch of Scotland, the RomanCatholic Church, the Free Church ofScotland, the Baptist Church, theEpiscopalian Church and Scotland’sMuslim, Jewish and Sikhcommunities addressing theChamber. There have also beencontributions from people notrepresenting any particular faith orreligion.

Time for Reflection contributorsincluded:

• The Right Reverend ProfessorIain Torrance – Moderator of theGeneral Assembly of the Churchof Scotland;

• Cardinal Keith O’Brien –Archbishop of St Andrews andEdinburgh;

• Rabbi Moshe Rubin – of Giffnockand Newlands Hebrewcongregation, who spoke incommemoration of NationalHolocaust Memorial Day;

• The Reverend Duncan MacLeod– Minister of the Free Church inPerth, who was the first personto deliver Time for Reflectionentirely in Gaelic;

• Priya Sahi - a 5th year studentfrom Grove Academy, BroughtyFerry; and

• Ravinder Kaur Nijjar - Convenerof the Scottish Inter-FaithCouncil.

Ministerial Statements

Ministerial statements are used totell the Parliament about urgent ortopical subjects.

Once a minister reads out his or herstatement to the Chamber, memberscan question the minister on whathas been said. Examples ofministerial statements include:

• The Deputy Minister forEnvironment and RuralDevelopment’s statement oncommon agricultural policyreform;

• The Minister for Health andCommunity Care’s statement onthe publication of EnhancingSexual Wellbeing in Scotland: aSexual Health and RelationshipsStrategy; and

• The Minister for Communities’statement on charity law reform.


11

Did You Know?There were 22 ministerial statements thissession. Ministers normally speak for 10-15 minutes and then answer questionsfor a further 20 minutes.

Cardinal Keith O’Brien

Ravinder Kaur Nijjar


12

Bills introduced [22]:

Robin Rigg (Offshore Wind Farm) (Navigation and Fishing)(Scotland) Bill (Private)

Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine Railway and Linked Improvements Bill(Private)

Education (School Meals) (Scotland) Bill (Executive)

Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Bill (Executive)

Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Bill (Executive)

National Health Service Reform (Scotland) Bill (Executive)

Prostitution Tolerance Zones (Scotland) Bill (Member’s)

Waverley Railway (Scotland) Bill (Private)

Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill (Executive)

Criminal Procedure (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill (Executive)

Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill(Executive)

Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Bill (Executive)

Fire Sprinklers in Residential Premises (Scotland) Bill (Member’s)

Local Governance (Scotland) Bill (Executive)

Breastfeeding etc. (Scotland) Bill (Member’s)

Budget (Scotland) Bill (Executive)

Edinburgh Tram (Line One) Bill (Private)

Edinburgh Tram (Line Two) Bill (Private)

Tenements (Scotland) Bill (Executive)

Prohibition of Smoking in Regulated Areas (Scotland) Bill(Member’s)

Emergency Workers (Scotland) Bill (Executive)

School Education (Ministerial Powers and Independent Schools)(Scotland) Bill (Executive)

Legislation

A draft law or bill is the main typeof legislation dealt with by theParliament. Bills are normally theresult of a lot of public consultationand debate by the Parliament whenit meets both in committee and inthe Chamber. A total of 22 bills havebeen introduced in the past year.However, because it can take a longtime to study the proposals and getfeedback from interested parties, onlya few of those have as yet beenpassed and are now Acts ofParliament.

Bills passed and granted RoyalAssent (meaning they become acts)during the past year were theEducation (School Meals) (Scotland)Bill, the Robin Rigg Offshore WindFarm (Navigation and Fishing)(Scotland) Bill, the Primary MedicalServices (Scotland) Bill, the Budget(Scotland) Bill and the VulnerableWitnesses (Scotland) Bill.


13

Since May 2003, 13 bills have beenintroduced by the ScottishExecutive, covering areas includingNational Health Service reform,antisocial behaviour, and theelection of councillors to localauthorities. There have been fourmembers’ bills covering prostitutiontolerance zones, fire sprinklers inresidential homes, breastfeeding,and banning smoking in somepublic places. A total of five privatebills have also been introduced.


14

Parliamentary QuestionsQuestion Times are among the mostpopular events in the Chamber. Theway they are carried out haschanged in the past year.

In September 2003, First Minister’sQuestion Time was moved to a newtime of noon on Thursdays, and itslength was extended from 20 to 30minutes. In March 2004, QuestionTime, where ministers other than theFirst Minister answer questions, wasgiven a new start time of 2pm onThursdays. It was also extended by20 minutes to an hour. As well asgeneral questions, MSPs have thechance now to quiz the Executive onparticular policy areas such as healthand justice during two thematicquestion periods each week.

Parliamentary Questions 7 May 2003 - 6 May 2004

Lodged Answered in Received Chamber Written

Answer

Question Time 2,366 513 597

First Minister’s Question Time 879 192 6

More than 8,000 written questions were lodged for answer in the same period.British Sign Language provision was madeavailable during Question Times in Februaryand March

Did YouKnow?Not all questionslodged by MSPsfor oral answerare selected.Questions whichare not selected,or which are notanswered in theChamberbecause of lackof time, aretreated aswritten answersand appear inthe weeklyWritten AnswersReport.

DebatesA wide range of issues were debatedin the Chamber this year. The topicsfor most debates come frommotions and amendments by theExecutive or opposition parties, andindependent MSPs. Subjectsdebated include:

• Scotland’s transport;

• Fuel poverty in Scotland;

• Protection of emergencyworkers;

• Young people;

• Scottish agriculture;

• Improving Scotland’s homes;

• The Scottish National Theatre;and

• The future of Scottish football.


15

Committees are also giventime to discuss issues in theChamber. Committeedebates held during thepast year include:

• The ProceduresCommittee debate aboutits inquiry into FirstMinister’s Questions;

• The Equal OpportunitiesCommittee debate aboutmainstreaming equalityin the work of theScottish Parliamentcommittees;

• The Environment andRural DevelopmentCommittee debates onrural development, andthe national waste plan;and

• The European andExternal RelationsCommittee debate onthe EuropeanCommission’s futurework.


16

Members’ Business

Members’ Business, which comesafter Decision Time at the end ofeach meeting, gives MSPs thechance to talk about issues thatmight not get prominenceotherwise. During Members’Business, the member whosemotion has been chosen opens thedebate and a minister will respond.

Often the subject chosen is about aparticular constituency or region.Examples of such debates include:

• Maternity services in Caithness;

• Galloway Fisheries InshoreExclusion Zone; and

• Concorde and the Museum ofFlight.

Members’ Business is used to markspecific events too, including:

• European Week for Health andSafety;

• World Aids Day 2003; and

• The World Health Organisation’sBone and Joint Decade.

General topics can be included inMembers’ Business. Examples fromthe past year include:

• Wind farms;

• Scotch Whisky tax stamps;

• Rural rail services; and

• Obesity.

