Tag: Holyrood

Covid-19: Holyrood Committee launches inquiry into rise in number of excess deaths

An inquiry into the cause of increased excess deaths in Scotland since the start of the pandemic has been launched by the COVID-19 Recovery Committee.

Recent data published by the Scottish Government shows deaths in Scotland are 11% above the average for this time of year and have been above the average for the last 26 weeks. The Committee will investigate whether this rise in deaths is being caused by COVID-19 directly, or the indirect health effects of the pandemic.

The Committee is seeking views on the following questions:

• Has the public health emergency shifted from COVID-19 deaths to deaths from non-COVID-19 conditions?
• Is there evidence that patients are now presenting with greater acuity?
• What accounts for the deaths from non-COVID-19 conditions?
• Is there enough of a strategic focus on the indirect health impacts of the pandemic?
• What are the realistic options open to the government in addressing the indirect health impact of the virus in winter 2021/22?

Speaking as the inquiry was launched, Siobhian Brown MSP, Convener of the COVID-19 Recovery Committee said: “The latest data released by the Scottish Government shows an alarming rise in the number of excess deaths since the start of the pandemic.

“Recent media reports suggest the pandemic has led to delays and decreases in the number of patients being diagnosed with illnesses, such as cancers, which can negatively impact the efficacy of treatment.

“We are keen to learn more about the indirect health impacts of the pandemic and whether the public health emergency has shifted from COVID-19 deaths to deaths from non-COVID-19 conditions.

“Every death is a tragedy, whether caused by COVID-19 or not, and it is essential that we establish the root causes of these deaths and find out what has led to this spike in the number of lives being lost.”

Let the Committee know your views here: 

https://yourviews.parliament.scot/covid19/excess-deaths-covid19-pandemic

Young people’s voices to play key role in the Scottish Parliament

A renewed commitment for young people to play a key role in Scottish politics has been made today by the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Youth Parliament.

The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone MSP, and the Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP), Josh Kennedy MYSP, signed the Working in Partnership agreement.

It will see both organisations working more closely together on a range of issues to increase young people’s representation and involvement in the work of the Parliament, with young people’s rights placed at the heart of the work being undertaken. 

This will include the Scottish Parliament hosting a sitting of the Scottish Youth Parliament once every two years; developing relationships between Members of both Parliaments; ensuring young people can contribute to committee inquiries and providing opportunities for both staff teams to connect with each other to identify opportunities for collaboration.

Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone MSP, said:

“Young people across the world have shown what activism and having a strong voice can do. We want to harness this commitment to ensure the views of young people are better reflected within the work of the Parliament.”

Josh Kennedy MYSP, Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, said: “Last week the Scottish Youth Parliament welcomed 150 new Members following our 2021 elections. Throughout our elections young people highlighted the issues they want to see changed from mental health, to education, to the climate emergency.

“In signing this partnership, the Scottish Parliament and SYP are reaffirming our joint commitment to building a relationship between MSYPs, MSPs & Parliament. By supporting MSYPs and MSPs to work together we will ensure young people’s voices at the centre of decision making”

This Working in Partnership agreement signed today continues the work that started in 2018, which included a sitting of the Scottish Youth Parliament in October 2019; closer working between Scottish Parliament committees and the SYP; and an ongoing programme of training and support for SYP members to engage meaningfully in the parliamentary processes.

City council being ripped off to the tune of £42 MILLION by ‘rotten PFI contracts’

The City of Edinburgh Council is being ripped off to the tune of £42 million as they continue to pay for wretched PFI contracts – eating in to vital council education spending.

Research from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) has found that the amount being forked out by City of Edinburgh Council is 11% of its education resource funding, meaning millions are being wasted on the contracts.

PFI contracts were introduced by the Tories and adopted by Labour during their time at the helm of the Scottish Government.

Gordon Macdonald MSP said: “The rotten PFI contracts were introduced by the Tories but supercharged by the Labour-led Scottish Government and unnecessarily cost councils across Scotland, including Edinburgh.

“It is incredible that the lasting legacy of Labour governments continues to be felt as schools’ budgets are eaten up significantly by these shameful contracts.

“The SNP scrapped PFI contracts, meaning that money can be spent on Scotland’s young people and not on absurdly expensive contracts.

