| Q. Why do we need
a Scottish Parliament?
A. The creation of the Scottish Parliament
was what John Smith called the “settled will of the Scottish people”.
The Scots people voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to set the Parliament
up, and now we must deliver their wishes and meet their aspirations.
Its establishment allows greater representation of the wishes of the Scots
people on the issues that matter most to them. For example, throughout
the Thatcher era, at least 75% of Scots consistently voted for other parties,
yet were still subjected to Tory rule. The establishment of the Scottish
Parliament has changed this. On top of this, it allows greater analysis
of key issues, for both MPs in Westminster, and MSPs in Edinburgh.
This ensures that decisions reached will have been done so after the fullest
consideration. The Scottish Parliament affords the people the opportunity
to find Scottish solutions to Scottish problems.
Q. What powers does
the Scottish Parliament have?
A. The Parliament has basically full powers
of competency in its areas of responsibility. However, on certain
issues (e.g. the environment), it works in conjunction with other legislative
bodies, such as the Westminster Parliament and the European Parliament.
Q. What are these
areas of responsibility?
A. Health, education, transport, the environment,
local government, rural affairs, agriculture, enterprise, lifelong learning,
justice, equal opportunities and housing (but not council housing requests
- these are dealt with by your local councillor). The Parliament
also has the power to vary income tax from the rate set by the U.K. Treasury
by up to 3%.
Q. What do Scottish
MPs at Westminster do?
A. Scottish MPs continue to represent their
constituents in all areas that are “reserved”. These include social
security, foreign affairs, defence, immigration policy, central economic
and fiscal policy, employment legislation and constitutional affairs.
Q. All of this sounds
nice, but the Scottish Parliament’s just a “talking shop”, is it not?
What has it done for the people of Scotland in its first year?
A. This is most certainly not the case.
Although much of what the Parliament has done has gone unreported, it is
constantly working to change life for the better for the people of Scotland.
The Executive (the Scottish Government) has put into place many different
policies within its remit which have had far-reaching implications.
It has legislated to put an unprecedented amount of money into our schools
and hospitals, introduced a Bill aimed at revolutionising our transport
network, and provided for the establishment of Scotland’s first ever National
Park in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. As well as this, the Parliament
has passed a number of Bills into law, which have shown that it is far
more than a “talking shop”. The Adults with Incapacity Bill, designed
to strengthen the rights of those who cannot help themselves, has been
passed; The Mental Health Bill, which closed the legal loophole which allowed
those with “untreatable” mental illnesses to be freed, has also been passed;
and the Parliament is currently scrutinising a number of Bills such as
the National Parks Bill, the Standards in Scotland’s Schools Bill, the
Abolition of Poindings and Warrant Sales Bill and the Ethical Standards
in Public Life Bill. The Parliament is also awaiting the introduction
of the Housing Bill, which will revolutionise the provision of housing
in Scotland and the Integrated Transport Bill.
Q. What about all
the problems in the Scottish Parliament, such as the Holyrood building,
sleaze, Clause 28? It’s not been a 100% success, has it?
A. The Parliament has had its problems
in its first year, but these can be overcome. Unfortunately, certain
sections of the media have sought to knock everything the Parliament does
and create a picture of an institution lurching from one crisis to another.
This is not the case. What we must do in the Parliament is continue
to work hard to deliver for the people of Scotland on the issues that affect
them most.
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