Meetings of Committees
All meetings take place in the Scottish Parliament, unless otherwise specified.
Finance Committee
8th Meeting, 2015
The Committee will meet at 9.30 am in the Adam Smith Room (CR5)
1. Preventative spending: The Committee will take evidence from—
Caroline Gardner, Auditor General for Scotland;
Douglas Sinclair, Chair, Accounts Commission;
and then from—
Professor James Mitchell, and Professor Kenneth Gibb, What Works Scotland.
2. Devolved Taxes Implementation: The Committee will take evidence from—
Eleanor Emberson, Chief Executive, Revenue Scotland;
John King, Director of Registration, Registers of Scotland;
John Kenny, Head of National Operations, Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
3. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will take evidence on the Scottish Landfill Tax (Qualifying Material) Order 2015 (SSI 2014/45), Scottish Landfill Tax (Standard Rate and Lower Rate) Order 2015 from—
John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy, Colin Miller, Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Bill Team Leader, David Kerrouchi, Policy Adviser, and John St Clair, Senior Principal Legal Officer, Scottish Government.
4. Subordinate legislation: John Swinney (Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy) to move—
S4M-12437—That the Finance Committee recommends that the Scottish Landfill Tax (Qualifying Material) Order 2015 be approved;
S4M-12438—That the Finance Committee recommends that the Scottish Landfill Tax (Standard Rate and Lower Rate) Order 2015 be approved.
5. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will take evidence on the Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act (Postponement of Tax Pending a Review or Appeal) Regulation 2015, the Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act (Interest on Unpaid Tax and Interest rates in General) Regulation 2015, the Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act (Record Keeping) Regulation 2015, the Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act (Reimbursement Arrangements) Regulation 2015, Scottish Tax Tribunals (Voting and Offenses etc.) Regulations 2015, and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Disclosure of Information to and by Lord Advocate and Scottish Ministers) Amendment Order 2015 from—
John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy, Colin Miller, Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Bill Team Leader, David Kerrouchi, Policy Adviser, and John St Clair, Senior Principal Legal Officer, Scottish Government.
6. Subordinate legislation: John Swinney (Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy) to move—
S4M-12464—That the Finance Committee recommends that the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Disclosure of Information to and by Lord Advocate and Scottish Ministers) Amendment Order 2015 be approved;
S4M-12465—That the Finance Committee recommends that the Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act (Reimbursement Arrangements) Regulations 2015 be approved;
S4M-12466—That the Finance Committee recommends that the Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act (Record Keeping) Regulations 2015 be approved;
S4M-12467—That the Finance Committee recommends that the Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act (Interest on Unpaid Tax and Interest Rates in General) Regulations 2015 be approved;
S4M-12468—That the Finance Committee recommends that the Scottish Tax Tribunals (Voting and Offenses etc.) Regulations 2015 be approved;
S4M-12469—That the Finance Committee recommends that the Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act (Postponement of Tax Pending a Review or Appeal) Regulations 2015 be approved.
7. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will consider the following negative instruments—
Revenue Scotland (First Planning Period) Order 2015: (SSI 2015/16);
Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act (Fees for Payment) Regulations 2015 (SSI 2015/36);
Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act (Involved Third Party) Order 2015 (SSI 2015/37);
Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act (Privileged Communications) Regulations 2015 (SSI 2015/38);
Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (Transitional Provisions) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2015 (SSI 2015/71).
Local Government and Regeneration Committee
8th Meeting, 2015
The Committee will meet at 9.30 am in the Robert Burns Room (CR1)
1. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take item 4 in private.
2. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will consider the following negative instruments—
Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 (Remuneration and Severance Payments) Amendment Regulations 2015 (SSI 2015/7);
Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2015 (SSI 2015/9);
Non-Domestic Rates (Levying) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2015 (SSI 2015/49);
Non-Domestic Rating (Valuation of Utilities) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2015 (SSI 2015/50);
Valuation Timetable (Scotland) Amendment Order 2015 (SSI 2015/51);
The Local Government Pension Scheme (Governance) (Scotland) Regulations 2015 (SSI 2015/60).
3. Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill: The Committee will consider the Bill at Stage 2 (Day 1).
4. Integrated health and social care complaints procedures: The Committee will consider its approach to its examination of the implications for complaints procedure following the integration of health and social care.
Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee
9th Meeting, 2015
The Committee will meet at 9.30 am in the Mary Fairfax Somerville Room (CR2)
1. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will consider the following negative instruments—
Little Loch Broom Scallops Several Fishery Order 2015 (SSI 2015/28);
Loch Ewe, Isle of Ewe, Wester Ross, Scallops Several Fishery Order 2015 (SSI 2015/30);
Common Agricultural Policy (Direct Payments etc.) (Scotland) Regulations 2015 (SSI 2015/58).
2. The Scottish Government’s Wild Fisheries Review: The Committee will take evidence from—
Aileen McLeod, Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, Willie Cowan, Head of Performance and Aquaculture, and Carole Barker-Munro, Team Leader – Wild Fisheries Review, Scottish Government.
3. Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill: The Committee will consider the Bill at Stage 2 (Day 1).
Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee
7th Meeting, 2015
The Committee will meet at 10.00 am in the James Clerk Maxwell Room (CR4)
1. Internationalising Scottish Business: The Committee will take evidence from—
Brian Wilson, Author, Wilson Review of Support for Scottish Exporting.
2. Review of evidence heard (in private): The Committee will review the evidence heard at today’s meeting.
Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee
6th Meeting, 2015
The Committee will meet at 10.00 am in the David Livingstone Room (CR6)
1. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will take evidence on The National Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Older and Disabled Persons (Scotland) Amendment Order 2015 [draft] from—
Derek Mackay, Minister for Transport and Islands, Tom Davy, Team Leader, Bus and Local Transport Policy, and Nancy Woodhead, Concessionary Travel Policy Manager, Scottish Government.
2. Subordinate legislation: Derek Mackay (Minister for Transport and Islands) to move—
S4M-12397—That the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee recommends that The National Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Older and Disabled Persons (Scotland) Amendment Order 2015 [draft] be approved.
3. Inquiry into freight transport in Scotland The Committee will take evidence from—
Andrew Malcolm, Chief Executive Officer, The Malcolm Group;
Ken Russell, Strategy Director, The Russell Group;
Kay Walls, Commercial Manager Scotland, Freightliner.
Meeting of the Parliament
Subject to the Parliament’s agreement to S4M-12525, today’s business will be as follows
2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions
S4M-12525 Joe FitzPatrick on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau: Business Motion—That the Parliament agrees to the following revision to the programme of business for Wednesday 4 March 2015—
delete
5.00 pm Decision Time
and insert
5.15 pm Decision Time
S4M-12523 Joe FitzPatrick on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau: Business Motion—That the Parliament agrees that, for the purposes of consideration of the Scotland Act 1998 (Modification of Schedules 4 and 5 and Transfer of Functions to the Scottish Ministers etc.) Order 2015 [draft], in Rule 10.6.5 of the Standing Orders, the second and third sentences are suspended.
2.00 pm Portfolio Questions
Health, Wellbeing and Sport
1. Annabel Goldie: To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the petition signed by over 7,000 staff, patients and members of the public demanding adequate parking and public transport at the new South Glasgow Hospitals. (S4O-04062)
2. Stuart McMillan: To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for health service delivery in the west of Scotland. (S4O-04063)
3. Patricia Ferguson: To ask the Scottish Government how many referrals of children and adolescents with mental health issues to specialist child and adolescent mental health services have been rejected by those services in the last quarter. (S4O-04064)
4. Tavish Scott: To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the 2015-16 funding for NHS Shetland is 2% below the 2015-16 NHS Scotland Resource Allocation Committee target allocation. (S4O-04065)
5. Willie Coffey: To ask the Scottish Government how it supports participation in sport by disabled people in the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley constituency. (S4O-04066)
6. Alex Johnstone: To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in light of NHS Grampian missing the target of treating 90% of patients within 18 weeks. (S4O-04067)
7. Malcolm Chisholm: To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the provision of perinatal mental health services. (S4O-04068)
8. Claudia Beamish: To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the future of the Glasgow Centre for Integrative Care and its funding arrangements. (S4O-04069)
9. Roderick Campbell: To ask the Scottish Government what the uptake of the shingles vaccine has been by 70 to 79-year-olds since September 2013. (S4O-04070)
10. Jim Hume: To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to increase the training, recruitment and retention of mental health officers across child and adolescent mental health services. (S4O-04071)
11. David Torrance: To ask the Scottish Government what additional support it has given NHS Fife to help improve its performance. (S4O-04072)
12. James Dornan: To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and what issues were discussed. (S4O-04073)
13. Sandra White: To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the proposed parking provision and transport links for staff and visitors at the new South Glasgow Hospitals. (S4O-04074)
14. Linda Fabiani: To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Lanarkshire. (S4O-04075)
15. Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Government how it supports the provision of locally accessible maternity scanning services in the Highlands and Islands. (S4O-04076)
