Ag/S3/10/21 PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU

AGENDA FOR MEETING ON TUESDAY 8 JUNE 2010 2.00pm: Room Q1.03

1. Minutes (a) Draft minutes of 1 June 2010 (attached) (b) Matters arising

2. Future Business Programme (PB/S3/10/99)

Legislation 3. Referral of Members’ Bills at Stage 1 (PB/S3/10/100)

4. Publication scheme – consideration of any exempt papers

5. Date of next meeting – Tuesday 15 June 2010

PB/S3/10/99

PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU

POSSIBLE MOTIONS FOR MEMBERS BUSINESS

1. Bureau Members will be aware that under Rule 5.6.1(c) the Bureau has a duty to ensure that there is a period of time available for Members’ Business following Decision Time.

2. Motions submitted for Members’ Business are shown below.

S3M-6437# Christina McKelvie: My Hero, My Soldier Laddie, Commemorating ’s VC Recipients—That the Parliament welcomes the publication of My Hero, My Soldier Laddie by artist and writer Duncan Brown, the illustrated story of Scotland’s 172 recipients of the Victoria Cross (VC); notes that the book tells the individual stories of each of the 14 VC recipients who came from Lanarkshire, one in every hundred of all VC recipients ever awarded; further notes that, in 2001, Duncan Brown was instrumental in securing the raising of the monument that now stands in Hamilton Town Square to the memory of these 14 men, David Mackay of Auchenheath, Frederick Aikman and John O’Neill of Hamilton, William Gardner of Bothwell, Willie Angus, Thomas Caldwell and Donald Cameron of Carluke, David Lauder and John Carmichael of Airdrie, James Richardson of Bellshill, William Milne of Wishaw, John Hamilton of , William Clamp of Craigneuk and Bill Reid of Coatbridge; believes that the type of oral and social history found in My Hero, My Soldier Laddie plays a crucial role in uncovering, illuminating and preserving Scotland’s past and the lives of ordinary Scots who made extraordinary contributions, and congratulates Duncan Brown on his considerable achievement in this respect.

Supported by: Jackson Carlaw, Jamie Hepburn, , Bill Kidd, , Willie Coffey, Jackie Baillie, Nigel Don, Kenneth Gibson, Michael McMahon, Anne McLaughlin, Hugh O’Donnell, , Robin Harper, Shirley-Anne Somerville, Joe FitzPatrick, Tom McCabe*, *

S3M-6429# : Carers Week 2010, A Life of Their Own—That the Parliament notes that the theme of the 10th annual Carers Week, from 14 to 20 June 2010, is A Life of Their Own, and that, during this week, carers’ centres across Scotland will hold events to celebrate the contribution that unpaid carers make; applauds the valuable work of the Carers Week partners in Scotland, including Carers Scotland, the Princess Royal Trust for Carers and MacMillan Cancer Care, and the work locally of centres such as Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Carers Centre, which offers a valuable resource to the 30,619 carers in its area; recognises the importance of supporting carers to allow them to have a life of their own and enjoy activities that most of us take for granted, such as family occasions, going on holiday, a meal out, or relaxing for an evening with no worries or responsibilities and the need to ensure that carers have access to relevant and practical information to help them with their caring role, the opportunity to take a break when they need it, support at times of crisis and an adequate level of financial support; acknowledges the contribution made by approximately 100,000 young carers in Scotland who might experience isolation, be bullied and constantly worry about the person for whom they care and experience poorer outcomes as a result of their caring role; notes new research carried out by the Princess Royal Trust for Carers and the Children’s Society, which shows that over two thirds of young carers are bullied at school, that more than half felt unsupported or misunderstood by their teachers and that 39% said that none of the teachers at their school was even aware of their caring role; and believes that the new Young Carers Strategy needs to bring together key policies and the work of a range of partners for young carers to be allowed to be children and young people first and have the same hopes, dreams and aspirations as their peers.

Supported by: Jamie Hepburn, , *, Des McNulty*, *, Hugh O’Donnell*, George Foulkes*, *, David Stewart*, *, *, *, Elaine Smith*, James Kelly*, Karen Gillon*, *, *, Jackie Baillie*, *, Brian Adam*, Dr Richard Simpson*, Mr Frank McAveety*, *

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S3M-6377# : Perspectives of Children and Young People with a Parent in Prison—That the Parliament welcomes the report, Perspectives of Children and Young People with a Parent in Prison, issued by the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland and Families Outside and which explores the experiences of children and young people who have had a family member sent to prison; welcomes the consideration that has already been given to this important issue during the proceedings of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill; notes with concern the finding of the report that each year as many as 16,500 children across Scotland, including the South of Scotland region, will experience the imprisonment of a parent or carer, and believes that a cross-party approach is the best way to ensure that the rights of the children of offenders, who are often the innocent and forgotten victims of crime, are respected in the legal system.

Supported by: Bill Wilson, , Sandra White, Joe FitzPatrick, Jamie Hepburn, , Bob Doris, Hugh O’Donnell, Robin Harper, Bill Kidd, , Elaine Smith, Gil Paterson, Michael Matheson, Marlyn Glen, Christina McKelvie, Robert Brown, Ms , Mike Pringle, Dave Thompson, Ken Macintosh, Cathy Peattie*

S3M-6366# Maureen Watt: Offshore Valuation Study—That the Parliament notes the publication of The Offshore Valuation Study at the All Energy Conference in Aberdeen; believes that its conclusions demonstrate the scale of economic opportunity available to Scotland in the offshore renewables sector, and acknowledges the report’s conclusion that the development of a European super-grid is integral to the future success of the industry.

Supported by: Jamie Hepburn, Bill Kidd, Kenneth Gibson, Robin Harper, Stuart McMillan, Aileen Campbell, Michael Matheson, Nanette Milne, Nigel Don, Joe FitzPatrick, Brian Adam, , Liam McArthur, , Gil Paterson

S3M-6362# Sandra White: The Future of Community Health and Care Partnerships—That the Parliament notes the decision by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Glasgow City Council not to proceed with their joint Community Health and Care Partnerships; expresses concern over the effect that this may have on service users, and hopes that, through a robust analysis of the role and work of Community Health and Care Partnerships, local communities will not be adversely affected by this decision.

Supported by: Stuart McMillan, Bill Kidd, Gil Paterson, Bob Doris, Jamie Hepburn, Michael Matheson, Robert Brown

S3M-6362.1# Jackie Baillie: The Future of Community Health and Care Partnerships—As an amendment to motion (S3M-6362) in the name of Sandra White, leave out from “notes” to end and insert “regrets the decision by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to unilaterally end joint working in Community Health and Care Partnerships with Glasgow City Council; expresses concern over the effect that this may have on service users, and believes that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing should intervene to ensure that the NHS board work with Glasgow City Council so that local communities are not adversely affected by this decision.”

S3M-6326# Maureen Watt: Barnardo’s Scotland’s New Directions Service—That the Parliament congratulates Barnardo’s Scotland’s New Directions Service in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire on reaching its 10th anniversary; recognises the success of the programme in working with young people between the ages of 12 and 18 involved in persistent and serious offending behaviour to divert them away from care or custody; applauds the 70% of the young people who have completed the programme and reduced their offending behaviour, and further considers that the success of the programme is due to the close collaboration with its partners, Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Grampian Police and youth justice strategy groups.

Supported by: Christine Grahame, Bob Doris, Christina McKelvie, Robin Harper, Kenneth Gibson, Alasdair Allan, Rob Gibson, Richard Baker, Aileen Campbell, Nanette Milne, Brian Adam, Jamie Hepburn, Stuart McMillan, Nigel Don, Bill Kidd, Joe FitzPatrick, Gil Paterson

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S3M-6323# Margo MacDonald: The Status of Elections—That the Parliament believes that, in order to preserve the status of the Parliament in Edinburgh and the standards of operational accountability and transparency established by MSPs since 1999 and in view of the Parliament’s acceptance of the findings of the Independent Review of the Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections, there is a need for a method of holding any fixed- term Westminster elections that does not coincide with the dates set for the four-year, fixed-term Scottish Parliament elections.