Motions

Any MSP can lodge a motion withthe Chamber Desk about a matterwhich interests or concerns them.Some motions are lodged to bringattention to a particular topic.Others are lodged to congratulatemembers’ constituents or to seeksupport for a cause. All motions areprinted daily in the Business Bulletinin the name of the MSP who lodgedit. Other MSPs may add their namesin support. Not all motions areintended for debate but some canbe selected for Members’ Businessby the Parliamentary Bureau.

Motions lodged this year were verywide-ranging. Examples includeasthma in Scotland, epilepsyawareness, Young Musician of theYear Award, safety belts on schoolbuses, recognition of kinship careand the horse racing industry inScotland, of which the last two wenton to be chosen for Members'Business.

The Conveners’ Group is made upof the conveners of all thecommittees in the Parliament. Itheld its first meeting of the newsession on 17 June 2003. Thegroup is convened by TrishGodman, one of the DeputyPresiding Officers.

Like most of the committees, thegroup held an informal meeting toagree how it would work and whatmatters it would prioritise.

An important item of business was apresentation by the convener of theEqual Opportunities Committee onmaking sure committees remainaware of equal opportunities. As aresult, equality issues are now builtinto the work of the committees.

The group was advised onscrutinising the Executive’s spendingplans by the Finance Committee’sbudget adviser.

An early item of business was toagree a reply to the ProceduresCommittee report on theParliament’s founding principles.The convener of the Enterprise andCulture Committee spoke on behalfof the group in the Chamber debateon this report in February 2004.

The group approved a newdocument called Guidance forConveners. Published on theConveners’ Group page on theParliament website, this gives adviceon rules and practice in committees.

A Participation Handbook wasapproved, which offers practicalhelp for committees who want toget in touch with the wider public.

It has been a busy year for thegroup. It looks forward todeveloping further its role as aforum in which conveners candiscuss matters of interest across thecommittee system.


17

The Conveners’ Group

Convener of theConveners’ Group,Trish Godman

Did YouKnow?A committeeconvener is theMSP whoconvenes andchairs acommittee. Heor she is chosenfrom thecommittee'smembership,along with aDeputyConvener. Appointmentsare made alongagreed politicalparty lines.

The new committees were set up bythe Parliament on 4 June 2003.They quickly got into their stride. By11 June all committees had met andchosen conveners and deputyconveners.

There are two main types ofcommittee: mandatory onesrequired by the Standing Orders(rules governing the way theParliament works); and subjectcommittees. The new subjectcommittees cover the same range oftopics as the previous committees.However, there have been a fewchanges to individualresponsibilities. For example,transport is dealt with by a newLocal Government and TransportCommittee and the environmentcomes under the remit of the newEnvironment and RuralDevelopment Committee. Culture isthe responsibility of the newEnterprise and Culture Committee.

During the year, there were 417committee meetings lasting nearly825 hours. The committeesconsidered 18 bills and carried out34 inquiries. The committeescontinue to work in partnershipwith the public. They heard from atotal of 1,446 witnesses representing587 organisations this year.

The pages that follow give a flavourof the work of each committee andtheir membership at the end of thissession. More details can be foundin individual committee annualreports. These are published on thecommittee pages of the website.Details of each committee’s remit,membership changes, public papersof committee meetings and agendascan also be found there.

The committees in this sessionpicked up where they left off in thelast. They remain committed toworking in partnership with thepeople and they continue toscrutinise the Executive in athorough but fair manner.


18

The Committees

Did You Know?Mandatory committees must be set up after eachelection. They have fixed roles and responsibilities.Examples of mandatory committees include the FinanceCommittee and the Equal Opportunities Committee.Subject committees examine particular areas ofgovernment such as health and education. Unlikemandatory committees, the number of subjectcommittees and their roles and responsibilities may vary from one session to the next.

Remit

The Audit Committee holds toaccount public sector bodies thatspend taxpayers’ money. It does thisby examining financial documentsput before, or reports made to, theParliament. These public sectorbodies include: • Scottish Executive departments;• Executive agencies;• Non-departmental public bodies;• NHS boards and trusts;• Further education colleges; and• Water authorities.

Report

The Audit Committee makes surepublic money is spent wisely. Itdoes this by holding inquiries intosubjects raised in reports by theAuditor General for Scotland. Thepast year was the committee’sbusiest. The committee tookevidence on more reports of theAuditor General than ever before.

The committee’s inquiries includedan examination of the IndividualLearning Accounts Scheme. Theinquiry found that the scheme,which aimed to encourage adultsback into further education, wasfundamentally flawed.

The committee looked also at theprescribing of drugs by GPs. Itconcluded that more could be doneto reduce waste and improvepatient services. The committeepublished a report on the ScottishFurther Education Funding Council(SFEFC). It found that the SFEFCneeded to do more to fulfilpromises set out in earliercommittee reports.

The committee took evidence onScottish Enterprise, the ScottishParliamentary Corporate Body’saccounts and the Auditor General’soverview report on the NHS inScotland.

Evidence was taken by thecommittee from representatives ofthe Accounts Commission for thefirst time. This was in recognition ofthe increasing number of reportspublished jointly by the AuditorGeneral for Scotland and theAccounts Commission.

Finally, the committee continued tobuild links between other UKparliaments and assemblies byvisiting the National Assembly forWales.


19

Audit Committee

Audit Committee

Convener:

Mr Brian Monteith

Rhona Brankin

Susan Deacon

Robin Harper

Margaret Jamieson

George Lyon

Mr Kenny MacAskill

The way GPs prescribe drugs was looked at in September

Members visited the National Assembly for Wales

Funding for further education was examinedby the Committee

Remit

The Communities Committeeconsiders a wide range of issuesincluding:• Antisocial behaviour;• Housing and area regeneration;• Poverty;• The voluntary sector;• Charity law; and • Planning and building standards.

Report

The main focus for the committeethis year was the AntisocialBehaviour etc. (Scotland) Bill. Thecommittee thought it important totalk to local communities abouttheir experiences of antisocialbehaviour. Members visitedLossiemouth, Dundee, Stirling,Dumfries, Alexandria, East Kilbride,Edinburgh, Pollokshields andRoyston to gather evidence beforethe bill was introduced. Thecommittee also published aquestionnaire on its web page.More than 100 people respondedwith their views on the issue. Wide-ranging oral and writtenevidence was considered before thecommittee agreed to the generalprinciples of the bill.

The committee also looked at theFire Sprinklers in ResidentialPremises (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1.This is a member’s bill whichproposes that fire sprinklers areinstalled in certain types ofresidential properties that areconsidered to be at particular risk.After taking evidence, thecommittee welcomed acommitment by the ScottishExecutive to make sprinkler systemscompulsory in specific types ofresidential properties built in thefuture.

Other work carried out by thecommittee included theconsideration and agreement ofdraft debt arrangement regulations.These introduce a system which willallow people to repay multipledebts with regular payments.


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Communities Committee

CommunitiesCommittee

Convener:

Johann Lamont

Scott Barrie

Cathie Craigie

Donald Gorrie

Patrick Harvie

Campbell Martin(until 31 March 2004)

Mary Scanlon

Elaine Smith

Stewart Stevenson

Ms Sandra White

Taking questions from school children at avisit to a primary school.