16. Bruce Crawford: To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS Forth Valley regarding services for mental health patients, including action to improve waiting times. (S4O-04077)
17. Sarah Boyack: To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote healthy personal relationships and sexual wellbeing for young people. (S4O-04078)
18. Jayne Baxter: To ask the Scottish Government when it expects NHS boards to reverse the reported upward trend and then eliminate the practice of admitting children with mental health issues to non-specialist adult wards. (S4O-04079)
19. Stewart Stevenson: To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that patient feedback is an important part of improving NHS service provision and, if so, how it encourages such feedback. (S4O-04080)
20. Kenneth Gibson: To ask the Scottish Government what the percentage reduction in patient mortality has been in NHS Ayrshire hospitals since 2007, and how many lives are estimated to have been saved. (S4O-04081)
followed by Scottish Liberal Democrats Debate: Privacy and the State
S4M-12491 Willie Rennie: Privacy and the State—That the Parliament notes the Scottish Government’s consultation on amendments to the National Health Service Central Register (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and the concerns of privacy campaigners about those proposals; believes that these issues merit full parliamentary scrutiny, and therefore calls on the Scottish Government, if it wishes to proceed with this policy, to do so by means of primary legislation.
The Presiding Officer has selected the following amendments
S4M-12491.2 John Swinney: Privacy and the State—As an amendment to motion S4M-12491 in the name of Willie Rennie (Privacy and the State), leave out from “if it wishes” to end and insert “to report back to the Parliament on its response to the consultation before outlining the further steps that it intends to take on this matter, consistent with its adherence to privacy principles and the Local Electoral Administration and Registration Services (Scotland) Act 2006”.
S4M-12491.1 Richard Simpson: Privacy and the State—As an amendment to motion S4M-12491 in the name of Willie Rennie (Privacy and the State), leave out from “and the concerns” to end and insert “; notes the concerns of the British Medical Association Scotland and the Royal College of General Practitioners that sharing personal information registered for health purposes with the government for the identification of income tax payers in particular would seriously undermine trust between doctors and patients, with the result that patients may feel reluctant to seek medical help from their doctor; notes also the concerns of privacy protection campaigners such as Liberty, Big Brother Watch and the Open Rights Group that allowing information to flow between health and tax agencies sets a dangerous precedent; believes that NHS identification should only ever be used for other purposes with express and informed consent; recognises the need for identification of all citizens who will be required to pay tax in Scotland; believes that the current proposals should be halted, alternative options should be sought and that the Scottish Government should consult further, and further believes that any future proposals should be subject to full parliamentary scrutiny and primary legislation.”
followed by Scottish Liberal Democrats Debate: Mental Health
S4M-12492 Jim Hume: Mental Health—That the Parliament notes that one in four people will experience a mental health problem during their lifetime; considers that providing appropriate treatment and support is critical to improving people’s wellbeing; notes the recent worrying figures that show that targets for child and adolescent mental health services and for adult patients referred for psychological therapies continue to be missed; notes that children and adolescent self-harm has doubled in some parts of Scotland; notes that 795 people died by suicide in 2013 in Scotland and calls on the Scottish Government to report to the Parliament on progress on its 36 commitments in the Mental Health Strategy for Scotland 2012-15, to ensure that parity is enshrined in law for the treatment of mental and physical ill-health, to commit to a zero suicide ambition and to adequately resource mental health services, and expresses its support for Scotland’s dedicated and committed NHS staff working in this critical area of health.
The Presiding Officer has selected the following amendments
S4M-12492.2 Jamie Hepburn: Mental Health—As an amendment to motion S4M-12492 in the name of Jim Hume (Mental Health), leave out from “notes the recent” to end and insert “further notes the progress made in improving access to child and adolescent mental health services, with a 57% increase in the number of children and young people starting treatment, but is concerned that the waiting times standards are still to be achieved consistently across Scotland; welcomes the reduction in stigma and the increase in young people who now feel more confident about seeking help for self-harm; commits to supporting further efforts to meet the targets for referral to child and adult mental health services and psychological therapies; believes that every suicide represents a tragedy; notes the 11 commitments in the Suicide Prevention Strategy 2013-16 to continue the downward trend, which has seen a 19% reduction in suicides in Scotland over 10 years; recognises that there must be, and that legislation already reflects, no distinction of importance between physical and mental health; expects the Scottish Government to ensure transparent reporting of progress in meeting the challenges of improving people’s mental health, including on the Mental Health Strategy for Scotland 2012-15, and expresses its support for Scotland’s dedicated and committed NHS staff and those in the third sector working in this critical area.”