Supported by: , Kenneth Gibson, Shirley-Anne Somerville, Stuart McMillan, Bill Wilson, Aileen Campbell, Sandra White, Bob Doris, Brian Adam, Cathy Peattie, Alasdair Allan, Joe FitzPatrick, Dave Thompson, Maureen Watt, Patrick Harvie, Jamie Hepburn, Gil Paterson, Stewart Maxwell, Robin Harper, Bill Kidd, Linda Fabiani, , Ian McKee

S3M-6312# Liam McArthur: Penalties on Farmers—That the Parliament considers that the tightening of enforcement of cross-compliance rules for farmers, particularly in the Highlands and Islands and elsewhere in Scotland, has resulted in new and higher levels of penalties due to unintentional errors in livestock paperwork and a new interpretation of land eligibility rules governing claims for Single Farm Payment (SFP) or Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS); considers it unsatisfactory that many farmers and crofters have been left uncertain of how to properly fill out their 2010 application forms for SFP and LFASS in time for the 17 May 2010 deadline because of a lack of clarity in the new interpretation of the land eligibility rules; believes that there is a manifest injustice when anyone is penalised where the interpretation of rules have been changed without proper notice and explanation, and supports the call from NFU Scotland for the introduction of an immediate amnesty on penalties associated with eligibility of land for support scheme purposes and for moves to reduce the impact on farmers and crofters of the tighter interpretation of the rules.

Supported by: , Tavish Scott, Jim Hume, Hugh O’Donnell, Mike Pringle, Rhoda Grant,

S3M-6277# David Stewart: Frequent Passenger and Vehicle Ferry Service between Gourock and Dunoon Town Centres—That the Parliament notes the finding of the Deloitte Touche report published by the previous Scottish administration and carried out in conjunction with Western Ferries and CalMac that indicates that the most efficient and least subsidised method for transportation of passengers between Gourock and Dunoon town centres would be a frequent passenger-vehicle ferry service; notes the finding by Washington State Ferries that passenger-vehicle ferries are a more efficient means of transporting passengers on higher density routes than passenger-only ferries; further notes the frequently expressed wishes of dependent communities through petitions, public meetings and elected representatives for the retention and improvement of the passenger-vehicle Gourock-Dunoon town centre service, and considers that such a frequent passenger-vehicle service would have benefits in terms of competition, reduced burden on the taxpayer, community and user welfare and local economic development.

Supported by: Sarah Boyack, Rhoda Grant, Jackie Baillie, Mary Mulligan, Peter Peacock, Dr Richard Simpson, , Ken Macintosh, Jamie McGrigor,

S3M-6227# Peter Peacock: Hill Tracks in the Scottish Uplands—That the Parliament notes with concern the number of engineered hill tracks appearing in the Scottish uplands, particularly in the Highlands; notes that such tracks can be constructed without planning consent when justified as being for agricultural, forestry or repair purposes; further notes the growing number of concerns from hill walkers, ramblers and mountaineers and members of the wider public about the intrusion of these tracks into the natural landscape and the impact on otherwise wild land; considers that, given the importance of the Scottish uplands for current and future generations, this warrants greater scrutiny of proposals for such tracks within the planning system; recognises the legitimate rights of farmers and crofters to continue to construct tracks for their purposes on what will generally be lower-lying land than considered to be a problem in this context; notes that Heriot-Watt University reported on these issues in March 2007, and would welcome the urgent mapping of tracks by reviewing current knowledge of track location and control provisions and consideration of future possibilities for greater control of developing hill tracks and the criteria under which any greater controls might operate.

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Supported by: Jackie Baillie, Dr Richard Simpson, Hugh Henry, Karen Gillon, Des McNulty, Rhoda Grant, Robin Harper, David Stewart, Sarah Boyack, Patricia Ferguson, , Mr Frank McAveety, Trish Godman, , Mary Mulligan, , Hugh O’Donnell, Ken Macintosh, Gil Paterson, , Rhona Brankin, Marlyn Glen, Mike Rumbles, John Park, Alison McInnes, George Foulkes*

S3M-6200# Margaret Mitchell: SAVI East Kilbride—That the Parliament congratulates the Sexual Assault Victims Initiative (SAVI), based in East Kilbride, on its official launch last month and the launch of its 2010 There for Them campaign, which aims to raise funds to help establish a 24-hour phone line and to cover the organisational costs of the charity; recognises the work of the charity, which aims to help victims of sexual assault by providing one-to-one support for victims and their families, acts as a source of legal, medical and psychological information to help victims and families through the prosecution process and offers relaxation and coping techniques to victims of sexual abuse; commends the efforts of the volunteers who work for the charity, and notes the particular effort of one volunteer, Dougie, who will have run over 1,287 miles by the end of this year as he runs three times a week through East Kilbride with his There for Them flag as part of the fund-raising efforts and to raise awareness of the campaign.

Supported by: Linda Fabiani

S3M-6195# Pauline McNeill: Securing the Future of Glasgow’s Subway—That the Parliament welcomes Strathclyde Partnership for Transport’s decision to go ahead with its modernisation plan; recognises the important role that the subway plays in Glasgow’s transport infrastructure and its significance to Scotland, carrying an estimated 14 million passengers annually; notes that this will be the first major investment project for the service since the 1970s, and hopes that the proposals receive the support that they need to go ahead and that the modernisation keeps Glasgow moving into the future.

Supported by: Patricia Ferguson, Jackie Baillie, David Stewart, James Kelly, Robin Harper, Margaret Curran, Charlie Gordon, Rhona Brankin, , Michael McMahon, Bill Butler, Robert Brown, Marlyn Glen, Mary Mulligan, Mr Frank McAveety, Ms Wendy Alexander, Trish Godman, Hugh Henry, Sarah Boyack, Ken Macintosh, Gil Paterson

S3M-6145# Sarah Boyack: Broadcasting Black Hole for Scottish Rugby—That the Parliament notes Scotland’s commendable performance during the Six Nations tournament with a notable away win in Ireland; is disappointed that terrestrial broadcasters do not cover a broader range of rugby matches and tournaments at all playing levels; believes that more investment in the coverage of Scottish rugby is essential in order to promote sport in general to a wider audience, thereby increasing participation and health levels and to showcase the successes of Scotland’s rugby teams; notes the substantial contribution that rugby matches bring to the local Edinburgh economy, and would welcome efforts to ensure increased broadcast coverage of rugby in Scotland.

Supported by: Jamie Hepburn, Shirley-Anne Somerville, Karen Gillon, Liam McArthur, Mary Mulligan, Stewart Maxwell, Kenneth Gibson, Andy Kerr, Mike Pringle, George Foulkes, Rhona Brankin, Mr Frank McAveety, Elaine Smith, Jackie Baillie, Elaine Murray, Trish Godman, John Wilson, Maureen Watt, Marilyn Livingstone, Ken Macintosh

S3M-6139# Bill Kidd: Deaf Awareness Week 2010—That the Parliament welcomes Deaf Awareness Week 2010, which is to take place between 28 June and 4 July 2010 and aims to improve understanding of different types of deafness by highlighting the many different methods of communication used by deaf, deafened, deafblind and hard-of-hearing people, such as sign language and lip-reading; also welcomes the launch and presentation of an exclusive corporate DVD on behalf of the Hearing Company by Julie McElroy, which aims to raise awareness and understanding of issues surrounding deafness by drawing on Julie’s own experiences with deafness, and applauds the efforts of the UK Council on Deafness, Julie McElroy and all others involved in coordinating and contributing to the 2010 Deaf Awareness Week Campaign.

