MEETING OF THE PARLIAMENT Wednesday 20 March 2002 (Afternoon) Session 1 £5.00 Parliamentary copyright. Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body 2002. Applications for reproduction should be made in writing to the Copyright Unit, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich NR3 1BQ Fax 01603 723000, which is administering the copyright on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. Produced and published in Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body by The Stationery Office Ltd. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office is independent of and separate from the company now trading as The Stationery Office Ltd, which is responsible for printing and publishing Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body publications. CONTENTS Wednesday 20 March 2002 Debates Col. TIME FOR REFLECTION .................................................................................................................................... 7363 EDUCATION .................................................................................................................................................... 7365 Statement—[Cathy Jamieson]. The Minister for Education and Young People (Cathy Jamieson) ............................................................ 7365 LAND REFORM (SCOTLAND) BILL: STAGE 1 ..................................................................................................... 7380 Motion moved—[Ross Finnie]. The Minister for Environment and Rural Development (Ross Finnie) ....................................................... 7380 Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP) ...................................................................................................... 7388 Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con) ....................................................................................................................... 7393 Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab) .................................................................................................... 7398 Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP) ......................................................................... 7402 Mr Alasdair Morrison (Western Isles) (Lab) ............................................................................................... 7403 Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD) ............................................................... 7404 David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con) ............................................................................................................. 7405 Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP) ..................................................................... 7407 Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) .............................................................................................. 7408 Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) ................................................................................ 7409 Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con) ................................................................................... 7410 George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD) .......................................................................................................... 7412 Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab) .................................................................................. 7413 Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP) ......................................................................................... 7415 Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con) ................................................................................................ 7416 John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD) ................................................................. 7417 Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West) ................................................................................................................. 7418 Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab) ......................................................................................... 7419 Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP) ....................................................................................... 7420 Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD) ................................................................. 7422 Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab) ...................................................................................................... 7423 Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) ............................................................................................. 7425 Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP) ............................................................................................ 7427 Ross Finnie ................................................................................................................................................ 7430 LAND REFORM (SCOTLAND) BILL: FINANCIAL RESOLUTION .............................................................................. 7433 Motion moved—[Peter Peacock]. PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU MOTIONS ................................................................................................................ 7434 Motions moved—[Euan Robson]. DECISION TIME ............................................................................................................................................... 7435 SUB-POST OFFICES ........................................................................................................................................ 7438 Motion debated—[Robert Brown]. Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD) ................................................................................................................... 7438 Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP) ..................................................................... 7441 Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) ............................................................................................. 7442 Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab) ......................................................................... 7444 Mr George Reid (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP) ........................................................................................ 7445 Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD) ..................................................................................................................... 7446 Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con) ............................................................................................ 7448 Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP) ................................................................................................. 7449 John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD) ................................................................. 7450 Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab) ............................................................................................................. 7451 Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP) ...................................................................................................... 7452 David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con) .................................................................................................. 7453 Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD) ................................................................. 7454 Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP) .......................................................................................... 7455 Mr John Home Robertson (East Lothian) (Lab) ........................................................................................ 7456 Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD) ..................................................................................... 7457 Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP) ............................................................................................. 7458 Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD) .............................................................................................. 7460 The Minister for Environment and Rural Development (Ross Finnie) ....................................................... 7460 7363 20 MARCH 2002 7364 pattern: knowledge of the scriptures; awareness of Scottish Parliament church tradition; readiness to use reason; and the testing of all those by experience. That is our way Wednesday 20 March 2002 of being who we are. (Afternoon) You have patterns, too: as an assembly, as parties and as individual members of the [THE PRESIDING OFFICER opened the meeting at Parliament. There must be huge amounts of paper 13:45] in circulation, as well as electronic communication. However, public speaking has its appropriate place, and I trust that we do it well, with or without Time for Reflection notes. Let us pray, The Presiding Officer (Sir David Steel): We Almighty God, welcome the Rev David Cooper to lead our time you raised up your servants, John and Charles Wesley, for reflection today. He is the synod secretary of to proclaim anew the gift of redemption the Methodist Church of Scotland. and the life of holiness. Pour out your Spirit, Rev David Cooper (Synod Secretary of the and revive your work among us; Methodist Church of Scotland): I am, of course, that inspired by the same faith, anxious about leading this time for reflection. Like and upheld by the same grace in word and sacrament, we and all your children may be made one members, I cannot claim that I am unused