“This demonstrates how we still cannot trust Labour with the public purse in Scotland as we continue to pay for their disastrous decisions in government.”

Net revenue expenditure on education services and schools PFI unitary charges (£m) in 2019/20    
     
 Education Services (£m)PFI unitary charges (£m)PFI unitary charges as a % of education expenditure 
Aberdeen City*174NANA 
Aberdeenshire275135% 
Angus10466% 
Argyll & Bute*99NANA 
City of Edinburgh3794211% 
Clackmannanshire55815% 
Dumfries & Galloway1471510% 
Dundee City136129% 
East Ayrshire128118% 
East Dunbartonshire1281512% 
East Lothian971010% 
East Renfrewshire1201311% 
Falkirk*161138% 
Fife349175% 
Glasgow City5805710% 
Highland2412611% 
Inverclyde802025% 
Midlothian921112% 
Moray85NANA 
Na h-Eileanan Siar42NANA 
North Ayrshire136139% 
North Lanarkshire368247% 
Orkney Islands33NANA 
Perth & Kinross1501711% 
Renfrewshire1671710% 
Scottish Borders11398% 
Shetland Islands43NANA 
South Ayrshire1111110% 
South Lanarkshire3413611% 
Stirling1021515% 
West Dunbartonshire1021212% 
West Lothian189158% 
TOTAL5,3274619%  

MSPs to examine the role of local government and its partners in delivering a net-zero Scotland

Hot on the heels of COP26, the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee has launched an inquiry that will explore the role of local government and its partners – private and voluntary sectors, social enterprises, and local communities – in both financing and delivering a net-zero Scotland.

MSPs will consider what councils and partners are doing practically to help reach the targets, what skillsets are being used, and what barriers are in their way. They will also probe how councils leverage in capacity and finance from the private sector and look for examples of effective partnership working that is delivering net zero.

The inquiry will focus particularly on the ambitious target of 75% overall reduction in carbon emissions to be met by 2030 (against baselines set in 1990 and 1995).

Speaking as the inquiry was launched, Committee Convener, Dean Lockhart MSP, said: “COP 26 has underlined that government at every level has a role to play in addressing climate change. In Scotland, local government powers span everything from encouraging active travel, to deciding what sort of homes get built in communities, to promoting recycling and a circular economy.

“To get results, local government must partner effectively with business, the voluntary sector and local communities themselves. This is why we want this to be a hands-on inquiry, focusing on the strengths of those relationships and practical steps being taken.

“We need to understand how council budgets are being used to drive action on net zero and how well they are leveraging in skills and private finance. And we need to understand what role the Scottish Government can play to support and – where necessary – to challenge local government to play a full role in the flight against climate change. ”

The Committee has launched a survey looking for views which closes on Friday 21 January 2022.

You can submit views here:

https://yourviews.parliament.scot/ecclr/lg-net-zero-21

Short-term lets: Legislation laid before Scottish Parliament

Councils will be given powers to ensure short-term lets are safe and meet the needs of their local communities under legislation laid before the Scottish Parliament.

Under the legislation, all local authorities will be required to establish a short-term lets licensing scheme by October 2022. Existing hosts and operators will have until 1 April 2023 to apply for a licence for each property that they operate as a short-term let. All short-term lets in Scotland will have to be licensed by 1 July 2024.

The legislation was developed after residents across Scotland raised significant concerns about the impact of short-term lets on their communities, including noise, antisocial behaviour and the impact on the supply on housing in some areas.

It will ensure the needs and concerns of communities are balanced with wider economic and tourism interests.

Housing Secretary Shona Robison said: “We have already introduced legislation allowing councils to establish short-term let control areas and manage numbers of short-term lets. This is the next significant step to delivering a licensing scheme that will ensure short-term lets are safe and the people providing them are suitable.

“We want short term lets to continue making a positive impact on Scotland’s tourism industry and local economies while meeting the needs of local communities.

“Short-term lets can offer people a flexible travel option. However, we know that in certain areas, particularly tourist hotspots, high numbers of lets can cause problems for neighbours and make it harder for people to find homes to live in.

“The licensing scheme and control area legislation give councils the powers to take action where they need to.