Remit

• Pre-school and school education;• Children’s services; • Social work;• Young people; and• Gaelic.

Report

The committee agreed that one ofits most important functions was toexamine the work of the ScottishExecutive.

Before publishing a report on theAdditional Support for Learning(Scotland) Bill, members visitedschools across Scotland and metwith parents of children whoreceived learning support. Theviews of children, young people andparents were also sought at publicevents and through focus groups.More than 90 organisations gavewritten evidence and oral evidencewas taken from 52 witnesses duringseven committee meetings.

Following the Stage 3 debate on 1 April 2004 the bill was passed bythe Parliament.

Committee members wereconcerned about reports publishedby the Scottish Executive andEdinburgh City Council on failuresin social work departments. Theyagreed to carry out an inquiry intochild protection. The inquiry focuseson progress made in implementingScottish Executive recommendationsoutlined in its report, It’s everyone’sjob to make sure I’m alright.

Written and oral evidence iscurrently being taken for the inquiry.It is planned to publish a report inJune.

The committee met and establishedlinks with youth groups and theScottish Youth Parliament. Thecommittee also hosted a visit frommembers of the NorwegianParliament.


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Education Committee

Education Committee

Convener:

Robert Brown

Ms Wendy Alexander

Rhona Brankin

Ms Rosemary Byrne

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

Fiona Hyslop

Mr Adam Ingram

Mr Kenneth Macintosh

Dr Elaine Murray

Meeting with members of the NorwegianParliament

Remit

The Enterprise and CultureCommittee remit includes:• Enterprise;• Arts and culture;• Lifelong learning (further andhigher education but excludingschool education);• Sport;• Tourism; and• Renewable energy.

Report

The committee started the year byassessing the impact on Scottishuniversities of the introduction ofvariable tuition fees in England.Members sought the views ofbusiness and academic leadersbefore concluding that a substantialamount of extra money is neededfrom the Executive if Scottishuniversities are to remaincompetitive. Copies of the report,Scottish Solutions, were circulatedto all Westminster MPs with Scottishconstituencies.

Scotland has the best renewableenergy resources in Europe. Thecommittee’s second major inquirythis year focused on harnessingthose resources to benefit the

nation. The committee visited theVestas-Celtic wind turbine factory inCampbeltown. As the Kintyrepeninsula’s biggest employer, theplant provides work for more than200 people. Members visited awind farm and spoke to 60 localpeople about how wind energyaffects their lives. Committeemembers also travelled to Denmarkto learn about renewable energy.Overall, more than 150 individualsand organisations contributed to theinquiry.

The committee continues tomonitor progress on previous work.For example, it has begun a shortinquiry into broadband internetaccess in Scotland. It will look atwhether or not the Executive’stargets for coverage are being metand the future benefits of broadband.


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Enterprise and Culture Committee

Enterprise and CultureCommittee

Convener:

Alasdair Morgan

Brian Adam

Chris Ballance

Susan Deacon

Murdo Fraser

Christine May

Mr Jamie Stone

Mike Watson

Richard Baker

The committee dealt withsubordinate legislation and petitionscovering a wide range of topics. Italso heard evidence from Scottishministers on their priorities for thecurrent presidency of the EuropeanUnion.

The committee also commissionedexternal research to analyse howsustainable development is deliveredin Scotland and elsewhere.


23

Environment and Rural Development Committee

Environment and RuralDevelopmentCommittee

Convener:

Sarah Boyack

Roseanna Cunningham

Rob Gibson

Karen Gillon

Alex Johnstone

Maureen Macmillan

Mr Alasdair Morrison

Nora Radcliffe

Eleanor Scott

Did You Know?Biological diversity - orbiodiversity - is the term given tothe variety of life on Earth andthe natural patterns it forms. Thebiodiversity we see today is thefruit of billions of years ofevolution, shaped by naturalprocesses and, increasingly, bythe influence of humans. Itforms the web of life of whichwe are an integral part and uponwhich we so fully depend.

Remit

To consider and report on ruraldevelopment, the environment andnatural heritage, agriculture andfisheries and any other issues, whichare the responsibility of the Ministerfor Environment and RuralDevelopment.

Report

The committee met 28 times in thisparliamentary year and undertook awide range of work.

It carried out an inquiry into theScottish Executive’s National WastePlan. Following the Executive’sresponse to the committee’s reporton the inquiry, a parliamentarydebate was held in January 2004.

Members reported to the FinanceCommittee on the draft ScottishExecutive budget for 2004–05 andmade recommendations to improvethe information given by theExecutive during this process.

The committee conducted an inquiryinto the reform of the CommonAgricultural Policy. It also examinedthe Scottish Executive budget for2005-06. The committee was dueto produce a Stage 1 report on thespending plans and publish a reporton its inquiry in May 2004.

Members looked at the NatureConservation (Scotland) Bill, whichaims to protect wildlife andScotland’s landscape as well asconserving biodiversity. Committeemembers went on four fact-findingvisits to weigh up the likely impactof the bill.

“Sustainable development isdevelopment that meets theneeds of present generationswithout compromising theability of future generations tomeet their own needs”. Our Common Future (TheBrundtland Report). London:Oxford University Press, 1987

Remit

The Equal Opportunities Committeeconsiders and reports on equalopportunities both within theParliament and Scotland as a whole.

Report

The committee met with a widerange of people involved in equalopportunities issues. It tookevidence on proposals for UKlegislation which would allowtranssexual people to be legallyrecognised in their acquired gender.It also took evidence on UKlegislation which would allow same-sex partners to register theirpartnerships and gain legallyrecognised rights andresponsibilities.

One key area of activity was thecommittee’s investigation into theachievements and lessons of the2003 European Year of DisabledPeople. It also looked at issuesaffecting disabled people inScotland in general. As well as

asking for written evidence, thecommittee met in Glasgow to listento views of disabled people andcarers for its forthcoming disabilityinquiry.

A well attended event, it was madeup of a formal evidence session, aninformal meeting with families andyoung people affected by disabilityand an open session during whichparticipants were able to expresstheir views on issues affectingdisabled people in Scotland.

Informal meetings were alsoorganised in Inverness and Fife toallow groups to talk over issues withthe committee’s disability reporter.The committee later took evidencefrom the Minister for Communitiesand will consider all of thisinformation when launching itsinquiry in summer 2004.


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Equal Opportunities Committee

Equal OpportunitiesCommittee

Convener:

Cathy Peattie

Shiona Baird

Frances Curran

Marlyn Glen

Marilyn Livingstone

Campbell Martin(until 31 March 2004)

Mrs Nanette Milne

Elaine Smith

Margaret Smith

Ms Sandra White

Remit

The remit of the European andExternal Relations Committee is toconsider and report on:• Draft EU legislation and its implementation;• Wider EU issues; and• The development andimplementation of the ScottishExecutive’s external relations strategyand activities.

Report

The committee hit the groundrunning with the launch of three newinquiries.

