Report
to the People
6th
January 2003
Gearing up for 2003
Happy New Year! I hope that 2003 will be good to you.
Unfortunately, if you can’t stand politics or politicians, I fear that no amount of good wishes on my part will alter the fact that the early part of 2003 will be a living nightmare. With the Scottish Parliament elections due to be held in May, there will be no escape from the canvassers on every doorstep, the party political broadcasts on every channel and the stickers on every child and car. In fact you may be best –accommodating boss and bank balance permitting – to leave the country for a bit.
Still, one man’s tedious ramble is another’s in depth debate. And there are some people (myself included) who actually look forward to the fireworks and theatre of an election campaign.
But, before this excitement can get underway, there is some serious work to be done.
There are around a dozen Bills which the Scottish Executive wants to pass before Parliament breaks up at the end of March. The majority are substantial pieces of legislation which aim to bring in much needed reforms. Victims’ rights, for example, are set to be enhanced; the public are to be better protected from dangerous criminals; and local authorities will be given wide ranging powers to promote or improve the general well-being of their area.
Amongst this raft of Bills, two are particularly significant – the Mental Health Bill and the Homelessness Bill. Both passed their first stage just before Christmas and both set out to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable members of our community.
The Mental Health Bill proposes a series of fairly radical reforms to Scotland's outdated mental health laws. These include updating and clarifying the rules on the compulsory detention and treatment of those with mental disorders and giving them greater protection through rights and safeguards.
The Homelessness Bill also introduces practical, common-sense reforms to the housing system, including making it more difficult for bureaucratic blunders to lead to a repossession: when deciding whether to evict the tenant of a private landlord, courts will have to take into account that rent may be in arrears due to problems with the Housing Benefit system.
With only 12 weeks to pass 12 Bills, then an election in May, you don’t need a crystal ball or tea leaves to predict that 2003 is set to be a busy year for politicians – not to mention the odd travel agent.
Back to Current Reports to the People
[ HOME ] [ News ] [ Articles ] [ Calendar ] [ Contacts ] [ Links ] [ E-Mail ]
[ Copyright ] [ UK Online ] [ Scottish Parliament ]