Supported by: Dave Thompson, Kenneth Gibson, Brian Adam, Alison McInnes, Robin Harper, Ian McKee, Rob Gibson, Dr Richard Simpson, Aileen Campbell, Bill Wilson, Jackie Baillie, Nanette Milne, Hugh O’Donnell, Karen Gillon, Stuart McMillan, Jamie Hepburn, Mike Pringle, Sandra

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White, Hugh Henry, Mary Scanlon, Gil Paterson, Robert Brown, Willie Coffey, John Wilson, Trish Godman, Jack McConnell, Maureen Watt, Sarah Boyack, Liam McArthur, Christina McKelvie, Linda Fabiani, Bob Doris, Karen Whitefield, Joe FitzPatrick, Ken Macintosh,

S3M-6134# Duncan McNeil: Halt Hospice Cuts—That the Parliament commends the volunteer drivers who have provided a valued transport service on behalf of Ardgowan Hospice in Inverclyde for the last 29 years; recognises that more than 1,000 cancer patients rely on them to attend hospital appointments in Glasgow every year; notes the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Palliative Care Health Needs Assessment 2010, which stated that “patients found this to be a very welcome support that reduced the added stress that the ambulance transport brought to an already stressful experience”; further notes that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has since withdrawn funding for this transport service, and believes that funding should be found so that Ardgowan Hospice volunteers are given all the support that they need and deserve to ensure the future of this important service.

Supported by: Ms Wendy Alexander, Robin Harper, Elaine Smith, Bill Butler, Sarah Boyack, Mary Mulligan, Jackie Baillie, Michael McMahon, James Kelly, Hugh O’Donnell, John Park, Mr Frank McAveety, Des McNulty, Pauline McNeill, Elaine Murray, Dr Richard Simpson, Hugh Henry, Ross Finnie, Trish Godman, Marilyn Livingstone, Tom McCabe, Karen Whitefield, Ken Macintosh

S3M-6128# Cathy Peattie: Full Steam Ahead from Bo’ness to Manuel—That the Parliament congratulates the Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS) on the extension of the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway to include a further 1.5 miles from Birkhill to Manuel, where the line is linked to the main rail network; notes that the extension, which included relaying a section of the line and extending Birkhill station platform, was made possible by the tremendous contribution of volunteer workers, and wishes the SRPS continuing success in its plans for the future, including the building of a new station at Manuel.

Supported by: Sarah Boyack, Jamie Hepburn, John Wilson, Hugh O’Donnell, Kenneth Gibson, Stuart McMillan, Robin Harper, Aileen Campbell, Hugh Henry, Rob Gibson, Bob Doris, Mike Pringle, Trish Godman, Gil Paterson, Mary Mulligan, Elaine Smith, Margaret Mitchell, Dr Richard Simpson, Marilyn Livingstone, Christopher Harvie, Karen Whitefield, Ken Macintosh

S3M-6099# Elaine Smith: Remembering John Wheatley MP 80 Years On—That the Parliament pays tribute to John Wheatley MP on the 80th anniversary of his death on 12 May 2010; notes that he emigrated with his family from County Waterford in Ireland to spend his formative years in Bargeddie, near Coatbridge; acknowledges the pioneering work that he undertook in attempting to alleviate poverty and social deprivation through his 1924 Housing Act, which contained a visionary 15-year plan based on rising central government subsidies to local government; recognises with concern, however, that, although Wheatley fully understood the link between housing and health, many of the inequalities that he endeavoured to abolish still exist today; believes that the fact that there are large discrepancies in life expectancy in modern day Scotland between the most affluent areas and those that suffer from inadequate housing and ill health is a national tragedy; would welcome an end to slum housing conditions, the introduction of rent controls and a massive building programme of new, modern, affordable council and social rented housing, and hopes that future housing legislation will be based on the premise that a house is a fundamental human right, not simply a commodity, and thus enshrine a right to rent.

Supported by: Marlyn Glen, Michael McMahon, James Kelly, Dave Thompson, Elaine Murray, Mr Frank McAveety, Robin Harper, Bill Butler, George Foulkes, Patricia Ferguson, David Whitton, Bill Wilson, Gil Paterson, Sarah Boyack, Jamie Hepburn, Hugh Henry, Jack McConnell, Marilyn Livingstone, David Stewart, Linda Fabiani, Cathy Jamieson

S3M-6091# Aileen Campbell: Brownsbank Fellowship—That the Parliament notes with concern the decision by Council to withdraw its funding for the Brownsbank Writing Fellowship, a position aimed at promoting creative writing throughout the local authority area and which has helped maintain Brownsbank Cottage, near Biggar, in the South of Scotland region, the final home of Scots makar Hugh McDairmid, as a centre of literary activity; notes that withdrawal of funding will result in withdrawal of match funding from the Scottish Arts Council and lead to the end of the fellowship; believes that since its inception in 1993, the six Brownsbank fellows to have held the post have helped improve literacy and appreciation of Scottish literature

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in South Lanarkshire and beyond, and hopes that a way can be found to help the Biggar Museum Trust, which administers the fellowship, to continue supporting this important position.

Supported by: Robin Harper, Rob Gibson, Sandra White, Alasdair Allan, Bill Kidd, Bob Doris, Gil Paterson, Stuart McMillan, Jamie Hepburn, Linda Fabiani

S3M-5981# Pauline McNeill: Withdrawal of Cheques—That the Parliament notes the decision of the UK Payment Council to phase out cheques by 2018; notes that, although the use of cheques is in decline, figures show that 663 million cheques were used in 2008 and the banks stand to gain significant savings from their abolition; further notes the concerns raised by the Federation of Small Businesses and Age Scotland; is concerned that, due to this decision, many companies are already refusing to accept cheques, *and would welcome consultation on a suitable alternative method for those, in Glasgow and across Scotland, who rely on the cheque system that has the confidence of the consumer*.

Supported by: Mike Pringle, John Wilson, Ken Macintosh, Ian McKee, Andy Kerr, Gil Paterson, Bill Kidd, , Mary Mulligan, Irene Oldfather, Elaine Smith, Trish Godman, Robin Harper, Stuart McMillan, Jamie Hepburn, David Whitton, Sandra White, Liam McArthur, Elaine Murray, Sarah Boyack, Cathy Peattie, , Rhoda Grant, David Stewart, Christine Grahame, Helen Eadie, Mr Frank McAveety, Bill Wilson, Maureen Watt, Hugh Henry, Marilyn Livingstone, Dave Thompson

S3M-5964# Ross Finnie: Hunterston Not the Way Forward for Carbon Capture—That the Parliament notes the lodging of the application by Peel Energy Ltd to build a 1,600 megawatt coal-fired power station at Hunterston, North Ayrshire; understands that, initially, the power station is to have 400 megawatt of its gross output (300 megawatt net) processed through carbon capture and storage technology, which would leave 75% to 80% of the plant’s CO2 emissions unabated for an indeterminate length of time; further considers that these unabated emissions, which could amount to up to some four million tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum, are incompatible with the climate change targets set out in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, and accordingly believes that the development of carbon capture and storage technology should be restricted to existing coal-fired stations.

Supported by: Robert Brown, Mike Pringle, Jim Hume, Hugh O’Donnell, Malcolm Chisholm, Liam McArthur, Jim Tolson, Nicol Stephen, Alison McInnes

S3M-5942# Christina McKelvie: Tackling Youth Crime on the Street—That the Parliament commends the Street, an innovative immersive drama project funded through Regen:fx Youth Trust in Hamilton, which confronts young people with the consequences of destructive and violent behaviour; notes that the Street combines hard-hitting theatre performance with youth work and education to challenge harmful behaviour by young people, highlight the consequences of their actions, and how that impacts on others, and encourage them to question their life choices; further notes that the project not only works with targeted groups of young people who have been identified as being at particular risk of becoming involved in crime but also that the drama is performed by young people who have themselves previously participated in the project; believes that such peer-to-peer discussion about violence, crime and their consequences, backed up by strong professional support, is an effective model for enabling at-risk young people to explore their attitudes and feelings and the choices available to them; further believes that this model has the potential to reduce offending by young people in communities across Scotland, and hopes that funding is found to allow Regen:fx Youth Trust to continue this important project.