The first deals with changes toEuropean Union regional policy andwhat this will mean for Scotland.With hundreds of millions of poundsat stake, this is a very importantmatter.

The second inquiry is about how theScottish Executive promotes ourcountry worldwide through trade,tourism, culture and sports, includingthe Fresh Talent initiative, a schemeto encourage people from othercountries to live and work in Scotland.

The final inquiry looks at howlow-cost airlines in Scotland will beaffected by the recent EC decision,

which resulted in Ryanair reviewingits service to Charleroi airport inBelgium.

The committee continues to look atthe EU’s proposed constitution.Members were pleased to takeevidence from Dr Denis MacShaneMP, Minister of State in the UKForeign and Commonwealth Office(7 January 2004).

The committee also raised theprofile of EU issues within theParliament by sponsoring twodebates in the Chamber, onecelebrating the EU’s enlargement.

In March 2004, members attendedthe first formal meeting of theNetwork of Regional ParliamentaryEuropean Committees in theCatalan Parliament. They continueto forge links with sister committeesacross the UK’s parliaments andassemblies.

Finally, members carry on thetradition of welcoming visitors to theScottish Parliament. Members werehonoured to meet visitors as diverseas the Italian and Irish ambassadorsand the governor of Colorado in theUnited States.


25

European and External Relations Committee

European and ExternalRelations Committee

Convener:

Richard Lochhead

Dennis Canavan

Mrs Margaret Ewing

Phil Gallie

Mr John Home Robertson

Gordon Jackson

Mr Alasdair Morrison

Irene Oldfather

Mr Keith Raffan

British Sign Language provision at a public meeting with the Italian Ambassador

Remit

To consider and report on anyproposals for public spending fromthe Scottish budget.

Report

As well as considering the 2004-05budget and the financialimplications of 14 bills, thecommittee carried out two majorinvestigations in the past year.

After concerns were raised incommittee about Scottish Watercharges, members agreed to appointJim Mather and Jeremy Purvis toinvestigate. As well as consideringwritten evidence, the committeetook oral evidence from ScottishWater, the Water IndustryCommissioner, Analytical ConsultingLimited and the Deputy Minister forEnvironment and Rural Affairs. Thecommittee’s report was publishedon 23 April 2004.

The committee also appointed DrElaine Murray and Fergus Ewing asreporters to look at the ScottishExecutive’s policy on relocatingpublic sector jobs. The investigationfollowed a petition about proposalsto move Scottish Natural Heritage’sheadquarters from Edinburgh toInverness. After taking oralevidence from the Deputy Ministerfor Finance and Public Services, thecommittee agreed to widen thisinvestigation into an inquiry. Aspart of its inquiry, the committeemet several relevant agencies andnon departmental public bodies(NDPBs). Reporters also visitedDublin to learn more aboutdecentralisation in Ireland. Inaddition, a questionnaire was

posted on the committee’s webpage. Public sector staff memberswere invited to fill it in, outliningtheir experiences of relocation. Thecommittee is expected to publish itsreport in June 2004.


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Finance CommitteeFinance Committee

Finance Committee

Convener:

Des McNulty

Ms Wendy Alexander

Mr Ted Brocklebank

Fergus Ewing

Kate Maclean

Jim Mather

Dr Elaine Murray

Jeremy Purvis

John Swinburne

The committee received monthly reports onthe progress of the Holyrood building

Remit

• Health; and• Community care.

Report

The Health Committee started thenew session with a day outwith theParliament, which included asuccessful public meeting in LochMelfort, Argyll. This gave membersthe chance to hear local people’sviews on health matters. Thecommittee also considered its workprogramme for the future, agreeingto hold an inquiry into staffing inthe NHS. Following this inquiry, thecommittee will look at communitycare.

The committee’s busy legislativeschedule took up much of its time.It considered the Primary MedicalServices (Scotland) Bill and theNational Health Service Reform(Scotland) Bill. The committee alsosought evidence on two member’sbills: the Breastfeeding etc.(Scotland) Bill and the Prohibition ofSmoking in Regulated Areas(Scotland) Bill.

Despite the heavy legislativeworkload, the committee managedto consider 26 petitions and 110items of subordinate legislation,more than any other subjectcommittee. The committee alsoconsidered the Executive’s 2004-05spending plans. The committee andits adviser are in talks with theExecutive about improving thesupply of information about the£7,831 million health budget for2005-06.


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Health Committee

Health Committee

Convener:

Christine Grahame

Mr David Davidson

Helen Eadie

Janis Hughes

Kate Maclean

Mr Duncan McNeil

Shona Robison

Mike Rumbles

Dr Jean Turner

Committee members met with the public atLoch Melfort, Argyll

Remit

The Justice 1 Committee considersand reports on the civil and criminaljustice systems, reform of civil andcriminal laws and other issues thatare the responsibility of the Ministerfor Justice. It also considers somefunctions of the Lord Advocate.

Report

The Justice 1 Committee plays animportant role looking at the justicesystem. It concluded a detailedscrutiny of the way the High Courtworks. The aim is to ensure peopleinvolved in criminal hearings knowwhat is going on. Other subjectssuch as revealing evidence earlywere also examined. People involved in criminal law,such as solicitors, gave their viewsduring a seminar on the bill hostedby the committee. The committeealso sponsored a debate in theChamber on alternatives to prison

sentences, which focused oncommunity penalties.

In terms of civil law, the committeeconsidered the EuropeanCommission’s green paper (a draftproposal) on settling disputes and itspotential impact on domestic law. Avideo-conference with the leadofficial in Brussels helped thecommittee respond to the greenpaper.

Additionally, the committeelaunched an inquiry into how wellprison rehabilitation programmeswork. It also started to examine thefirst committee bill in the Parliamentto become law (the Protection fromAbuse (Scotland) Act 2001), to see ifit is effective. The committeevisited several prisons and courtsacross Scotland to meet and listento the people who are affected bychanges to the justice system.

Issues raised by the public throughletters and petitions, includingsecurity of tenure and rights ofaccess for hutters, dangerous drivingand miscarriages of justice, wereinvestigated by the committee.


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Justice 1 Committee

Justice 1 Committee

Convener:

Pauline McNeill

Bill Butler

Marlyn Glen

Michael Matheson

Margaret Mitchell

Mr Stewart Maxwell

Margaret Smith

Remit

The Justice 2 Committee considersand reports on the civil and criminaljustice systems, the reform of civiland criminal laws and other issuesthat are the responsibility of theMinister for Justice. It also considerssome functions of the LordAdvocate.

Report

The Justice 2 Committee, with theJustice 1 Committee, plays aprincipal role in scrutinising thejustice system.

This year, members finished adetailed investigation of a draft lawto provide better protection andassistance to vulnerable witnessesgiving evidence in court (theVulnerable Witnesses (Scotland)Bill). They heard from manyorganisations and individuals,including those who had given orwere due to give evidence in court.The committee also consideredevidence on the AntisocialBehaviour (Scotland) Bill. Thecommittee focused on how well thenew powers would work and howthey would impact on the currentjustice system. The findings of theJustice 2 Committee were reportedto the Communities Committee.

