BUSINESS BULLETIN No. 127/2014 Wednesday 20 August 2014 Announcement Sam Galbraith (1945-2014) - The Presiding Officer brings to the attention of Members the recent and sad death of Sam Galbraith, Member of the Scottish Parliament between 1999 and 2001, and pays tribute to his significant contribution to the establishment and work of the Parliament. 1 Summary of Today’s Business Meetings of Committees 9.30 am Local Government and Regeneration the David Livingstone Committee Room (CR6) 9.30 am Rural Affairs, Climate Change and the Mary Fairfax Environment Committee Somerville Room (CR2) 10.00 am Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee the James Clerk Maxwell Room (CR4) ___________________________________________________________________ Meeting of the Parliament 2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions 2.00 pm Portfolio Questions Justice and the Law Officers; Rural Affairs and the Environment followed by Ministerial Statement: Update on the economic impact of new innovation centres followed by Scottish Government Debate: Increasing Opportunities for Women followed by Business Motions followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions 5.00 pm Decision Time followed by Members‘ Business – S4M-09923 Margaret McCulloch: The Future of DFID in Scotland For full details of today’s business, see Section A. For full details of the future business, see sections B and C. ___________________________________________________________________ 2 Contents The sections which appear in today‘s Business Bulletin are in bold Section A: Today‘s Business - Meetings of Committees - Meeting of the Parliament Section B: Future Meetings of the Parliament Section C: Future Meetings of Committees Section D: Oral Questions - Questions selected for First Minister‘s Question Time - Questions selected for response by Ministers and junior Scottish Ministers at Question Time Section E: Written Questions – new questions for written answer Section F: Motions and Amendments Section G: Bills - New Bills introduced - New amendments to Bills - Members‘ Bills proposals Section H: New Documents – new documents laid before the Parliament and committee reports published Section I: Petitions – new public petitions Section J: Progress of Legislation – progress of Bills and subordinate legislation Section K: Corrections to the Official Report 3 Business Bulletin: Wednesday 20 August 2014 Section A – Today’s Business Meetings of Committees All meetings take place in the Scottish Parliament, unless otherwise specified. Contact details for Committee Clerks are provided at the end of the Bulletin. Local Government and Regeneration Committee 22nd Meeting, 2014 The Committee will meet at 9.30 am in the David Livingstone Room (CR6) 1. Decision on taking business in Private: The Committee will decide whether to take item 4 in private. 2. Local government benchmarking system: The Committee will take evidence from— David Martin, SOLACE Scotland; Mark McAteer, Director of Governance and Performance Management, Improvement Service; and then from— Steve Grimmond, Chief Executive, Fife Council; Elma Murray, Chief Executive, North Ayrshire Council; and then from— Maureen McKenna, Executive Director of Education Services, Glasgow City Council; Mhairi Shaw, Director of Education, East Renfrewshire Council; Councillor Stephen Curran, Executive Member for Education and Young People, Glasgow City Council; Councillor Elaine Green, Chair of the Education Committee, East Renfrewshire Council. 3. Public petitions:PE01469 The Committee will consider the following petition- PE1469 by Aileen Jackson, on Neighbour notification distances for wind turbine applications 4. Local government benchmarking system: The Committee will consider the evidence received. 5. Draft Budget Scrutiny 2015-16 (in private): The Committee will consider its approach to the scrutiny of the Scottish Government‘s Draft Budget 2015-16. 6. Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill (in private): The Committee will consider its approach to the scrutiny of the Bill at Stage 1. 5 Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee 23rd Meeting, 2014 The Committee will meet at 9.30 am in the Mary Fairfax Somerville Room (CR2) 1. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will consider the following negative instruments— Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Act 2013 (Specification of Commercially Damaging Species) Order 2014 (SSI 2014/176); Protection of Seals (Designation of Haul-Out Sites) (Scotland) Order 2014 (SSI 2014/185). 2. The Scottish Government’s Agricultural Holdings Legislation Review Group: The Committee will take evidence on the Group‘s Interim Report from— Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment and Chair of the Agricultural Holdings Legislation Review Group, Scottish Government; Andrew Thin, Iain Mackay, and Hamish Lean, Agricultural Holdings Legislation Review Group. 