Supported by: Michael Matheson, Bill Kidd, Kenneth Gibson, Sandra White, Bob Doris, Hugh O’Donnell, Robin Harper, Stuart McMillan, Jamie Hepburn, Gil Paterson, Linda Fabiani, Angela Constance

S3M-5936# Alex Johnstone: Offshore Wind Farms and the Fishing Industry—That the Parliament welcomes the construction of offshore wind farms around the Scottish coast, which will increase the use of renewable energy and create related employment; notes with concern, however, ongoing research by the University of Maine, among others, into the effects of offshore wind farms on marine species such as crustaceans, suggesting that construction may have a negative impact on crustacean habitats, especially spawning/nursery grounds; notes the

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concerns of fishermen who catch crustaceans, including those from the north east of Scotland, and who fear that they will be denied access to traditional fishing grounds when the wind farms are built; acknowledges the important contribution that fishermen make to the economy, and would welcome the involvement of fishermen in discussions on wind farms in order to achieve an equitable solution.

Supported by: Bill Aitken, Murdo Fraser, Nanette Milne, John Scott, John Lamont, Mary Scanlon, Kenneth Gibson, Karen Whitefield, Annabel Goldie, Karen Gillon

S3M-5880# Mary Scanlon: Investment in Bog Myrtle—That the Parliament regrets that the cannot provide any funding under the Scotland Rural Development Programme’s Rural Priorities scheme toward the growing of the bog myrtle plant; welcomes the commitment of Essentially Scottish Botanicals Ltd, based in Kiltarlity, Inverness-shire, to developing the bog myrtle plant as a commercial crop; considers that the bog myrtle industry has huge economic potential for Scotland; understands that the plant’s properties are similar to that of Australian tea tree oil, which is reportedly worth over US$25 million in export sales to Australia each year; further understands that the bog myrtle plant holds even greater antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties than tea tree oil; considers that bog myrtle has a huge advantage over tea tree oil in that it is hypoallergenic at relatively high concentrations; understands that the Australian Government part-funded research into the tea tree industry in order that oil yields could be increased from 148kg per hectare to 250kg per hectare; believes that, after initial planting investment, a low-maintenance bog myrtle plantation can have an average life of 20 years, and would welcome consideration of the ways in which research into increasing the yields of bog myrtle could be funded in order to make it a commercially attractive non-food crop.

Supported by: Nanette Milne, Margaret Mitchell, Jamie McGrigor, John Scott, John Wilson, Robin Harper, Ken Macintosh, Bill Aitken, Bill Kidd, Jim Hume, Elaine Smith, Annabel Goldie, Dave Thompson

Record of Members’ Business Taken by the Parliament from 6 June 2007

Date MSP Party Subject 06.06.07 SNP Rescue from Moving Water 07.06.07 Des McNulty LAB Alimta for Mesothelioma Sufferers 13.06.07 Karen Whitefield LAB Education is a Human Right 14.06.07 Rob Gibson SNP Scottish Norwegian Commercial Co- operation 20.06.07 Margaret Mitchell CON Motor Neurone Disease 21.06.07 Jim Hume LD Local Food 27.06.07 Andrew Welsh SNP Tartan Day Celebrations 28.06.07 David Stewart LAB National Diabetes Week 05.09.07 Sandra White SNP Asylum Seekers in Scotland 06.09.07 Trish Godman LAB Maintenance of Common Land on Scottish Housing Estates 12.09.07 Sarah Boyack LAB Save the Land Reform Act and Restore the Will of Parliament 13.09.07 Brian Adam SNP MacMillan Cancer Support’s Recovered but not Covered Campaign 19.09.07 Murdo Fraser CON Beauly Denny Public Inquiry 20.09.07 Patricia Ferguson LAB ICL Factory Explosion – Call For Public Inquiry 26.09.07 Mike Rumbles LD Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route 27.09.07 Kenneth Gibson SNP Warm Zones 03.10.07 Cathie Craigie LAB NDCS Change Your World Consultation 04.10.07 Bob Doris SNP Glasgow Milton and Chirnsyde Community Initiative 24.10.07 Christine Grahame SNP Can't Afford to Foster

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Date MSP Party Subject 25.10.07 Michael McMahon LAB Public-Social Partnership Pilot in North Lanarkshire 31.10.07 Elaine Murray LAB Further Job Losses at Young’s Seafood, Annan 01.11.07 Tavish Scott LD Crown Estate Taxation on Harbour Developments 07.11.07 Stuart McMillan SNP House of Lords Ruling on Pleural Plaques 08.11.07 Nanette Milne CON Autism Parliamentary Network 14.11.07 Paul Martin LAB Car Parking Charges at Stobhill Hospital 15.11.07 Bill Wilson SNP Perceived Norms of Alcohol and Tobacco Consumption - Pilot Studies in Scottish Educational Institutions 21.11.07 Bill Kidd SNP Recycling Waste Wood 22.11.07 Mary Scanlon CON Bog Myrtle (Sweet Gale) Industry 28.11.07 Des McNulty LAB Science and the Parliament, Wednesday 28 November 2007 29.11.07 Cathy Jamieson LAB Coalfields Regeneration Trust in Scotland 5.12.07 Christine Grahame SNP Lancastria 6.12.07 Robert Brown LD 100 Years of Scouting 12.12.07 Liam McArthur LD Air Ambulance Service in Orkney 13.12.07 Bashir Ahmad SNP Standing United with Glasgow's Pakistani Community 19.12.07 John Lamont CON Support for Border News 20.12.07 Bill Butler LAB Support Project Scotland 9.01.08 Keith Brown SNP Government Powers to Ensure Terrestrial Broadcast of Sport 10.01.08 Des McNulty LAB The St Margaret of Scotland Hospice 16.01.08 Cathy Peattie LAB Young People in the Workplace 17.01.08 Roseanna Cunningham SNP Defence Aviation and Repair Agency Almondbank - No To Privatisation 23.01.08 Patrick Harvie GRN Scottish Campuses Can Go Greener 24.01.08 George Foulkes LAB Time for Fresh Debate on Organ Donation 30.01.08 Margo MacDonald IND Maximising Migrants' Opportunities 31.01.08 Elizabeth Smith CON Extra-curricular Outdoor Education for Every School Pupil 06.02.08 Rob Gibson SNP Congratulations to the Fifth Annual Scots Trad Music Awards 07.02.08 Margaret Smith LD Edinburgh Park Railway Station 20.02.08 Marilyn Livingstone LAB Supporters Direct in Scotland 21.02.08 Jamie Hepburn SNP Central Scotland Rail Improvements 27.02.08 John Scott CON Recreational Sea Angling 28.02.08 Cathy Jamieson LAB Proposed Closure of Rural Schools 05.03.08 Trish Godman LAB Scottish Wheelchair Users and their Human Rights 06.03.08 Kenneth Gibson SNP Anorexia and Bulimia 12.03.08 David Thompson SNP Make Scotland's Roads Safer - Reduce the Drinking Limits 13.03.08 Aileen Campbell SNP No End in Sight to the War in Iraq 19.03.08 Patricia Feruson LAB Celebrating Fairtrade Fortnight 20.03.08 Gil Paterson SNP Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings 26.03.08 Jeremy Purvis LD Choices for People Coming to the End of Terminal Illness