The committee started takingevidence on plans for a UKSupreme Court and how it willaffect Scotland. Parliamentaryhistory was made when the LordPresident came before thecommittee to give evidence.Members also began a review of anact passed in the first Parliament,the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland)Act. Initial evidence was takenwhich will help the committeedecide whether or not to go aheadwith a review.

The committee started to look atthe Tenements (Scotland) Bill. Thebill is the final part of a package ofreforms dealing with landownership.

Additionally, the committee hosteda seminar on youth justice to helpwith its forthcoming inquiry into theissue.

The committee visited prisons andcourts across Scotland to meet andlisten to people affected by changesto the justice system.

Issues raised by the public throughletters and petitions, such as theshoeing of Clydesdale horses, theScottish Legal Aid Board, thewelfare of minors and complainers’rights were investigated by thecommittee.


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Justice 2 Committee

Justice 2 Committee

Convener:

Miss Annabel Goldie

Jackie Baillie

Colin Fox

Maureen Macmillan

Mike Pringle

Nicola Sturgeon

Karen Whitefield

A seminar to develop ideas for theCommittee’s youth justice inquiry washeld in Glasgow in March

Remit

The Local Government andTransport Committee looks at localgovernment issues, which fall withinthe responsibility of the Minister forFinance and Public Services; andtransport issues, which are part ofthe remit of the Minister forTransport.

Report

The committee had a busy year. Itlooked at the Local Governance(Scotland) Bill, the ProstitutionTolerance Zones (Scotland) Bill andthe Antisocial Behaviour etc.(Scotland) Bill. It has also held amini inquiry into the rail industry inScotland.

Much of the committee’s time wasgiven over to the Local Governance(Scotland) Bill. Among other aims,the bill seeks to introduce the singletransferable vote (STV) for localgovernment elections in Scotland.This will give people the chance tovote for as many candidates as theylike, in order of preference. Onceelection quotas are reached bycandidates, their surplus votes are

redistributed to second andsubsequent choice candidates. Thecommittee agreed to recommendthat the Parliament approve itsgeneral principles. It is expected tobegin Stage 2 scrutiny later in theyear.

The committee’s consideration ofthe bill was preceded by visits toDublin and Belfast where, in bothcases, STV is already in use. Thevisits proved informative. Duringdebates, members drew regularly onknowledge gained in Dublin andBelfast.

In July 2003, the Strategic RailAuthority announced it was toconsult on its future strategy forrailway maintenance andimprovement. The Minister forTransport has also identified anumber of important rail projects in Scotland, such as there-development of Waverley Stationin Edinburgh and rail links toGlasgow and Edinburgh airports.The committee agreed to hold amini inquiry on the rail industry inScotland and took evidence fromthe Strategic Rail Authority andNetwork Rail.

As part of its mini inquiry, membersof the committee visited the ForthBridge to see bridge maintenancebeing carried out.


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Local Government and Transport Committee

Local Government and TransportCommittee

Convener:

Bristow Muldoon

Dr Sylvia Jackson

Michael McMahon

Mr Bruce McFee

Paul Martin

David Mundell

Tommy Sheridan

Iain Smith

Mr Andrew Welsh

Remit

The remit of the ProceduresCommittee is to consider and reporton the practice and procedures ofthe Parliament in relation to itsbusiness. This involves, inparticular, recommending changesto the Standing Orders, theParliament’s rule book.

Report

The committee began the session bylaunching a review of First Minister’sQuestion Time (FMQT), which itthen followed with a wider inquiryinto how questions are asked orally.

Recognising the popularity of oralquestions, both with the media andthe public, the committeeconducted an extensive investigationinto how, if at all, the current systemcould be improved. In addition togiving a questionnaire to peoplewatching FMQT and Question Time(QT) from the public gallery, thecommittee, with the support of theParliament’s Participation Servicesteam, invited six community groupsfrom across Scotland to visit theParliament. Those invited thenwatched FMQT and QT and gavetheir views to the committee.

The committee thought thatextending FMQT from 20 to 30minutes and separating it fromQuestion Time would give MSPsmore chances to quiz ministers and hold them to account. Thecommittee also recommended theintroduction of a new thematicelement to Question Time, with thefocus on different ministers eachweek. Question Time was alsoextended from 40 to 60 minutes.These changes began on a trial basis,with a final review to be conductedbefore the summer.

The committee’s two other majorinquiries were about the way lawsare made. Its ongoing inquiry intonon-Executive bills (primarilymembers’ bills) looks at whether asystem for prioritising proposals formembers’ bills is needed. Thecommittee has also begun anin-depth inquiry into how long ittakes bills to pass through the 3-stageprocess of parliamentary scrutiny.The committee asked for evidencefrom all those with an interest in theprocess and will report to theParliament with its findings.

During this year, the committee also considered and maderecommendations about emergencybill procedures and the temporarysuspension of the Parliament’sStanding Orders.

Finally, the committee updated andre-issued the Parliament’s rule book,the Standing Orders.


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Procedures Committee

Procedures Committee

Convener:

Iain Smith

Mr Richard Baker

Mark Ballard

Bruce Crawford

Cathie Craigie

Karen Gillon

Mr Jamie McGrigor

Remit

The Public Petitions Committee looksat public petitions and decides whataction should be taken.

Report

The Public Petitions Committee iswidely regarded as one of theScottish Parliament’s success storiesin terms of encouraging people toget involved in politics. It continuesto give individuals, community andpressure groups a chance toinfluence the Scottish Parliament.

On 27 November 2003, thecommittee, under the leadership ofJohn McAllion MSP and MichaelMcMahon MSP, won the Committeeof the Year Award 2003 at theprestigious Scottish Politician of theYear Awards.

Petitions considered

During the period of this report thecommittee considered 114 newpetitions, covering a wide range oftopics.

Many of these petitions wereexamined when considering bills,including the Vulnerable Witnesses(Scotland) Bill and the Education(Additional Support for Learning)(Scotland) Bill. Some were part ofother committees’ inquiries intosubjects such as renewable energy,broadband technology, Scottishfootball and the European Year ofDisabled People 2003.

Many petitions resulted in positivechanges. For example, HistoricScotland improved guidance ongrant applications after this wasraised by the committee. TheScottish Executive promises that itsforthcoming planning bill will

include new rules about repeatplanning applications thanks to thecommittee’s concerns.

e-petitioning

The Scottish Parliament is knownthroughout the world forencouraging modern, new ways topetition through its e-petitionersystem. The first of its kind, thesystem allows signatures to begathered via the Internet. Eache-petition has its own forum wherevisitors and signatories can discussthe petition and surrounding issuesonline. Following the success of atwo-year pilot project with theInternational Teledemocracy Centreat Napier University, thee-petitioner system went live inOctober 2003 and was formallylaunched in February 2004.

