TRACKER
build consensus across the parties on the committee, and to explore constructively the evidence for the devolution of additional powers to our Parliament.” The committee published an outline of its work programme on the Parliament’s website and said it will “briefl y” recap on the main recommendations agreed by the previous Scotland Bill Committee. It said the types of issue would include: • Borrowing powers and issuing of bonds, including limits, end-year fl exibility issues etc;
• Devolution of Air Passenger Duty and Aggregates Tax;
• Power to vary the higher rates of income tax independently in the future;
• Intergovernmental arrangements, including establishment of a Joint Exchequer Committee;
• Implementation arrangements for the new fi nancial powers and the costs of implementation, including grant reduction mechanisms;
• Role of HM Treasury in ‘agreeing’ new taxes;
• Devolution of air weapons, drink driving and speed limits, appointment processes to the BBC Trust, MG Alba board and the Crown Estate;
• Role of the Scottish Parliament in international obligations; and
• Scottish Parliament’s power over elections.
It also listed a number of key, additional priorities that the committee will consider, including: • Borrowing powers (higher limits and earlier access to such powers);
• Devolution of corporation tax; • Devolution of excise duties on alcohol and tobacco;
• Control over the revenues of the Crown Estate by the Scottish Parliament;
• Regulatory infl uence over broadcasting to establish a Scottish Digital Channel;
• Mechanism to give Scotland more power to infl uence UK European policy; and
• Devolution issues and acts of the Lord Advocate, and the role of the UK Supreme Court.
A complete round up of all forthcoming parliamentary business
Telephone 0131 272 2114
editor@holyrood.com
Scottish ministers are likely to appear
before the parliamentary committee later this month, with UK ministers appearing at Holyrood in September; while a call for evidence will also be issued later this month.
Education and lifelong learning
16 June 2011 Kerry Lorimer Cabinet Secretary for Education
and Lifelong Learning Michael Russell opened the debate by stressing his commitment to improving the life chances of children and young people, and assuring members he would make changes to the education system only if he was convinced it would improve outcomes for individual learners. He stressed the “hard-edged
economic benefi ts” to early intervention, which he said led to lower costs to the state as well as better results for the young people involved. The biggest long-term challenge, said
Russell, was improving the life chances of looked-after children. The Scottish Government would bring forward a package of measures on this, he said, including the creation of a change fund, part of which would deliver a new generation of family centres. The Government would also use
legislation to ensure investment in early intervention was not an optional extra, and that Getting it Right for Every Child was embedded across the public sector, he said. Russell also spelled out changes that would be made to general education. Among those will be a literacy action plan, a renewed emphasis on the importance of language learning, and the bringing together of Scottish studies – including the Gaelic and Scots languages and Scottish history and culture – to help youngsters understand Scotland and its place in the world. On teacher numbers, he said he very
much regretted the distress caused by the gap between the number of teachers being trained and the posts available, and that those numbers should be in alignment next year. “It is
local authorities that employ teachers, but I have taken action to ensure that we do not have that waste of potential,” he said. “I believe that the root cause was oversupply, but it is a matter that takes a long time to turn round.” Legislation on rural education had
been good but not good enough, he said, and the Scottish Government would soon announce the details of a commission on the issue involving the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and others. Turning to young people aged
16-19 who leave school and are not in employment, education or training, Russell said the avenues open to them and where they lead should be constantly under review. The Scottish Government had demonstrated its commitment through the funding of the highest ever number of Modern Apprenticeships, he said. On colleges and universities, Russell
gave an “absolute commitment” that higher education would remain free and based on the ability to learn, not to pay. However, provision had to be delivered in a more coherent way, he said, and later this year he would set out a wider package of reforms for the whole of post-16 education. Ken McIntosh (Lab) fl agged up concerns in two areas of schools education: the alarm expressed by teachers in response to speculation about their pay and conditions, and implementation of the Curriculum for Excellence. Pupils coming to the end of secondary 1 still did not know the nature or number of exams they would sit in three years’ time, he said. In higher education, there was concern that the number of fully-funded places was decreasing, and that universities were cutting not just staff but whole departments.
Liz Smith (Con) argued that problems
in education, such as clashes with councils over school closures, refl ected the Scottish Government’s “wrong- headed” policies on the issue. The concordat between local and
national government, she said, had often proved to be a straitjacket, forcing councils to accept rigid targets set by national government – targets which are not only undeliverable but at variance with the priorities of councils themselves.
Taking Scotland Forward – Justice
15 June 2011 By Ross Reid Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill opened the debate. He said: “In 2007 we set out to build a safer and stronger Scotland. Working
27 June 2011 Holyrood 65
Liam McArthur (Lib Dem) welcomed
the Cabinet Secretary’s comments on looked-after children, but, in the higher education sector, said more detail was needed on how the Government intended to safeguard the quality of teaching and research while broadening access. More information on the reform of the sector, including relationships with schools, colleges, businesses and the wider community, would also be helpful, he said. Dennis Robertson (SNP) emphasised
the importance of tackling bullying in schools, particularly psychological bullying which could be the most harmful of all. He looked forward to working with ministers to ensure bullied youngsters who could not turn to peers or guidance teachers had an alternative route through which to raise their concerns. Turning to children with additional
learning needs, Robertson said he feared provision was often driven by fi nancial restraints. Although he supported integrated education, some children with complex needs might require education in a special or residential school. Angela Constance, Minister for Children and Young People, concluded the debate with an emphasis on the issue of tackling poverty. She drew attention to the recent fi nding that the most important factors included a healthy pregnancy, parental education, clear boundaries and the opportunity for the child to develop language, social and emotional skills. “All those issues are highlighted in
the early years framework, which is our platform for tackling poverty and low educational attainment,” she said. “I look forward to returning to the chamber in due course—hopefully soon—with our plans to improve the prospects of all Scotland’s children.”
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