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Date MSP Party Subject 27.03.08 Mary Scanlon CON Elgin Bypass 16.04.08 Hugh O’Donnell LD A Call for Better Epilepsy Care 17.04.08 Bill Butler LAB Strathclyde Partnership for Transport Report on Glasgow Crossrail

23.04.08 Mary Mulligan LAB Yes to Bathgate Business Improvement District 24.04.08 Tricia Marwick SNP Leven to Thornton Rail Link 30.04.08 Willie Coffey SNP Fenwick Weavers' Society and the Co-operative Model 01.05.08 Elaine Smith LAB Remember the Dead, Fight for the Living 07.05.08 Nanette Milne CON Alternative and Augmentative Communication 08.05.08 Alison McInnes LD RNIB Scotland's Right to Read Campaign 14.05.08 Christopher Harvie SNP Supermarket Dominance in Scottish Retailing 15.05.08 John Park LAB Upper Forth Crossing 21.05.08 David Stewart LAB Increasing Access to Insulin Pumps 22.05.08 Ian McKee SNP National Association of Youth Orchestras 28.05.08 Alasdair Allan SNP Fuel Costs 29.05.08 Angela Constance SNP No Recourse No Safety 04.06.08 Bill Butler LAB 60th Anniversary of the National Health Service 05.06.08 Jackson Carlaw CON Holocaust Education in Scotland 11.06.08 Jim Hume LD Tackling Excess Packaging 12.06.08 Lewis Macdonald LAB Best Value Audit of Aberdeen City Council 18.06.08 Claire Baker LAB A Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme for Scotland 19.06.08 Sandra White SNP Glasgow Passport Office 25.06.08 Karen Whitefield LAB Sweet 16?: The Age of Leaving Care in Scotland 26.06.08 John Park LAB Rosyth to Zeebrugge Ferry Service 03.09.08 Ted Brocklebank CON Upgrading of the A92 04.09.08 Iain Smith LD Enforcement of Planning Legislation 10.09.08 Brian Adam SNP Shortage of Indian Chefs in Aberdeen 11.09.08 Nigel Don SNP Family Law Disputes 17.09.08 Jack McConnell LAB 2014: A Year of Sport for Scotland 18.09.08 Michael Matheson SNP Cancer Poverty 24.09.08 Keith Brown SNP Support for Veterans in Scotland 25.09.08 Murdo Fraser CON Action to Protect the Red Squirrel 01.10.08 Trish Godman LAB Action on Thrombosis 02.10.08 Jim Tolson LD Alloa to Fife and Edinburgh Rail Link 08.10.08 Christopher Harvie SNP The Kingdom of Fife and Fife in the World - A Platform of Partnership 09.10.08 Michael McMahon LAB Living and Dying with Advanced Heart Failure 29.10.08 Elaine Murray LAB Success of First Year of Co-Operative Development Scotland 30.10.08 Kenneth Gibson SNP Become Lupus Aware 5.11.08 Jeremy Purvis LD Digital Switchover 6.11.08 Nanette Milne CON Community Service Volunteers (CSV) 12.11.08 Dave Thompson SNP Welcoming the Launch of Community Energy Scotland 13.11.08 Wendy Alexander LAB Paisley Festival Company/Voices in

9 PB/S3/10/99

Date MSP Party Subject Paisley 2008 19.11.08 James Kelly LAB Parkinson's Disease Society - Get it on Time Campaign 20.11.08 Alasdair Allan SNP Gaelic Language Development 26.11.08 Stuart McMillan SNP Sailing and Boating Continues to Expand and Contribute to the Scottish Economy 27.11.08 Marlyn Glen LAB World AIDS Day 2008 03.12.08 Gavin Brown CON South Edinburgh Suburban Railway 04.12.08 Alison McInnes LD Safe Drivers are Made, No Born 10.12.08 Jamie Hepburn SNP 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 11.12.08 Patrick Harvie GRN Communities Leading on Climate Change 17.12.08 Des McNulty LAB Eco-Congregation Scotland Programme 18.12.08 Pauline McNeill LAB Dignity for Palestinians 07.01.09 Sandra White SNP Devastating Cuts At The Herald and Evening Times 08.01.09 Lewis Macdonald LAB Aberdeen Forensic Science Laboratory 14.01.09 Jim Hume LD Post Office Closures 15.01.09 Jamie McGrigor CON Future of the Bull Hire Scheme 21.01.09 Mary Mulligan LAB Shelter Scotland 40 Years On 22.01.09 Christine Grahame SNP Cuiken Primary and its School Playing Field 28.01.09 Bill Kidd SNP Knightswood Youth Theatre Announced as a Winner of Philip Lawrence Awards 29.01.09 Karen Whitefield LAB Diabetes UK 75th Anniversary 04.02.09 Murdo Fraser CON Combating Human Trafficking 05.02.09 Jamie Stone LD Investment in Schools in North Highland 11.02.09 Irene Oldfather LAB People with Dementia in Accident and Emergency – Recognising Their Needs 12.02.09 SNP Scottish Coastal Path 25.02.09 Nanette Milne CON Seabirds 26.02.09 Bill Kidd SNP Action Mesothelioma Day 04.03.09 Robert Brown LD Bicentenary of Louis Braille 05.03.09 Cathy Peattie LAB International Women’s Day 11.03.09 Karen Gillon LAB The Commonwealth @60 12.03.09 John Wilson SNP Pressurised Area Status in North Lanarkshire 18.03.09 Joe FitzPatrick SNP Support for Computer Games Development 19.03.09 James Kelly LAB Loss of Jobs at Vion, Cambuslang 25.03.09 Bill Butler LAB Drumchapel is Top of the Table 26.03.09 Shirley-Anne Somerville SNP Earth Hour 2009 01.04.09 Rob Gibson SNP Supporting Conventional Plant Breeding 02.04.09 Hugh Henry LAB Huntington’s Disease 22.04.09 Margaret Mitchell CON Congratulating Project Linus UK 23.04.09 Kenneth Gibson SNP The Future of the Sunday Mail and Daily Record 29.04.09 Richard Simpson LAB Developing Telehealth in Scotland 30.04.09 Jeremy Purvis LD Private Residential Care Home Accountability

