Scottish Parliament Committee News
Issue
165, 27
Audit
Committee
The Committee considered its approach
to the reports by the Auditor General for Scotland entitled "Moving on?
An overview of delayed discharges in Scotland" (AGS/2005/4), "A
Scottish prescription: Managing the use of medicines in hospitals" (AGS/2005/5)
and the section 22 report entitled "The 2004/05 Audit of the Scottish
Prison Service". The Committee agreed to take no further action on the
first 2 reports. On the section 22 report on the Scottish Prison Service,
the Committee opted not to hold an inquiry, but agreed to write to the
Accountable Officer seeking clarification on a number of issues raised during
discussion.
Communities
Committee
Last week’s meeting saw Deputy
Communities Minister, Johann Lamont, move a motion to approve the draft Housing
Grants (Assessment of Contributions) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2005.
The Committee agreed the motion and agreed to report to Parliament that it had
no recommendations to make. The Committee also began Stage 2 of the Housing
(Scotland) Bill.
Enterprise
& Culture Committee
After selecting Christine May (LAB) as the Deputy Convener of the Committee,
members agreed to seek approval to appoint an adviser on forthcoming
legislation to reform bankruptcy and diligence law. The Committee also
considered the issues which are emerging from its consideration of the general
principles of the St
Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Bill and agreed to consider a
draft Stage 1 report at its next meeting.
Environment
and Rural Development Committee
The Environment Committee considered
correspondence from the Subordinate Legislation Committee regarding the latter's
inquiry into the regulatory framework in Scotland and agreed its
response.
Finance
Committee
Members
considered a paper from Professor Arthur Midwinter, the Committee’s budget
adviser, on the Executive’s efficient government commitments. The
Efficient Government project was launched in June last year with the aim of
finding savings of £500 million a year by 2007-8 and £1 billion by 2009-10.
The Committee heard that £319.3 million of savings made before the Executive
completed its 2004 spending review were used in that budget process.
However, the report found that Ministers were unable to explain exactly where
the first sum of money had been allocated.
The Committee considered another paper from the budget adviser on the Budget Process 2006-07. The Committee made a small change to the draft guidance it issues to the subject Committees to assist them in their scrutiny of the budget so that it includes references to the cross-cutting priorities of sustainable development, equalities and growing the economy.
In relation to its scrutiny of the Financial Memorandum for the Interests of Members of the Scottish Parliament Bill, given the short time available, the Committee agreed to produce a report and send it to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB).
The Committee also agreed its draft report on the Financial Memorandum of the St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Bill. The main findings of the report include that the total costs to the Scottish Executive, local authorities and other public bodies would amount to £41 million and that increased retail sales could be in the region of £28 million.
In response to a request from the Subordinate Legislation Committee regarding that Committee's inquiry into the regulatory framework in Scotland, the Committee agreed to make a submission.
John Swinney replaced Alasdair Morgan as an SNP member of the Committee and was elected Deputy Convener.
Health
Committee
The Committee took evidence from
Professor David Kerr, Chair of the Advisory Group, on its report on a National
Framework for Service Change in the NHS in Scotland. It also took evidence
from various officials in the Scottish Executive's Health Department on the Efficient
Government Programme. The Committee requested supplementary written
information on the following points:
The three year plan to implement a single information technology system for the NHS and how the plan is progressing;
Details of how the list of key features for this system proposed in "Building a Health Service Fit For the Future" (p.235) will be taken into account in designing the new system;
The exact anticipated cash savings by 2007-08 from the Care Commission Efficient Government Programme;
The extent to which efficiency savings made by improved prescribing practice by general practitioners is offset by the cost of employing prescribing advisers; and
Details of the NHS policy on the circumstances in which wigs should be prescribed free of charge.
The Committee also agreed to authorise the Convener to request an extension to its deadline for consideration of the Abolition of NHS Prescription Charges (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1 until the end of January 2006. The Committee agreed to authorise the Convener to make a bid to the Conveners' Group to undertake a cross party fact-finding visit to Wales as part of its evidence taking at Stage 1.
Justice
1 Committee
Last week's meeting considered
correspondence received in relation to closed petition PE14 on security of
tenure and agreed to take no further action, concluding its consideration of
this matter.
Justice
2 Committee
Stage 1 of the Management
of Offenders etc. (Scotland) Bill began.
Local
Government and Transport Committee
Stage 2 of the Licensing
(Scotland) Bill began.
Public
Petitions Committee
Petition PE866, which calls on the
Scottish Parliament to consider and debate the need for an independent body
to be set up within Scotland to investigate claims of medical negligence,
was considered and the Committee agreed to write to the General Medical Council,
the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Physicians of
Edinburgh, the Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians of Glasgow, the British
Medical Association, Citizens Advice Scotland, the Law Society and the Minister
for Health. Petition PE809, calling for the Scottish Parliament to legislate to
provide third parties with a right of appeal regarding planning applications,
was also considered and the Committee agreed to refer this petition to the
Communities Committee for consideration during its scrutiny of the forthcoming
Planning Bill.
Subordinate
Legislation Committee
The Committee considered correspondence from
the Convener of the Procedures Committee in relation to the Sewel Convention.
It was agreed to write to the Procedures Committee, indicating that it was in
favour of the suggested amendment to Standing Orders. The Committee also
considered the response from the Scottish Executive to its report on its inquiry
into the regulatory framework in Scotland and agreed to raise further
points with the Executive as part of the inquiry.
Other Committee Homepages:
Education Committee
Equal Opportunities Committee
European and External Relations Committee
Procedures Committee
Standards Committee
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