TRACKER SNP MSP Bill Kidd asked the First


Minister if he believed the extra 1000 police offi cers on the street are responsible for a 31-year low in homicide rates. The First Minister said that frontline policing is important, and added that an incorrect press release from Labour on their website on this matter had not been corrected despite Fife Constabulary’s request. He said: “If parties are caught out misinterpreting or misrepresenting the police force, they should at least make a belated correction.” Labour MSP James Kelly asked about


GPS tracking of sex offenders given the improvement in GPS tracking technology. The First Minister said that this would continue to be looked at but rather than announcing a Scottish pilot, progress of a similar scheme south of the border should be monitored. Nigel Don (SNP) said that the vast majority of sex offenders stuck to their monitoring arrangements once released from prison, but Bill Aitken (Con) welcomed Kelly’s support for GPS tracking and asked the First Minister to look again at a pilot. The First Minister said that any Scottish pilot would face the same problems as the English pilot and it would be far better to monitor progress at this stage.


Main Chamber Business


9 December


Scottish Labour Party Debate: Scotland Bill Iain Gray (Lab) moved the following motion: That the Parliament welcomes the introduction of the Scotland Bill in the House of Commons on 30 November 2010; notes that it is based on the recommendations of the Calman Commission on Scottish Devolution, which were warmly welcomed by the Parliament on 25 June 2009; supports the general principles of the Bill, which will give the Parliament substantial new taxation, spending and other powers, strengthen its relationship with the rest of the United Kingdom and enable it to serve the people of Scotland better, and calls on the Scottish Government


64 Holyrood January 2011


A complete round up of all forthcoming paliamentary business


Telephone 0131 272 2114 editor@holyrood.com


to respond positively and timeously to any requests for assistance or analysis from Scottish Government offi cials from the committee considering the Bill.


Alex Salmond (SNP) moved the


amendment to leave out from “which were warmly welcomed” to end and insert: “and supports the general principles of the Bill in conferring more powers and responsibilities on the Parliament but expresses concern about key aspects of the new system of fi nancing proposed by the UK Government for devolved government, which will further reduce the resources available for public services in Scotland; rejects the UK Government’s reservations of legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament; regrets the omission from the UK Government’s proposals of important recommendations from the commission, notably on further tax powers, welfare and benefi ts and the marine environment, and urges the Scotland Bill Committee to scrutinise fully the Legislative Consent Memoranda, the Bill and accompanying documents so that the Parliament can come to a decision on these proposals after ensuring that they are in the interests of Scotland.” At Decision Time, the amendment was disagreed to: For 42, Against 62, Abstentions 0. The motion was agreed to: For 59, Against 44, Abstentions 1.


Members’ Business Debate: Scotland’s Nuclear Weapons-free Zones The following motion was debated in the name of Bill Kidd (SNP): That the Parliament believes that New Zealand has set a good example with the establishment of a succession of nuclear weapons-free zones; would welcome the establishment of such zones in Scotland in homes, classrooms, places of work, communities, local authorities and in the environs of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, with the aim to register Scotland as a single-state nuclear weapons-free zone with the United Nations, and would further welcome the development of a protocol for Scotland requesting that the nuclear weapons states honour such a zone by not deploying nuclear weapons on


Scottish territory and by guaranteeing not to threaten or use nuclear weapons against Scotland. No amendments were lodged.


Report on the impact of the Treaty of Lisbon on Scotland The following motion was debated in


the name of Irene Oldfather (Lab): That the Parliament notes the European and External Relations Committee’s 4th Report 2010 (Session 3), Inquiry into the Impact of the T


reaty of Lisbon on


Scotland (SP Paper 469) and agrees to the introduction of a Parliament- wide strategy for European Union engagement and scrutiny, including the introduction on a pilot basis, and, if successful, permanently, of an early warning system for EU legislative proposals, as outlined in Annexe B to the Report. At Decision Time, the motion was agreed to without division. Members’ Business Debate: Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome (SADS): The following motion was debated in the name of Jim Hume (LD): That the Parliament recognises the devastating impact that the death of an apparently healthy young person from a previously undiagnosed heart condition can have on the friends and family of the deceased; further recognises that, on average, 12 people in the United Kingdom die each week from a heart condition associated with sudden arrhythmia death syndrome (SADS); understands that this fi gure is likely to be less than the actual total because of the diffi culties that it believes exist in accurately identifying and recording such deaths; congratulates the work of charities such as Cardiac Risk in the Young and the Selkirk-based Scottish HART for highlighting the deaths of young people from SADS and campaigning for greater awareness; welcomes the Cardiac Assessment of Young Athletes programme run by Professor Stewart Hillis, which screens young people involved in amateur sport for potential heart conditions, and wishes to see a greater awareness of deaths in young people from SADS. No amendments were lodged.


15 December Appointment of Junior Scottish Minister


The following motion was moved in the name of the First Minister (Alex Salmond): That the Parliament agrees that Angela Constance be appointed as a junior Scottish Minister. At Decision Time, the motion was agreed to.


Damages (Scotland) Bill The following motion was moved


in the name of Bill Butler (Lab): That the Parliament agrees to the general principles of the Damages (Scotland) Bill. At Decision Time the motion was agreed to.


Forth Crossing Bill - Stage 3 The Bill was considered at Stage 3. The following amendments were agreed to without division: 4 and 1. The following amendments were disagreed to (by division): 2 (For 13, Against 93, Abstentions 0) 3 (For 14, Against 94, Abstentions 0) Amendment 5 was moved and, with the agreement of the Parliament, withdrawn. The Deputy Presiding Offi cer


extended time limits under Rule 9C.12.5(c). The following motion was moved


in the name of Minister for Transport and Infrastructure (Keith Brown): That the Parliament agrees that the Forth Crossing Bill be passed. At Decision Time, the motion was agreed to: For 108, Against 3, Abstentions 0.


Members’ Business Debate: Retention of RAF Leuchars The Parliament debated the following motion in the name of Ted Brocklebank (Con): That the Parliament considers that RAF Leuchars plays an essential role in the defence of the United Kingdom; commends the professionalism and dedication of military personnel who have served or serve there; considers that those who have been deployed from Leuchars on active service have given exemplary service since the First World War; believes that the case for RAF Leuchars remaining as one of the United Kingdom’s two main fi ghter strike bases is overwhelming as it has a pivotal strategic position on the east coast and is adjacent to Scotland’s major population centres;


January 2011 Holyrood 64


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