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Date MSP Party Subject 06/05/09 Mary Scanlon CON International Midwives’ Day, 5 May 2009 07/05/09 Jamie Hepburn SNP Proposed Part-privatisation of Royal Mail 13/05/09 Margo MacDonald IND HBOS, Lloyds TSB Merger 14/05/09 Cathy Jamieson LAB RNID Hearing Matters Campaign 20/05/09 Peter Peacock LAB Declining Bee Numbers 21/05/09 John Wilson SNP Strathclyde Police Prolific Offender Programme 27/05/09 Liam McArthur LD Electronic Identification of Sheep 28/05/09 Helen Eadie LAB Inadequate Infertility Treatment in Scotland 03/06/09 Sarah Boyack LAB Support for Unpaid Carers 10/06/09 Aileen Campbell SNP Supporting Town Centres 11/06/09 Michael Matheson SNP Larbert Rail Damage 11/06/09 John Park LAB Anne Frank Day 17/06/09 John Lamont CON Dispensing GP Practices in Rural Communities 18/06/09 Jim Tolson LD Rights of Former Gurkha Soldiers 24/06/09 Christina McKelvie SNP Supporting Social Work 25/06/09 Margaret Curran LAB St Bridget’s Chapel and Mary’s Meals Backpack Project 02/09/09 Willie Coffey SNP Campaign Against Diageo Closures 03/09/09 David Stewart LAB Insulin Pump Therapy 09/09/09 Jamie McGrigor CON Songbird Survival 10/09/09 Jeremy Purvis LD Girlguiding Scotland 100th Anniversary 16/09/09 Alasdair Morgan SNP Whithorn as Cradle of Christianity and Place of Modern Pilgrimage 17/09/09 Frank McAveety LAB Supporting the Living Wage for Scotland 23/09/09 Dave Thompson SNP Bicentenary of the Scottish Bible Society 24/09/09 Rhoda Grant LAB Giving Blood, Giving the Gift of Life 30/09/09 Rhona Brankin LAB Breast Cancer Awareness Month 01/10/09 Stuart McMillan SNP World Pipe Band Championships 07/10/09 Mike Rumbles LD Kintore Station and Aberdeen Crossrail 08/10/09 Irene Oldfather LAB Charter of Rights for People with Dementia in Scotland 28/10/09 Shirley-Anne Somerville SNP Celebrating the Scottish-Polish Connection 29/10/09 Ted Brocklebank CON New Secondary School for North East Fife 04/11/09 Bill Butler LAB Don’t Derail GARL 05/11/09 Willie Coffey SNP Conduct of Inquiries into Fatalities at Level Crossings 11/11/09 Linda Fabiani SNP Sconestone 12/11/09 Jackie Baillie LAB Citizens Advice Scotland Debt Findings 18/11/09 Jamie Stone LD Increasing Opportunities for Rural Athletes 19/11/09 Margaret Mitchell CON Deafblind Scotland 25/11/09 Jack McConnell LAB World Aids Day and Annie Lennox 26/11/09 Shirley-Anne Somerville SNP Votes for Women 02/12/09 Sandra White SNP Detention of Children at Dungavel 03/12/09 George Foulkes LAB Barred Campaign Goes Nationwide 09/12/09 Murdo Fraser CON Broadband for Rural Scotland 11 PB/S3/10/99

Date MSP Party Subject 10/12/09 Bill Kidd SNP World March for Peace and Nonviolence 16/12/09 Claire Baker LAB 40 Years of the Open University 17/12/09 Jim Tolson LD Allotments, Community Gardens and Grow-your-own Projects 06/01/10 Angela Constance SNP Bausch & Lomb 07/01/10 John Park LAB Scotland’s Role in National Research into Asbestos-related Diseases 13/01/10 David Whitton LAB Scotland’s Investment Management Industry 14/01/10 Aileen Campbell SNP Save Lesmahagow’s Jubilee Hall 20/01/10 Jim Hume LD Community Hospitals in Dumfries and Galloway 21/01/10 Nanette Milne CON Childhood Cancer – More Than My Illness 27/01/10 Christine Grahame SNP Post Office Development and Diversification 28/01/10 Richard Baker LAB Supporting Scotland’s Supported Workplaces 03/02/10 Peter Peacock LAB Improved Availability of Broadband 04/02/10 Christopher Harvie SNP Bo’ness Scottish Railway Museum 10/02/10 Ian McKee SNP The Bike Station Makes Climate Change a Local Challenge 11/02/10 Richard Simpson LAB Celebrating Scotland’s First Ever General Practice Week in Scotland 24/02/10 Liam McArthur LD Car Parking Charges at HIAL Airports 25/02/10 Murdo Fraser CON Perth 800 03/03/10 Bill Butler LAB Fairtrade Fortnight 2010 04/03/10 Linda Fabiani SNP South Lanarkshire College Unveils Aurora House, a First in Scotland 10/03/10 Sandra White SNP Commonwealth Day 2010, Science, Technology and Society 11/03/10 Des McNulty LAB St Margaret of Scotland Hospice 17/03/10 Cathy Jamieson LAB Industrial Communities Alliance, the Real Impact of the Recession Report 18/03/10 Jamie Hepburn SNP 175 Years of the Airdrie Savings Bank 24/03/10 Elizabeth Smith CON 150 Years of Armed Forces’ Cadet Movement 25/03/10 Mike Pringle LD Gilmerton Core Store 14/04/10 Hugh Henry LAB Usdaw Freedom from Fear Campaign 15/04/10 Nigel Don SNP 450th Anniversary of the Reformation 21/04/10 Charlie Gordon LAB Celebrating the Scottish Football Museum 22/04/10 Angela Constance SNP Veterans in the Criminal Justice System 28/04/10 Joe FitzPatrick SNP The Need for Nuclear Power 29/04/10 Nanette Milne CON Grampian Cardiac Rehabilitation Association 05/05/10 Elaine Smith LAB First ScotRail Industrial Relations 12/05/10 Stewart Maxwell SNP 65th Anniversary of VE Day 13/05/10 Jim Tolson LD Bluelight Initiative 13/05/10 Jackie Baillie LAB Pushed off the EDGE 19/05/10 Malcolm Chisholm LAB Lymphoedema Services in Scotland 20/05/10 Ian McKee SNP Family Nurse Partnership Programme in Lothian 26/05/10 Mary Scanlon CON Pentland Ferries 27/05/10 Hugh O’Donnell LD Employment and Support Allowance, Unfit for Purpose

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Date MSP Party Subject 02/06/10 Stuart McMillan SNP World Oceans Day 03/06/10 Bill Butler LAB Bank on Owen 09/06/10 Peter Peacock LAB Hill Tracks in the Scottish Uplands 10/06/10 Christina McKelvie SNP My Hero, My Soldier Laddie, Commemorating Scotland’s VC Recipients

Record of Members’ Business Taken by the Parliament in Session 3

Party SNP LAB CON LD GRN IND TOTAL

Frequency (no.) 78 80 29 29 2 2 220 Frequency % 35.46 36.36 13.18 13.18 0.91 0.91 100

13

BUREAU - BUSINESS FOR WEEK COMMENCING 07 JUNE 2010

DAY MORNING AFTERNOON Monday 07 Constituency Constituency

Tuesday 08 0930-1230 Committees 1430-1700 Committees

Wednesday 1400 Time for Reflection 09 Followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions (if required)

1405-1425 Final Stage Debate: William Simpson’s Home (Transfer of Property etc) (Scotland) Bill 1425-1525 Stage 3 Proceedings: Scottish Parliamentary Commissions and Commissioners etc Bill 1525-1700 Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee Debate: Active Travel Inquiry Followed by Business Motion Followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions (if required) 1700 Decision Time followed by Members’ Business S3M-6227 Peter Peacock: Hill Tracks in the Scottish Uplands

Thursday 10 0915 Parliamentary Bureau 1415-1455 Themed Question Time Motions (if required) [Finance and Sustainable Growth] 0915-1140 Stage One 1455-1700 Scottish Government Debate: Alcohol etc Debate: Violence Against Men (Scotland) Bill Followed by Parliamentary Bureau Followed by Financial Motions (if required) Resolution: Alcohol etc 1700 Decision Time followed by (Scotland) Bill Members’ Business S3M-6437 Christina 1140 – 1200 General McKelvie: My Hero, My Soldier Laddie, Question Time Commemorating Scotland’s VC Recipients 1200 - 1230 First Minister’s Question Time

Friday 11 Constituency Constituency

BUREAU - BUSINESS FOR WEEK COMMENCING 14 JUNE 2010

DAY MORNING AFTERNOON Monday 14 Constituency Constituency

Tuesday 15 0930-1230 Committees 1430-1700 Committees

Wednesday 1415 Time for Reflection 16 Followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions (if required)

1420-1435 SPCB Question Time 1435-1700 Stage One Debate: Children’s Hearing (Scotland) Bill Followed by Business Motion Followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions (if required) 1700 Decision Time followed by Members’ Business S3M-6200 Margaret Mitchell: SAVI East Kilbride

