BUSINESS BULLETIN No. 71/2013 Thursday 2 May 2013 SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT ANNOUNCEMENT Chamber Desk Arrangements - May Day Holiday Members are reminded that the Chamber Desk will be closed on Monday 6 May 2013. Arrangements for lodging of First Minister’s Questions, Topical Questions, motions and amendments for debate and the random draw for General and Portfolio Questions are set out below. The deadline for submitting First Minister’s Questions for 9 May is today at 4.30 pm. The deadline for submitting Topical Questions for 7 May is 9.30 am on Tuesday 7 May. Motions for debate on Tuesday 7 May should be lodged with the Chamber Desk by no later than today at 4.30 pm; amendments to these motions should be lodged by 4.30 pm on Friday 3 May. Members are advised that the deadline for submitting names for Portfolio Questions on 15 May 2013 and General Questions on 16 May 2013 is 12 noon on Friday 3 May. Members who are selected will be advised by email on that day. 1 Summary of Today’s Business Meetings of Committees 9.00 am European and External Relations Committee Room 6 Committee 9.30 am Equal Opportunities Committee Committee Room 1 9.45 am Referendum (Scotland) Bill Committee Committee Room 2 1.15 pm Justice Sub-Committee on Policing Committee Room 4 ___________________________________________________________________ Meeting of the Parliament 11.40 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions 11.40 am General Questions 12.00 pm First Minister’s Questions 12.30 pm Members’ Business – S4M-05594 Neil Findlay: Blacklisting, a Scottish and UK Human Rights Abuse 2.30 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions 2.30 pm Motion of Condolence followed by Scottish Government Debate: Redesigning the Community Justice System followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions 5.00 pm Decision Time 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 Questions - 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: Thursday 2 May 2013 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. European and External Relations Committee 8th Meeting, 2013 The Committee will meet at 9.00 am in Committee Room 6 1. Decisions on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take item 7 in private and to take consideration of evidence heard at future meetings and consideration of a draft report on its inquiry in private. 2. Scottish Government’s Country Plan for China and International Framework: The Committee will take evidence from— Ed Payne, Head of Strategy, and Julian Taylor, Executive Director, Strategy and Economics for Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International; and then from— Denis Taylor, Hidden Office Ltd; Owen Kelly, Chief Executive, Scottish Financial Enterprise; James Brodie, Manager and China Business Adviser Scotland, and Giles Blackburne, Director, China Britain Business Council; Angus Tulloch, Joint Managing Partner of the Asia Pacific and Global Emerging Markets Equity Team, First State Investments (UK); James Anderson, Partner and Head of Global Equities, Baillie Gifford. 3. Budget Strategy Phase: The Committee will consider its response to the Finance Committee on the Budget Strategy Phase. 4. European Chairs - UK meeting: The Committee Convener will report on a recent meeting of the European Chairs - UK (EC-UK). 5. Brussels Bulletin: The Committee will consider the latest issue of the Brussels Bulletin. 6. Economic Ideas Forum 2013: The Committee will consider the invitation to the Convener to attend the Economic Ideas Forum 2013 on behalf of the Committee. 7. Scottish Government’s Country Plan for China and International Framework: The Committee will discuss the evidence heard on its inquiry at this meeting. 5 Equal Opportunities Committee 14th Meeting, 2013 The Committee will meet at 9.30 am in Committee Room 1 1. Women and work: The Committee will take evidence from— Irene Audain MBE, Chief Executive, Scottish Out of School Care Network; Jackie Brock, Chief Executive, Children in Scotland; Dr Margaret Anne Craig, Chief Executive Officer, Clyde Biosciences; Sarah Jackson OBE, Chief Executive, Working Families (by video conference); Satwat Rehman, Director, One Parent Families Scotland; Clare Simpson, Project Manager, Parenting across Scotland; Maggie Simpson, Chief Executive, Scottish Childminding Association; Claire Telfer, Head of Policy, Advocacy & Campaigns (Scotland), Save the Children. 2. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether its consideration of a draft report on Women and work should be taken in private at future meetings. 3. Women and work - witness expenses: The Committee will be invited to delegate to the Convener responsibility for arranging for the SPCB to pay, under Rule 12.4.3, any expenses of witnesses in the inquiry. 4. Draft Budget 2013-14 Scrutiny: The Committee will consider a letter from the Finance Committee on budget strategy scrutiny and agree a response. Referendum (Scotland) Bill Committee 11th Meeting, 2013 The Committee will meet at 9.45 am in Committee Room 2 1. Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) Bill (in private): The Committee will give further consideration to its draft Stage 1 report on the Bill. 2. Scottish Independence Referendum Bill (in private): The Committee will consider key themes on its approach to taking oral evidence on the Bill at Stage 1. Justice Sub-Committee on Policing 4th Meeting, 2013 The Sub-Committee will meet at 1.15 pm in Committee Room 4 1. Decision on taking business in private: The Sub-Committee will decide whether to consider its work programme in private at its next meeting. 2. Scottish Police Authority: The Sub-Committee will take evidence on independent custody visiting, complaints handling, ICT and the Scheme of Arrangements between the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland from— 6 Vic Emery, Chair, Andrea Quinn, Interim Chief Executive, Martin Leven, Chief Information Officer, and Alastair Crerar, Strategy, Policy and Performance Officer, Scottish Police Authority. 7 Meeting of the Parliament 11.40 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions 11.40 am General Questions 1. Colin Beattie: To ask the Scottish Government what impact it expects the increase in air passenger duty to have on the coming tourist season. (S4O-02065) 2. John Pentland: To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce regulations to the effect that charges other than rent and a limited refundable deposit may not be levied on tenants. (S4O-02066) 3. Marco Biagi: To ask the Scottish Government how businesses in cities can benefit from being part of a business improvement district. (S4O-02067) 4. Siobhan McMahon: To ask the Scottish Government what emphasis it places on its work on equality. (S4O-02068) 5. Kenneth Gibson: To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the statement in the Electoral Commission advice on spending limits for the referendum on independence for Scotland that ―It is clearly important that the campaign rules should not encourage perceptions of unfairness that could damage voters’ trust in the referendum process or result.‖ (S4O-02069) 6. Margaret McCulloch: To ask the Scottish Government how it supports manufacturing. (S4O-02070) 7. Bob Doris: [Withdrawn] 8. Annabel Goldie: To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made in the teaching provision of modern languages in primary schools. (S4O-02072) 9. John Finnie: To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the routine use of Gaelic across all its services. (S4O-02073) 10. Sandra White: To ask the Scottish Government what benefits the Scottish Funding Council’s investment in technology innovation centres in Edinburgh and Glasgow will bring to the life sciences industry. (S4O-02074) 12.00 pm First Minister’s Questions 1. Johann Lamont: To ask the First Minister what engagements he has planned for the rest of the day. (S4F-01332) 2. Ruth Davidson: To ask the First Minister when he will next meet the Secretary of State for Scotland. (S4F-01330) 3. Willie Rennie: To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet. (S4F-01341) 8 4. Sandra White: To ask the First Minister how communities are benefiting from proceeds of crime. (S4F-01351) 5. Ken Macintosh: To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with the European Commission regarding an opt-out from pensions regulations should Scotland become independent. (S4F-01345) 6. Murdo Fraser: To ask the First Minister what the Scottish