3. The Scottish Government’s designation of Marine Protected Areas: The Committee will take evidence from— Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment, David Mallon, Head of Marine Environment Branch, and David Palmer, Acting Head of Division, Marine Planning and Policy, Scottish Government. Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee 21st Meeting, 2014 The Committee will meet at 10.00 am in the James Clerk Maxwell Room (CR4) 1. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take item 3 in private. 2. The economic importance of Edinburgh’s Festivals: The Committee will take evidence from— Lady Susan Rice CBE, Chair, Edinburgh‘s Festivals Forum; Kath Mainland CBE, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society; Faith Liddell, Director, Festivals Edinburgh; Amy Saunders, Senior Adviser, International, Creative New Zealand; Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Airport. 3. The economic importance of Edinburgh’s Festivals: The Committee will review the evidence heard earlier in the meeting. 4. Work programme (in private): The Committee will consider its work programme. 6 Meeting of the Parliament 2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions 2.00 pm Portfolio Questions Justice and the Law Officers 1. Annabel Goldie: To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the Chief Constable and what issues were discussed. (S4O-03491) 2. Jackson Carlaw: To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on police stations having mental health nurses assigned to them, similar to the pilot exercise being carried out in England. (S4O-03492) 3. Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with stakeholders about the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Bill. (S4O-03493) 4. David Torrance: To ask the Scottish Government what the latest crime figures are. (S4O-03494) 5. Bob Doris: To ask the Scottish Government how it supports community organisations in the Glasgow region in using funding from the CashBack for Communities programme and other money seized under proceeds of crime legislation. (S4O-03495) 6. George Adam: To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it has had with the UK Government regarding the implementation of legislation relating to data laws. (S4O-03496) 7. Dave Thompson: To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the need for innovative thinking when planning new justice-related buildings. (S4O-03497) 8. Nanette Milne: To ask the Scottish Government how much the Scottish Court Service will save as a result of the closure of sheriff and Justice of the Peace courts. (S4O-03498) 9. Marco Biagi: To ask the Scottish Government what action Police Scotland is taking to tackle men‘s violence against women. (S4O-03499) 10. Mark McDonald: To ask the Scottish Government what the implications for justice in Scotland would be if the UK Government were to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights. (S4O-03500) Rural Affairs and the Environment 1. Colin Beattie: To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the level of Pillar 2 funding for rural development that an independent Scotland could expect to receive from the EU. (S4O-03501) 7 2. Stuart McMillan: To ask the Scottish Government what impact marine protected areas will have on recreational boating and marine tourism. (S4O-03502) 3. Alex Johnstone: To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the British Veterinary Association. (S4O-03503) 4. Aileen McLeod: To ask the Scottish Government how independence would support rural development funding in rural communities such as in Dumfries and Galloway. (S4O-03504) 5. Mike MacKenzie: To ask the Scottish Government what benefit farmers and crofters would have through Pillar 1 funding in an independent Scotland. (S4O- 03505) 6. Gordon MacDonald: To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce red tape for agricultural industries. (S4O-03506) 7. Angus MacDonald: To ask the Scottish Government whether an independent Scotland would see an increase in funding from the EU European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and, if so, by how much. (S4O-03507) 8. Adam Ingram: To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in reducing the vulnerability of the towns referred to in the report, Rural Scotland in Focus 2012. (S4O-03508) 9. John Lamont: To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on implementation of the new common agricultural policy. (S4O-03509) 10. Roderick Campbell: To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on agricultural land being exempt from the provisions of The Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003. (S4O-03510) followed by Ministerial Statement: Update on the