Thursday 17 0915 Parliamentary Bureau 1415-1455 Themed Question Time Motions (if required) [Europe, External Affairs and Culture, 0915-1140 Labour Party Education and Lifelong Learning] Business 1455-1525 Ministerial Statement: 1140 – 1200 General Supporting Young People in the Context Question Time of the Economic Climate 1200 - 1230 First Minister’s 1525-1700 Scottish Government Question Time Debate: Poverty Framework Followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions (if required) 1700 Decision Time followed by Members’ Business S3M-6195 Pauline McNeill: Securing the Future of Glasgow’s Subway

Friday 18 Constituency Constituency

BUREAU - BUSINESS FOR WEEK COMMENCING 21 JUNE 2010

DAY MORNING AFTERNOON Monday 21 Constituency Constituency

Tuesday 22 0930-1230 Committees 1430-1700 Committees

Wednesday 1430 Time for Reflection 23 Followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions (if required)

1435-1700 Scottish Government Business Followed by Business Motion Followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions (if required) 1700 Decision Time followed by Members’ Business

Thursday 24 0915 Parliamentary Bureau 1415-1455 Themed Question Time Motions (if required) [Health and Wellbeing] 0915-1140 Scottish 1455-1700 Scottish Government Government Business Business 1140 – 1200 General Followed by Parliamentary Bureau Question Time Motions (if required) 1200 - 1230 First Minister’s 1700 Decision Time followed by Question Time Members’ Business

Friday 25 Constituency Constituency

BUSINESS MOTION

Date of Lodging: 8 June 2010 Short Title: Business Motion (Stirling) (SNP) on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau: That the Parliament agrees the following programme of business—

Wednesday 16 June 2010

2.15 pm Time for Reflection followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by SPCB Question Time

2.35 pm Stage 1 Debate: Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill followed by Business Motion followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions

5.00 pm Decision Time followed by Members’ Business

Thursday 17 June 2010

9.15 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by Party Business

11.40 am General Question Time

12 noon First Minister’s Question Time

2.15 pm Themed Question Time Europe, External Affairs and Culture Education and Lifelong Learning

2.55 pm Ministerial Statement: Supporting Young People in the Context of the Economic Climate

3.25 pm Scottish Government Debate: Poverty Framework

5.00 pm Decision Time followed by Members’ Business

Wednesday 23 June 2010

2.30 pm Time for Reflection followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by Scottish Government Business followed by Business Motion followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions

5.00 pm Decision Time followed by Members’ Business

Thursday 24 June 2010

9.15 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by Scottish Government Business

11.40 am General Question Time

12 noon First Minister’s Question Time

2.15 pm Themed Question Time Health and Wellbeing

2.55 pm Scottish Government Business followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions

5.00 pm Decision Time followed by Members’ Business

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PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU

REFERRAL OF MEMBERS’ BILLS AT STAGE 1

Introduction

1. The following Members’ Bills were introduced between 26 May and 1 June (1 June being the final day on which Members’ Bill can be introduced this session without the Parliamentary Bureau’s consent under Rule 9.14.15):

• Damages (Scotland) Bill (“Damages”) – Bill Butler; • Property Factors (Scotland) Bill (“Property Factors”) - Patricia Ferguson;

• Palliative Care (Scotland) Bill (“Palliative Care”) – Gil Paterson; • Autism (Scotland) Bill (“Autism”) – Hugh O’Donnell; • Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Bill (“Victims”) – David Stewart; • Protection of Workers (Scotland) Bill (“Protection of Workers”) – Hugh Henry • Criminal Sentencing (Equity Fines) (Scotland) Bill (“Equity Fines”) – Bill Wilson; • Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill (“Domestic Abuse”) – Rhoda Grant.

2. The committee remits engaged by each Bill are detailed at Annex A.

Discussion

Damages 3. Damages falls solely within the remit of the Justice Committee; therefore this Bill should be referred to that committee under Rule 9.6.1.

Property Factors 4. The housing aspect of Property Factors means that the Local Government and Communities Committee has the main interest in this Bill. In addition, none of the other Bills discussed in this paper engage its remit. This Bill should therefore be referred to the Local Government and Communities Committee under Rule 9.6.1.

Palliative Care 5. The Bureau’s views are invited on whether the issues raised by Palliative Care are sufficiently connected to those raised by the End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill to merit the use of the committee established to consider that Bill. This would require an adjustment to this committee’s remit to allow it to consider the Bill. (A letter from the Convener of the Health and Sport Committee, which relates to referral of this Bill, is attached at Annex B.) If, however, the issues raised by the two Bills are not considered sufficiently connected, Palliative Care should be referred to the Health and Sport Committee under Rule 9.6.1.

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Autism 6. The interests of the Health and Sport Committee and the Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee in relation to Autism appear fairly evenly balanced, as are the committees’ respective workloads (leaving aside the Members’ Bills covered in this paper). The remit of the Equal Opportunities Committee is engaged to a lesser degree. If Palliative Care is referred to the Health and Sport Committee, however, workload considerations would suggest that the Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee should be designated as lead committee for Autism under Rule 9.6.1. The Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee’s remit is not engaged by any other Bill discussed in this paper.

7. The remaining four Bills fall within the remit of the Justice Committee (in addition to Damages, which is dealt with earlier in the paper). The Convener of the Justice Committee has written to the Presiding Officer indicating that the committee would find it difficult to undertake adequate Stage 1 scrutiny of five Members’ Bills at this point in the session and has requested that consideration be given to referring one or two of these Bills to other committees if possible. This letter is attached at Annex C.

8. Alternative options for Stage 1 referral of the remaining four Bills are below.

Victims 9. Victims also engages the Finance Committee’s remit on the basis that public expenditure (and, in particular, SPCB expenditure) is involved. Although the Finance Committee recently considered two Bills (Public Services Reform (Scotland) Bill and the Scottish Parliamentary Commissions and Commissioners etc. Bill), these Bills had stronger cross-cutting themes relating to public service reform and efficient use of resources than this Bill. Furthermore, designating the Finance Committee as lead committee purely on expenditure grounds could create an undesirable precedent. For these reasons, even taking into account workload issues, the Justice Committee has the stronger interest in this Bill. The Justice Committee should therefore be designated as the lead committee for Victims under Rule 9.6.1.

Protection of Workers and Equity Fines 10. For the Protection of Workers and Equity Fines the alternative option is the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee. Although the Justice Committee could be considered to have the stronger interest in both of the Bills, aspects of the Bills engage the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee. None of the other Bills considered in this paper engage the remit of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee, so it would even be possible to refer both of these Bills to it (particularly once the potential use of Rule 9.14.18 in relation to the Equity Fines is taken into account – see Annex A for further details on this). Before reaching a final conclusion on these Bills, it is worth considering the final Bill.

Domestic Abuse 11. The alternative option in the case of Domestic Abuse is the Equal Opportunities Committee. However, the Justice Committee probably has the stronger interest, for reasons similar to those discussed above in relation to the Finance Committee – that is, the fact that the Equal Opportunities Committee is a mandatory committee with a cross-cutting interest, rather than a subject committee with a specific policy remit. On the other hand, the Equal Opportunities Committee has been designated as a

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Stage 1 lead committee before (the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation (Scotland) Bill in Session 2).

12. Accepting that the Justice Committee has a stronger interest in Domestic Abuse and referring both of the Bills discussed in paragraph 10 to the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee would leave the Justice Committee with three Bills (all are reasonably substantial). The Convener of the Justice Committee indicates in his letter that an allocation of three Bills would be acceptable.

Secondary committees

14. It is not considered that any of the Members’ Bills would merit designation of both a lead committee and a formal secondary committee – they are all quite narrowly focused. That would of course not prevent committees other than the lead committee considering a Bill should they wish to do so.

