| Q.
How do people outside of Scotland view our Parliament?
A. The Parliament is represented beyond our shores and welcomes many
visitors from other countries who want to see Europe’s youngest parliament
in action. The impact we have is far-reaching and it is no surprise to learn
that our modern, innovative and open practices have been adopted elsewhere.
These visits and the relationships we are building in the UK, Europe and
beyond are a further contribution the Parliament makes to a better Scotland.
Q. How does
Parliament work and how do things get done?
A. It is in the Chamber
that the main business of the Scottish Parliament is debated and legislation
passed. Each week in session, MSPs have the opportunity to examine and
explore current political issues. Scottish Ministers and the First Minister
are quizzed during Question Time.
Throughout the year business in the Chamber covers a diverse and wide range
of important subjects from education, health and transport to local
government services. These represent a small sample of the Parliament's
responsibilities, which impact on all walks of Scottish life.
The Parliamentary Bureau proposes the agenda for each meeting in what we
call "the business motion". Once approved, the business motion is published
in the business bulletin and forms a rolling business programme for the
coming two weeks.
Q. What has
been debated this year and and has anything come of it?
A. During the year,
there have been high profile debates on:
Pay for fire fighters and fire control staff;
Public-private partnerships;
Action to recruit, retain and value nurses;
Drugs Courts;
The future of air transport;
Wind Farms;
The fishing industry;
Conflict with Iraq.
Committees can ask for
time to discuss business such as inquiry reports in the Chamber. These
debates give committees the chance to bring issues to the attention of a
wider audience.
Many important reports have been debated in the Chamber. The Justice 2
Committee led a debate on its inquiry into the Crown Office and Procurator
Fiscal Service. The Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee’s debate in
the Chamber covered a range of important subjects including golf and
business tourism and the impact of the foot-and-mouth crisis on the tourist
industry. Other committee debates included the Finance Committee’s inquiry
into public-private partnerships and the Local Government Committee’s
inquiry into local government finance.
Bills that are passed
are the end product of public consultation and hours of discussion in
committee and in the Chamber. In the past year 22 bills have become acts. Of
these, 16 were by the Scottish Executive, three were member’s bills, two
were committee bills and one was a private bill. During the last weeks of
the session, the Parliament added a half-day to its Chamber business
schedule to make sure that as much of its legislation was passed as
possible.
Several bills were passed in the final weeks of this session and were
granted Royal Assent, becoming acts after the Parliament dissolved. These
were the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Bill, the Council of
the Law Society of Scotland Bill, the National Galleries of Scotland Bill,
the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Bill and the
Commissioner for Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill.
The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Bill was the longest and
most heavily amended bill. The Health and Community Care Committee dealt
with 1,363 amendments during stage 2 of the bill. Stage 3 took two days and
involved considering a further 757 amendments.
Q. What are
amendments?
A. Amendments to bills
must be proposed by MSPs but can be the result of suggestions from interest
groups or members of the public. Most amendments come from the Executive as
it is responsible for looking into the likely impact of a bill. The Land
Reform (Scotland) Bill was passed by the Parliament on 23 January 2003. The
act is an historic piece of legislation because it gives the public a
statutory right to access private land. It also offers crofters the chance
to buy land.
Q. What bills
have been passed this year?
A. Bills which became
Acts (22):
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (Executive)
Scottish Qualifications Authority Act 2002 (Executive)
University of St. Andrews (Postgraduate Medical Degrees) Act 2002 (Member’s)
Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Act 2002 (Committee)
Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (Executive)
Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 (Executive)
Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 (Executive)
Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003 (Executive)
Public Appointments and Public Bodies etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 (Executive)
Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003 (Executive)
Budget (Scotland) Act 2003 (Executive)
Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 (Executive)
Building (Scotland) Act 2003 (Executive)
Title Conditions (Scotland) Act 2003 (Executive)
Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 (Executive)
Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 2003 (Executive)
Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003 (Member’s)
Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 (Executive)
National Galleries of Scotland Act 2003 (Private)
Council of the Law Society of Scotland Act 2003 (Member’s)
Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003
(Executive)
Commissioner for Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2003 (Committee)
Of the 22 bills which became acts, three were members’ bills, two were
committee bills, one was a private bill, while the other 16 came from the
Scottish Executive. |