“We appreciate the input from tourism bodies, local government, community organisations and others in reaching this point, and look forward to delivering a short-term lets licensing scheme that works for Scotland.”

Further information on the Scottish Government’s short-term lets legislation is available online.

MSPs back ‘transformational changes’ to justice system

The Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee is calling for comprehensive reforms to be made in the justice system, as well as more money for the sector, ahead of the Scottish Government’s budget next month.

After considering the financial position of the sector, the Committee has concluded that many of the budget challenges in the justice system are symptoms of wider problems that have not been significantly addressed over many years.

While it believes there is a need for greater investment, connected problems such as court backlogs, high numbers of remand prisoners, and overcrowded, outdated jails with ‘revolving doors’ and issues with drugs deaths need to be tackled together with policy-based solutions, as well as adequate funding.

The Committee is calling for joined-up, long-term plans, led by the Scottish Government, and incorporating all the main justice partners to try to address issues including:

• The huge court backlog of around 50,000 cases made worse by the pandemic;
• The size of the prison population, including the number of women in jail and remand prisoners;
• Improving the prison estate;
• Issues in prison such as drug misuse, prisoner and staff welfare, and managing serious organised crime groups inside;
• The need for investment in police and fire services;
• Issues in the legal aid system;
• Support for victims and community justice schemes.

The Committee has suggested that spending on areas such as:

• effective diversion from prosecution or diversion from incarceration schemes for cases where those are appropriate,
• drug recovery cafés in prisons, and
• Throughcare for those leaving prison,

may all help ease pressures in the system, and in time reduce the overall budgetary challenges for the justice sector.

Speaking as the report was launched, Committee Convener, Audrey Nicoll MSP, said: “We believe that there is a case for further spending to support the justice system to meet the many challenges it is facing.

“However, we recognise that money is not unlimited, and that some of the seemingly intractable issues faced by our courts, prisons and other justice partners will not be fixed simply by loosening the purse strings.

“We believe joined up actions, achieving long term goals such as reducing reoffending, could prove transformational. This would improve outcomes for society as well as the budget for the sector.”

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MSPs to examine use of emergency rule-making powers

The Scottish Parliament’s Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee is beginning an inquiry looking at the Scottish Government’s use of emergency regulation making powers.

The regulation making power, known as the ‘made affirmative procedure’, has been used over 100 times by the Scottish Government since the start of the pandemic. While the legal mechanism existed before, it was only used a handful of times in a year.

The made affirmative procedure means that legal changes come into force before MSPs have a chance to look at or vote on them, allowing the Government to act quickly. The Parliament does however need to approve the changes within 28 days for the law to stay in force.

The Parliament gave the Scottish Government more ability to use these powers in the Coronavirus Acts, originally passed in April and May 2020. The UK Coronavirus Act also allows for the procedure to be used in the UK Parliament and devolved legislatures.

The committee hopes to help the Parliament ensure an appropriate balance between flexibility for the Government in responding to an emergency situation while still ensuring proper parliamentary scrutiny and oversight.

Committee Convener, Stuart McMillan MSP, said: “There are good public health reasons to ensure the Scottish Government can act quickly to keep people safe. The Committee recognises that use of the made affirmative procedure has allowed the Scottish Government to respond quickly to the many challenges presented by the pandemic.

“But our Committee wants to ensure the power to do so is used appropriately and necessarily.

“Whenever possible, MSPs should have proper opportunities for oversight, and the public have opportunities to engage and comment on proposals before they come into force. This is a cornerstone of our democracy in Scotland.

“We will consider how the power is currently being used by the Scottish Government and make any recommendations for changes we find necessary.”

Lorna Slater: Soaring rents in Lothian show need for controls

Soaring rents across Lothian demonstrate the need for a system of rent controls to be introduced, according to Scottish Greens Lothian MSP, Lorna Slater. 

New government statistics published this week show that between 2010 and 2021 the average rent for a 2 bedroom property in Lothian increased by 41.7%. This is the biggest increase anywhere in Scotland. 

The cooperation agreement between the Scottish Greens and the Scottish Government includes a commitment to introduce a new national system of rent controls. This will be part of a package of enhanced rights for tenants. 