Summary

15. In summary, the recommendations set out above would lead to the following overall situation:

Bill Committee

Damages Justice Committee

Property Factors Local Government and Communities

Palliative Care Health and Sport Committee OR End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill Committee

Autism Health and Sport Committee

OR

Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture

Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses Justice Committee

Protection of Workers Justice Committee

OR

Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee

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Bill Committee

Equity Fines Justice Committee

OR

Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee

Domestic Abuse Justice Committee

OR

Equal Opportunities Committee

15. The Bureau is invited to confirm which Bills it wishes to refer to which committees.

Parliamentary Business Team June 2010

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ANNEX A

Damages (Scotland) Bill The Bill is about the civil law of damages (principally in cases where there has been a wrongful death). The only remit engaged appears to be that of the Justice Committee.

Property Factors (Scotland) Bill Local Government The Bill establishes a registration system for property and Communities factors of residential properties and also sets out a dispute resolution procedure for disputes between homeowners and property factors. The Bill therefore concerns a housing issue. In addition, local authorities fall within the Bill’s definition of “property factor”.

Economy, Energy The Bill relates to business to some extent in that many, and Tourism although not all, of the property factors affected by the Bill are businesses.

Palliative Care (Scotland) Bill The Bill amends the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 by creating a duty for the Scottish Ministers to provide (or secure the provision of) palliative care to persons with life-limiting conditions (and certain care for family members of such persons). The Bill therefore clearly falls within the remit of the Health and Sport Committee.

It is not considered that the remit of any other committee is currently engaged. However, it may be considered that the policy issues raised by the Bill have some relationship with those raised by the End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill. A further option might therefore be to use the committee established to deal with that Bill in some way (e.g. by extending its remit to include this Bill).

Autism (Scotland) Bill The Bill requires the preparation of a strategy for meeting the needs of persons with autistic spectrum conditions (both adults and children) by improving the provision of services to such persons by local authorities and NHS bodies.

Health and Sport The Health and Sport Committee remit is therefore clearly engaged (including by the fact that this remit covers community care).

Education, Lifelong The services required to be covered by the strategy will Learning and Culture include education and other children’s services.

Equal Opportunities To the extent that autistic spectrum disorders are considered a disability, the Bill covers a specific equalities group (persons with disabilities).

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It is not considered that the Local Government and Communities Committee remit is engaged, as the local authority services affected by the Bill principally fall within the remit of the committees identified above.

Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Bill Justice The functions of the Commissioner created by the Bill relate exclusively to people who have been the victim of (or witness to) crime or antisocial behaviour created by the Bill. The crime aspect clearly engages the remit of the Justice Committee. Antisocial behaviour also falls within the portfolio of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice).

Finance The Bill provides for the Commissioner (like other commissions and commissioners etc.) to be funded by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and subject to its control in certain respects relating to the use or resources. The Finance Committee has a role in overseeing SPCB expenditure and in addition also recently considered the Scottish Parliamentary Commissions and Commissioners etc. Bill at Stage 2.

Protection of Workers (Scotland) Bill Justice The Bill creates a criminal offence of assaulting certain persons in the course of or by reason of their employment.

Economy, Enterprise The Bill affects a large number of workers employed in and Tourism the private sector.

The simple fact that a Bill creates a criminal offence is not usually considered to be sufficient to engage the Justice Committee’s remit if the Bill otherwise relates to an issue falling within another remit. A different approach has been followed in this case because creating a specific offence of assaulting a worker does not seem to explicitly engage any other committee remit. Rather, it might be considered that the Bill engages the remit of every subject committee – certainly the Bill will affect workers in a wider range of sectors – health, education, transport, local government etc. However, the sector with the largest number of workers affected by the Bill seems likely to be the private sector and for this reason the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee is noted in the table above.

Criminal Sentencing (Equity Fines) (Scotland) Bill Justice The Bill deals with a criminal sentencing matter by allowing courts to specify that fines payable by public companies are to be paid by means of a share issue.

Economy, Enterprise The Bill only affects certain types of business. and Tourism

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It may be worth noting that the Presiding Officer’s view (as expressed in the statement on legislative competence accompanying the Bill) is that the Bill is not within the Parliament’s legislative competence. In addition, it is unlikely to be possible to amend the Bill to remove one of the grounds on which this view was expressed. This means that the lead committee will have the option of recommending to the Parliament that the general principles of the Bill not be agreed to under Rule 9.14.18(b) rather than considering and reporting on the Bill’s general principles under Rule 9.6.1.

Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill Justice The Bill increases the protection offered to victims of domestic abuse through the civil law (by making non- harassment orders easier to obtain in cases of domestic abuse, making breach of certain interdicts an offence and by making civil legal aid free in relation to applications for these types of orders and interdicts).

Equal Opportunities Although the Bill is gender neutral, domestic abuse disproportionately affects a specific equalities group (women).

ANNEX B

Health and Sport Committee

Alex Fergusson MSP Health and Sport Committee Presiding Officer T3.60 The Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament EDINBURGH EDINBURGH EH99 1SP EH99 1SP Tel: 0131 348 5247 Calls via RNID Typetalk: 18001 0131 348 5247 Fax: 0131 348 5600 Email: [email protected]

3 February 2010

Dear Alex,

End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill

I write to you in your capacity as chair of the Parliamentary Bureau and in my capacity as Convener of the Health and Sport Committee.

The Committee wishes to express its concern relating to the Bureau’s decision to recommend that an ad hoc committee be established to consider the End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill, especially as the Health and Sport Committee was not consulted, nor informed. As an experienced subject committee, we consider this to be disrespectful.

We are also concerned that this establishes a precedent and would be obliged if the Bureau could specify fully the reasons for its decision.

Separately, given that it is highly probable that Gil Paterson’s proposed Palliative Care (Scotland) Bill, covering substantially connected issues to Margo MacDonald’s Bill, requiring the same witnesses, would be referred to the Health and Sport Committee, it would seem logical either that the Health and Sport Committee deal with both bills or that the ad hoc committee deal with both bills.

The Committee has agreed to make this letter public.

Yours sincerely,

Christine Grahame Convener

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ANNEX C

Justice Committee

Alex Fergusson MSP All correspondence c/o: Chair, Parliamentary Bureau Justice Committee Clerks c/o Parliamentary Business Team Room T3.60 Room T1.03 The Scottish Parliament Edinburgh EH99 1SP

Tel: 0131 348 5195 Type Talk Direct No. 18001 0131 348 5195 Fax: 0131 348 5252 [email protected]

27 May 2010

Justice Committee scrutiny of Members’ Bills

It has been brought to my attention that, of the eight Members’ Bills currently expected to be introduced by the 1 June deadline for introducing such Bills this session, five are on matters that fall within the remit of the Justice Committee. These are Bill Butler’s Bill on damages, Rhoda Grant’s Bill on civil protection orders, Hugh Henry’s Bill on workers protection, Dave Stewart’s Bill on a victims’ commissioner, and Bill Wilson’s Bill on equity fines.

As you know, the Justice Committee is well-used to considering legislation, and members take their scrutiny responsibilities seriously. As such, I am sure the Committee will wish to subject each Bill referred to it to thorough scrutiny at Stage 1, taking oral evidence from a range of interested parties. In my view, it is not practical to undertake this sort of scrutiny of two or more Bills simultaneously, and it is also clear that for the Justice Committee to embark on a sequence of five Stage 1 inquiries, beginning in September, would inevitably result in at least one Bill not being able to complete Stage 1 until so late in the session that it would no longer have any prospect of completing the remaining stages before dissolution. That would frustrate the purpose of the Member’s Bill process, which is to allow any legislative proposal that passes the pre-introduction hurdles to pass or fall on its merits.

To avoid this outcome, I would urge the Bureau to consider what scope there may be for referring at least one or two of these Members’ Bills to other committees. If, in view of the subject-matter of the Bills, this does not prove possible, I would ask that serious consideration be given to establishing ad hoc committees as an alternative.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Bill Aitken MSP Convener, Justice Committee

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