Equality issues

Members backed the EqualOpportunities Committee guidelineson equal opportunities in theParliament’s committees. Itintroduced an equal opportunitiesmonitoring form, which all petitionerswill be requested to complete whensubmitting a petition.

The committee published revisedguidance on submitting petitions inthe following languages: English;Arabic; Bengali; Cantonese; Gaelic;Punjabi; and Urdu. Braille and audioversions are also now available.


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Public Petitions Committee

Public PetitionsCommittee

Convener:

Michael McMahon

Jackie Baillie

Helen Eadie

Linda Fabiani

Carolyn Leckie

Campbell Martin

John Farquhar Munro

John Scott

Mike Watson

Ms Sandra White(until 31 March 2004)

Remit

The Standards Committee isresponsible for: • Issues relating to the conduct ofMSPs in carrying out theirParliamentary duties;• The Register of Members’Interests; and• The Parliament’s Code ofConduct for MSPs.

Report

The Standards Committee startedwork on new legislation onmembers’ interests. Thecommittee’s challenge will be toensure that any proposal meets theParliament’s obligation to be openand accountable to the Scottishpeople. The committee aims tointroduce a bill in late 2004.

The committee is also responsiblefor overseeing the Cross-PartyGroups (CPGs) in the Parliament.There are now 47 of these groupscovering issues as diverse as theScottish contemporary musicindustry and affordable housing.Many of them were set up in thefirst parliamentary session, whichshows that CPGs deal with issues ofreal interest to both MSPs and thewider community. The StandardsCommittee will make sure thesystem continues to act as animportant link between theParliament and the public.

The committee intends to keepboth the Code of Conduct and theway complaints are handled underreview to ensure that they workwell.

With the help of the ScottishParliamentary StandardsCommissioner, Dr Jim Dyer OBE,the committee will check how thecomplaints process works. Wherenecessary, it will think aboutchanging procedures to ensure thatthe public and MSPs are confidentthat complaints are being heard andtaken seriously.

The committee continues to workwith other parliaments andassemblies to improve standards inpublic life. In March 2004, followinga request from the Standards ofConduct Committee at the NationalAssembly for Wales, the committeesubmitted written evidence on thecomplaints system of the ScottishParliament.


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Standards Committee

Standards Committee

Convener:

Brian Adam

Bill Butler

Alex Fergusson

Donald Gorrie

Mr Kenneth Macintosh

Alex Neil

Karen Whitefield

A meeting of a Cross-Party Group

Remit

The committee examines the legalsoundness and the technical draftingof legislation made by the Executiveunder Acts of Parliament andconsiders new powers to makesecondary legislation contained inparliamentary bills. It can alsoinquire into the general questionsabout powers to make subordinatelegislation.

Report

The committee has met weeklysince its first meeting on 10 June2003. It works to tight timescales,publishing at least one report eachweek. It also reports on delegatedpowers in bills. The committeeconsiders bills put forward by theExecutive, MSPs and committees.

On 27 January, the committeeagreed to launch a two-part inquiryinto regulations in Scotland andplans for a statutory instruments bill.Statutory instruments are rulesabout how governments usepowers. Each part is expected to last

about a year, which would allow afurther year for the passage of astatutory instruments bill before theend of this parliamentary session.The committee appointed anadviser, held its first evidence-takingsession with witnesses and receivedwritten submissions. A committeedelegation visited Westminster tomeet a number of parliamentaryscrutiny committees and held aseminar with members of theRegulatory Impact Unit and theBetter Regulation Task Force in theCabinet Office.

Between its regular scrutiny workand the inquiry, the committeelooks forward to a very full session,which could well have a long-termimpact on the way laws are made inScotland.


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Subordinate Legislation Committee

Subordinate LegislationCommittee

Convener:

Dr Sylvia Jackson

Gordon Jackson

Mr Stewart Maxwell

Christine May

Alasdair Morgan

Mike Pringle

Murray Tosh

Did You Know?Subordinate legislation is the lawmade by a person ororganisation, for example Scottishministers, under powers grantedto them by Acts of Parliament.Some examples of subordinatelegislation are regulations, ordersand local authority bye-laws.

The Private Bills Unit was set up inJuly 2003 because of the number oftransport and works private billsexpected this session. Private billsallow a promoter to have powers orbenefits in addition to, or in conflictwith, the general law.

The Robin Rigg Offshore Wind Farm(Navigation and Fishing) (Scotland)Act 2003 received Royal Assent on1 August 2003, giving the promoterauthority to interfere with navigationrights and fishing in order to buildand maintain a wind farm in theSolway Firth.

The Stirling-Alloa-KincardineRailway and Linked ImprovementsBill was introduced on 15 May2003. A total of 55 admissibleobjections were received. TheStirling-Alloa-Kincardine Railwayand Linked Improvements BillCommittee held three meetings inAlloa to hear evidence atpreliminary stage and, following itsreport, the Parliament agreed thegeneral principles of the bill on 11December 2003. The committeethen considered written submissions

and took oral evidence from the billpromoter and objectors atconsideration stage.

The Waverley Railway (Scotland) Billwas introduced on 11 September2003. Its main purpose is toauthorise reconstruction of a railwayfrom Edinburgh to Tweedbank inthe Scottish Borders. A total of 118admissible objections werereceived. The Waverley Railway(Scotland) Bill Committee was setup to scrutinise the bill.

Two bills about building tram linesin Edinburgh were introduced on 29January 2004. A total of 197 and 82admissible objections were receivedfor the Line 1 and Line 2 Billsrespectively.


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Private Bills Committees

Stirling - Alloa -Kincardine Railway andLinked ImprovementsBill Committee

Convener:

Bill Butler

Members:

Richard Baker

Rob Gibson

David Mundell

Nora Radcliffe

Waverley Railway(Scotland) BillCommittee

Convener:

Tricia Marwick

Members:

Mr Ted Brocklebank

Gordon Jackson

Christine May

Margaret Smith

The Official Report is theauthoritative record of what issaid during all public meetings of the Parliament and itscommittees.

Training and development

Official reporters undergo sixmonths’ training before they jointhe team. This year, two newreporters completed their training,which focused on building editorialskills to enable them to produceaccurate reports of what MSPs andwitnesses say on the vast range ofsubjects discussed in the Parliament.

We share best practice with fellowmembers of the British-Irish

Parliamentary Reporting Associationat an annual conference and duringvisits. This year, one of our reportersparticipated in an exchange with anofficial reporter at the Republic ofIreland’s Parliament, the Dáil. We also welcomed colleagues fromthe House of Commons and theNational Assembly for Wales.


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Official Report

“Often the staff of the Official Report are theinvisible heroes in the process.” Johann Lamont,Convener of the Communities Committee, 25 February 2004.

A day in the life of an officialreporter…

It is Wednesday afternoon and I head up to the Chamber with theessential tools of the officialreporter: tape, notebook and pen.We work to a tight rota of ‘turns’,covering five-minute periods in adebate. I am fourth on the list of 16 reporters who will record thisafternoon’s proceedings. Once I amin the reporters’ gallery, I help mycolleague by keeping my earspinned and eyes peeled forinterruptions. Then I am in the hotseat. I note down who speaks andwhen, and I send for members’notes to clarify or confirm certainpoints. When my turn is up, asecurity officer whisks my requestfor notes to the appropriatemember, to be returned to me by a reporter further down the list.