S4M-12492.3 Richard Simpson: Mental Health—As an amendment to motion S4M-12492 in the name of Jim Hume (Mental Health), leave out from “notes the recent” to “missed” and insert “while welcoming the HEAT waiting time targets for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), notes that both the 26-week targets for 90% of referrals for March 2013 and the 18-week target for December 2014 were not met for Scotland overall and not met by a number of NHS boards; calls on the Scottish Government to publish the 10-year follow-up to the 2003 Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report, which was promised for 2014; further calls on the Scottish Government to carry out an independent review of the referrals rejected by CAHMS and explain the substantial variation in these rejections; invites the Scottish Government to report to the Parliament on resumption of progress in eliminating the admission of children and adolescents to non-specialist settings, and notes that the target for adult patients referred for psychological therapies continues to be missed;”
followed by Business Motions
S4M-12495 Joe FitzPatrick on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau: Business Motion—That the Parliament agrees the following programme of business—
Tuesday 10 March 2015
2.00 pm Time for Reflection
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Topical Questions (if selected)
followed by Scottish Government Debate: Action Needed to Support the Oil and Gas Sector
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Wednesday 11 March 2015
2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions
2.00 pm Portfolio Questions
Culture, Europe and External Affairs;
Infrastructure, Investment and Cities
followed by Scottish Labour Party Business
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Thursday 12 March 2015
11.40 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions
11.40 am General Questions
12.00 pm First Minister’s Questions
followed by Members’ Business
2.30 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Scottish Government Debate: Local Government Finance (Scotland) Amendment Order 2015
followed by Stage 1 Debate: Mental Health (Scotland) Bill
followed by Financial Resolution: Mental Health (Scotland) Bill
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
Tuesday 17 March 2015
2.00 pm Time for Reflection
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Topical Questions (if selected)
followed by Scottish Government Business
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Wednesday 18 March 2015
2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions
2.00 pm Portfolio Questions
Education and Lifelong Learning
followed by Scottish Government Business
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Thursday 19 March 2015
11.40 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions
11.40 am General Questions
12.00 pm First Minister’s Questions
followed by Members’ Business
2.30 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Scottish Government Business
followed by Business Motions
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
S4M-12497 Joe FitzPatrick on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau: Approval of SSI—That the Parliament agrees that the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme (Consequential Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2015 [draft] be approved.
S4M-12500 Joe FitzPatrick on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau: Approval of SSI—That the Parliament agrees that the National Health Service Pension Scheme (Consequential Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2015 [draft] be approved.
S4M-12502 Joe FitzPatrick on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau: Approval of SSI—That the Parliament agrees that the Police Pensions (Consequential Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2015 [draft] be approved.
S4M-12505 Joe FitzPatrick on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau: Approval of SSI—That the Parliament agrees that the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (Consequential Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2015 [draft] be approved.
S4M-12506 Joe FitzPatrick on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau: Local Government Finance (Scotland) Amendment Order 2015 [draft]—That the Parliament agrees that the Local Government Finance (Scotland) Amendment Order 2015 [draft] be considered by the Parliament.
S4M-12504 Joe FitzPatrick on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau: Approval of SSI—That the Parliament agrees that the Scotland Act 1998 (Modification of Schedules 4 and 5 and Transfer of Functions to the Scottish Ministers etc.) Order 2015 [draft] be approved.
5.15 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Debate on the subject of—
S4M-12136 Linda Fabiani: Marie Curie’s 2015 Great Daffodil Appeal—That the Parliament welcomes Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal, which runs throughout March 2015; applauds what it considers the substantial contribution that this makes toward the over £4 million raised in Scotland every year by Marie Curie to support its services across Scotland; understands that the charity supports over 7,000 terminally ill people in Scotland to get free care at home with the help of Marie Curie nurses or in the community in their Glasgow or Edinburgh hospices; recognises the vital role that volunteers play in supporting the work of the charity; acknowledges the launch of the charity’s new five-year strategy, which will see Marie Curie increase the number of people it supports in Scotland, and welcomes its vision of a better life for people with a terminal illness and their families.
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