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Commenting, Lorna Slater MSP said: “Over the past decade, far too many tenants in Lothian and across the country have faced extreme rent rises.

“We simply cannot leave something as fundamental as people’s homes to market forces. I’m proud that with Greens in Government we will bring rent controls to Scotland as part of a fair deal for renters.” 

Parliament committees to scrutinise National Planning Framework

Policies governing the development of Scotland’s cities, towns and rural areas until 2045 are to be scrutinised across several Scottish Parliament committees.

The fourth National Planning Framework sets out the Scottish Government’s strategy for Scotland’s long-term development and a series of national planning policies, which will guide decisions on every application for planning permission submitted in Scotland. It also identifies 18 “national developments”, intended to support the delivery of the strategy.

Now, for the first time this session of Parliament, a number of Parliament committees will work together to scrutinise the proposals. They want to hear from you about how communities should be planned, with a view to tackling major issues such as the climate emergency and nature crisis, while supporting community wealth building and wider sustainable economic growth.

This includes hearing about what your ideal community would look like, how public and open space can be used to stay healthy, and how we can future proof our places while supporting recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Ariane Burgess MSP – Green

Speaking as the Committees launched their scrutiny, the Convener of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee, Ariane Burgess MSP said: “The National Planning Framework aims to have a huge impact on the way we live in Scotland.

“This ambition is clearly to be welcomed. But it is important we take the time to ensure these bold claims can be realised and that the people of Scotland have the opportunity to get involved in the proposed transformational change in how we live and work.”

The Convener continued: “The Framework is wide ranging and detailed and it is important that the Parliament has the chance to scrutinise this fully.

“To do this, this work will take place across a number of Parliament committees. Each of these committees will use their expertise and knowledge to assess the practical impacts of the Framework as well as how this could be improved to ensure real, lasting and meaningful change.”

Members of the public are invited to give their views on the Framework via: https://yourviews.parliament.scot/lgc/npf4/ 

The deadline for responses is Monday 10 January 2022.

The National Planning Framework was introduced to Parliament on 10 November 2021. The Scottish Parliament has 120 days to report on the Framework. 

More details of the Committee’s consideration of the Framework can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-local-government-housing-and-planning/business-items/national-planning-framework

Steps toward a Circular Economy

Taking action to reduce waste and its impact

The next steps in creating a circular economy in Scotland have been announced today, as Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater provided an update to parliament.

Actions include the appointment of waste and sustainability expert Dr Colin Church as the independent chair of the review into the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy in Scotland.

To support the review, which forms part of the cooperation deal with the Scottish Green Party, the Minister announced that planning authorities must now notify Scottish Ministers of any applications or decisions involving incineration facilities, until the end of the review period.

The Minister also announced the first round of funding through the Scottish Government’s £70 million Recycling Improvement Fund.

Over £7 million has been awarded to seven local authorities to increase recycling, while preparing for future developments, including Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme.

The Minister provided an update on the delivery of the scheme, noting the challenges posed by Brexit, the pandemic, and a lack of clarity from UK Government on the VAT treatment of deposits. 

Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said: “A circular economy is at the heart of Scotland’s response to the climate emergency and will help dramatically reduce the amount of waste generated in Scotland.

“We must also find better ways to deal with the waste our economy is currently creating. That’s why I’m pleased that Dr Colin Church will bring his wealth of experience from across the waste and environmental sectors to our review on the role of incineration.

“To make sure that any plans are closely monitored while the review is ongoing, we have issued a temporary notification direction today. This will ensure that Ministers are abreast of any new planning applications or planning decisions relating to incinerators. It is temporary and does not in any way pre-empt the outcome of the review.

“We’re also taking action to transform recycling in Scotland. Our Recycling Improvement Fund will deliver one of the biggest investments in recycling in Scotland in a generation. It will make it easier for households to recycle more, and help to deliver the rates of recycling needed to meet Scotland’s ambitious climate targets.

“We are committed to introducing the UK’s first deposit return scheme, helping to increase recycling, reduce littering, and meet our climate targets. While the scheme has been impacted by Brexit and a global pandemic, we are working intensively with Circularity Scotland and industry to make sure it is delivered effectively.”