Back in the office, I start transcribingmy turn, using the tape recording ofproceedings. That should take 45minutes. Our remit is to produce asubstantially verbatim report ofparliamentary proceedings. When Iam happy with my turn, I e-mail itto the sub-editors and rejoin the list.The sub-editors check for accuracyand consistency before compiling allour turns into the Official Report atthe end of the day. The OfficialReport of meetings of theParliament is always available on theParliament website by 8 am on thenext working day.

Most of our work involves producingOfficial Reports of committeemeetings. Today, I sat in on theJustice 1 Committee and produceda log of the proceedings. I listedwho spoke when and noted usefulinformation, clarifying it wherenecessary with clerks and witnesses.

Other reporters will use the log tohelp them to transcribe their turns.

The committee was considering theCriminal Procedure (Amendment)(Scotland) Bill at Stage 2. We haveto be up to speed withparliamentary procedure asamendments fly back and forth.Reporters must know exactly what isgoing on because the OfficialReport is the authoritative record oflegislative scrutiny and may be usedin court to interpret ministers’intent.

This year, my colleagues and Ireported:

• 601 hours of committeemeetings; and

• 302 hours of meetings of theParliament.

We also produced:

• 19,120 columns of copy; and

• 8,604,000 words.


37

Did You Know?A substantially verbatim report isone that is faithful to and keepsthe flavour of the originalspeech, but which is edited toremove repeated phrases and toconvey the speaker’s tone ofvoice or gesture.

SPICe

The Scottish Parliament InformationCentre (SPICe), part of our Researchand Information Group, provides aconfidential and unbiased researchand information service for MSPsand their staff (both in theParliament and in constituencyoffices). It does the same job for theparliamentary committees and forthe Parliament’s staff. We do this bysupplying, producing and lookingafter a wide range of electronic andprinted information.

The election in May meant thatSPICe’s pattern of work took on adifferent shape at the start of theyear. For example, as the firstparliamentary session came to anend we published a papersummarising every bill looked at bythe Parliament. After the electionwe produced a detailed and verywell received paper about the 2003election results. We also prepareda series of papers for all the subjectcommittees in the Parliamentintroducing topics new to manycommittee members.

SPICe helped establish the Scottish

Parliament Science InformationScheme. Launched in September, itputs MSPs in touch with 52 experts inScotland’s science community, eachestablished in his or her own field.

In October, the staff responsible for records management, dataprotection and freedom ofinformation (FOI) within theParliament moved to SPICe. Theyare working hard to make sure wecomply with the Freedom ofInformation Act by the deadline ofJanuary 2005.

This year saw the publication of thefirst fully indexed CD-ROM of theParliament’s proceedings for 1999-2000. This was made available to allPartner Libraries.

Work on the collection of materialdonated to the Parliament byDonald Dewar’s family is nowalmost complete. Items arecatalogued, photographs areidentified, and delicate artefacts arenow preserved. Staff involved inthis work also advised on the designof the room in Holyrood, which willhouse the collection.


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Other Activities

Information Services staff

This photograph of Donald Dewar and Mo Mowlam is one of 270 images from the Donald Dewar Collection

Public Information and VisitorServices

Between May 2003 and April 2004,almost 30,000 people came to theScottish Parliament Visitor Centre onGeorge IV Bridge. Around 5,000people attended committeemeetings. The Chamber remainspopular, with more than 26,000people attending meetings there orcoming in to view the building. Inaddition, around 27,000 peoplevisited the Holyrood BuildingInformation Centre. The PublicEnquiry Unit handled around79,000 calls and responded toalmost 8,000 detailed enquiries inwriting. It also launched a new localrate textphone number.

In June 2003, the PublicInformation Service launched its firstmultilingual publication, MakingYour Voice Heard in the ScottishParliament, to encourage people totake part in the parliamentaryprocess. This publication isavailable in eight languages (Arabic,Bengali, Chinese, English, Gaelic,Punjabi, Scots and Urdu) as well asBraille, audio tape and in BritishSign Language video format.

Gàidhlig / Gaelic

The Parliament’s Gaelic officersprovide a range of services to theGaelic community, MSPs andparliamentary staff. In 2003-04 ourwork included:

• Producing a wider range ofdocuments, education materialsand news releases in Gaelic;

• Increasing the Gaelic content onthe Parliament website. It nowhas around 500 Gaelic pages,which receive around 14,000hits each month;

• Visiting Gaelic communities,groups and schools throughoutScotland from Alloa to Ullapool;

• Participating in major Gaelicevents and exhibitions nationally;

• Delivering tours and educationalsessions in the Parliament forGaelic learners and speakers andfor Gaelic schools andcommunity groups;

• Providing a Gaelic publicinformation service, whichreceives around 100 enquiriesper month; and

• Liaising with the Gaelic media.


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Education Service

In August, a new education serviceleaflet was sent to every school inScotland along with a copy of the2003 election results wall chart. Theresponse from schools wasimmediate. Education visits andteacher seminar programmes werebooked up very quickly until theend of the academic year.

A total of 4,272 pupils and studentscame along on education visits. Ofthose taking part, a total of 51%were primary pupils, 46% weresecondary pupils and the remaining3% were further education students.Since the education service was setup in 1999 more than 20,000young people have been involved inthis programme. In October, wewelcomed delegates from theCommonwealth Youth Summit,which was held in Edinburgh tocoincide with the CommonwealthEducation Ministers conference.Young people from across theCommonwealth enjoyed FirstMinister’s Question Time.

A series of 10 teacher seminars tookplace in the Parliament and twosessions happened outwith theParliament. They involved a total of

241 primary and modern studiesteachers as well as student teachersfrom Scottish universities.

New resources include:

• 2003 Election Results wall charts;

• Education packs, updated sincethe election;

• Get Elected, a snakes andladders game; and

• Devolved Matters, a street sceneposter.


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Partner Libraries

The Partner Library Networkcontinues to be an importantgateway for people who want tolearn more about the Parliament.We supply more information in CD-ROM and other electronic media toreflect the move towards e-access inpublic libraries.

The past year has seen a largegrowth in the number of communityevents held in partner libraries. Weorganised a series of successfulevents in Glasgow, Ayrshire and theWestern Isles. These were attendedby MSPs and focused on raisingawareness among local communitiesabout the different ways they canget involved with the Parliament.Important people who took partinclude: young people; voluntaryorganisations; residents associations;elderly groups; Gaelic speakers; andmany others.

Partner library staff continue toreceive training and advice toensure that parliamentaryinformation sources and materialsare available to the public.

Public Participation

We employed a member of staff tohelp us forge links with voluntaryand community groups acrossScotland and to show people howto get involved with the Parliament.We produced a handbook, whichwill also help in our work buildingties with the Scottish people.

We launched a training programmefor community-based workers withtwo pilot workshops in Edinburghand in Dumfries. The workshopsaim to explain our structures andhow we work in order to helpcommunities to get in touch withdifferent parts of the Parliament,especially our committees.

Participation events held this yearincluded welcoming the ScottishCivic Forum to the Chamber. Heldin November, this was an evening ofdebate about what the forum foundout when it organised a series of‘participation summits’. Theseevents were to discover more aboutpeople’s experiences of and viewson the Parliament during its firstfour years.


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The Parliament recognises thatScotland is part of a much widerworld. It needs to be able tounderstand and, where possible, toinfluence events and decisionsmade elsewhere – in London,Brussels and beyond – that affectScotland.

We are working with the ScottishExecutive and other partners topromote Scotland and the Scottishapproach to democracy. At thistime of tension across the world, wecan help demonstrate the role ofdemocracy. In particular, this yearwe shared our experience withrepresentatives of the Palestinian Legislative Council and, as part of a South Caucasus regional peaceinitiative, with parliamentariansfrom Georgia, Armenia andAzerbaijan.


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Our Place in the World

“It is very important for parliamentarians from different parliaments tomeet and discuss the issues that affect them and to learn how eachparliament addresses those issues. Scotland and Ireland have so much incommon”.Ceann Comhairle (Speaker) on the occasion of a visit by a delegationfrom the Irish Parliament.

The Presiding Officer welcomes the President of Barcelona Football Club to Holyrood

“…we can offer youour experience of civic Scotland and of a legislature which ispledged to working in partnership withthe people.” Presiding Officer tothe South CaucasusParliamentaryInitiative, Edinburgh.

Regions and the Council of Europe’sCongress of Local and RegionalAuthorities in Europe. We areconsidering ways to reinforce oureffectiveness in the EU, includingthe potential added value that apresence in Brussels could bring.Relations with leading Europeanregions continue to strengthen. The Presiding Officer gave keynoteEuropean speeches to meetings ofboth the Committee of the Regionsand the Conference of LegislativeRegional Assemblies of Europe. ThePresiding Officer led a parliamentarydelegation to events to promoteScotland in Catalonia, a vibrantregion of Europe to which Scotlandis now connected by direct flights.

Discussions continue about jointprojects in research, informationand broadcasting with the Catalanand Basque parliaments. Our linkswith Nordic partners continue todevelop with MSPs working forcloser ties between the NordicCouncil and the British IrishInterparliamentary Body. Wehosted a seminar with Nordiccountries to talk about efficientways of working in parliamentary


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The Presiding Officer was appointedto the Advisory Committee of BritishCouncil Scotland, recognising therole the Parliament can play inshaping the world’s awareness ofScotland and the United Kingdom.

Early in the new session MSPs wereappointed to internationalorganisations including the BritishIrish Interparliamentary Body, theEuropean Union’s Committee of the

“As long as there is a devolved parliament inScotland, I hope that it will not be insular,but will recognise that we are part of a muchwider world.” The First Minister on theoccasion of the election of the newPresiding Officer.

The Tartan Day celebrations centred on a colourful parade on New York’s6th Avenue

MSPs met with the Palestinian LegislativeCouncil

committees. In May, the EuropeanUnion welcomed 10 new memberstates. Parliamentarians from eachof these states have visited us since1999 to learn more aboutdevolution. Significant links withthe Estonian and Slovakianparliaments have developed andMSPs went to Poland as guests ofthe Polish government this year.

Members are active in theCommonwealth ParliamentaryAssociation with close linksdeveloping with Canada. MSPsmarked the 200th anniversary of theSelkirk Settlers in New Brunswick in August 2003 and contributed toTartan Day celebrations in Quebecand Ottawa. We welcomed theSecretary-General of theCommonwealth, the Rt. Hon. DonMacKinnon, as well as visitors fromacross the Commonwealth to theParliament’s debate on freedom, tomark Commonwealth Day inMarch.


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We received more than 100delegations from fellow parliamentsthis year, including speakers,government ministers and otherdistinguished guests. In particular,MSPs were honoured by an addressto Parliament by HM The Queen tomark the second session of theParliament. HRH The Prince ofWales joined MSPs, parliamentarystaff and people of Scotland at anecumenical kirking of theParliament, a kind of religiousblessing, on the eve of the newsession.

We aim to give as many people aspossible the chance to be involvedin the work of linking the Parliamentto the wider world. Many addresses,seminars and other events are opento the public and our work ispublished on our website.

In June 2003, the First Minister, Jack McConnell and PresidingOfficer, George Reid, commissionedLord Fraser of Carmyllie to conductan inquiry into the HolyroodParliament building project. Inaddition, the Auditor General,Robert Black, would look at issuesof financial propriety and value formoney. Both these investigationsare ongoing and have the fullsupport and co-operation of theScottish Parliamentary CorporateBody, the Holyrood Progress Groupand everyone involved in the project.Lord Fraser is planning to report inSeptember 2004.

Holyrood


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were finished in January/February.The remaining parts of the complexare being opened to us on a rollingprogramme, to let us install and testthings like information technologysystems before our planned moveduring the summer. Everyoneinvolved in this project is workingtowards our August migration date.The Parliament will then meet in itsnew home in September.

Over the last 12 months it has atlast been possible for the public tosee parts of this continuallysurprising and often uniquecomplex as it nears completion. Wecan see the original andextraordinary vision of the architect,Enric Miralles, transformed into abuilding which is already receivingnational and internationalrecognition. We look forward in thecoming year to welcoming thepeople of Scotland into theirParliament’s new home.

Work on site continues. TheHolyrood complex is made up ofthe MSP Building, QueensberryHouse, Towers, Canongatebuildings, Press Tower and theDebating Chamber. The MSPBuilding and Queensberry House


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Tha lethbhreacan de dh’ Aithisg Bhliadhnail na Pàrlamaid ann an Gàidhlig rim faighinn bho: Sarah Gundry, (Oifigear Fiosrachaidh Gàidhlig) Seirbheis Fiosrachaidh a’ Phobaill, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, Dùn Èideann, EH99 1SP.

Fòn: 0131-348-5401

Facs: 0131-348-5601

Post-D: [email protected]

Agus air ar làraich-lìn aig: www.scottish.parliament.uk/gaidhlig


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How to contact us:

For more information on the Parliament you can visit our websitewww.scottish.parliament.uk or contact the Public Information service:

Telephone 0845 278 1999 (local rate) or 0131 348 5000.The Parliament also has a textphone number 0845 270 0152 (local rate)or 0131 348 5415 and welcomes calls from deaf and speech-impaired people using theRNID Typetalk service (18001 0131 348 5000).

Fax: 0131 348 5601

Email: [email protected]

Letter: Public Information Service, The Scottish Parliament, EdinburghEH99 1SP

For information in languages other than English or in alternative formats (forexample in Braille, large print, tape or various computer formats), pleasesend your enquiry to Public Information Service, The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh EH99 1SP. You can also contact us by fax or by email as above.We welcome written correspondence in any language.

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