Week
beginning Monday 3rd October 2005
As
regular readers know I have a manic clearout of the office whenever
I’m going off on holiday, so yes, today, Friday 7TH October
has been one of these days – Calum sloped off early muttering “she’ll
be recycling me next”, and even Morag slipped away early! Davie
sensibly stayed in Motherwell. So, I’m here in front of my computer
this evening, in an extremely tidy office, feeling virtuous.
I seem
to have spent the week listening to myself and other MSPs saying
things like “yes, I’m going away for October recess, but I worked all
through summer”, or “I’m heading off for a week’s holiday, but I only
took one week in July”. Always justifying a few days off – I guess
it’s because of the media presentation of parliamentary recess being
‘holidays’. Teachers get the same treatment I suppose.
Kilmarnock issues daytime Monday – complaints about children using
mini-motorbikes in busy areas, and the speed cameras on the A77
(please be assured these two items are not related!). It turns out
that the Executive can only deal with the mini motorbike issue in
terms of the anti-social behaviour legislation. Licensing etc, is a
matter reserved to Westminster. My initial questions were disallowed
so this is the only answer we got:
S2W-19231 - Linda
Fabiani (Central Scotland)
(SNP) (Date Lodged 16 September 2005) :
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any responsibilities in
relation to the ownership and use of mini motorbikes.
Answered by Hugh Henry (29
September 2005): The Scottish
Executive has given the police additional powers to seize, retain and
dispose of vehicles, whether on or off-road, being used in an
antisocial manner through the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act
2004. The new powers improve the ability of police to deal with
irresponsible riders who race through public areas putting people in a
state of fear and alarm.
I do think there’s an
issue though about children being able to drive vehicles that can in
some cases travel at 30 mph, so perhaps someone at Westminster will
take it up.
With regard to the
speed cameras on the A77, folk aren’t complaining about the new
cameras which check average speeds, but about the fact that they can’t
register motorbikes which are speeding (honestly, it’s not the
mini-motorbikes this time!). Although the Minister has told me that as
normal the police will monitor the road, the suspicion is that now
that the cameras are installed, police patrols will be reduced and
there will be further problems with speeding motorbikes. We’ll have to
wait a while and check the statistics pre and post camera installation
to see if there’s been a difference.
Road and parking issues
in East Kilbride too – I got my answers from the Executive about
temporary ‘blue badge’ issue for both those temporarily disabled and
those visiting our country with that specific need. Well, the scheme
is being reviewed and temporary badges for temporary disability are
likely to introduced, but no timetable yet agreed. With regard to
tourists with a disability, it seems that there’s no problem with
European Union countries (our chap in East Kilbride was visiting from
the US), but if a tourist/visitor from outwith the EU has a badge from
their own country, then it’s at the discretion of the local council
whether they are willing to recognise it or not.
Rounded off Monday with
a Reception at Edinburgh’s New Club, hosted by the German Consul to
mark the Reunification of Germany 15 years ago. I told you – this
Europe Committee Convenership involves lots of eating! I’ve been at
the New Club once before – for a dinner a couple of years ago. It was
quite an experience: I was early, the first there in fact, and
wandered into a Reading Room, settled down and started to read a
newspaper. Within minutes, a lad arrived and asked me to leave because
“unaccompanied ladies aren’t allowed in the Reading Room”. Hard to
believe in this day and age, but there you go!
Interesting day on
Tuesday – a meeting with some academics to discuss the role of
Parliamentary Commissioners and how independent they can be of
political influence and persuasion. This came from my admiration of
the Children’s Commissioner for speaking out on behalf of children of
asylum seekers and how they were being treated, any my asking
Parliamentary Questions as to how she would be protected from any
political interference that may arise from her outspokenness against
the UK Home Office. I am assured by the Parliament’s Corporate Body
that no such scenario will arise – in fact they peculiarly stated that
they are “not aware of what
is meant by political pressure”
– but I am concerned that although Commissioners are certainly
independent in their actions, they may be affected when their terms of
contract come up for renewal. We’ll see.
A treat on Tuesday
night at Strathaven Academy’s school show – The Little Shop of Horrors
– great production and so much talent on that stage.
A day of meetings on
Wednesday – the Committee Clerks, the Chamber for the first reading of
the Planning Bill, representatives of the Slovak Parliament, Group
meeting, the Arbuthnott Inquiry team who are looking into our
electoral system, parliamentary boundaries, whether or not Parliament
and Council elections should be held on the same day. Great ‘do’ in
Parliament on Wednesday evening though – the Scottish Food Fortnight
Launch – samples of Scottish fare. That was certainly a well-attended
function.
Two interesting debates
on Thursday: Scotland having it’s own Olympic Team for 2012 – voted
down I’m afraid, and the designation of St. Andrew’s Day as a national
holiday – sent back for further investigation, even though the
Enterprise Committee had UNANIMOUSLY agreed the principle. I’ve
covered the Olympics issue in detail here before, and the facts
certainly speak for themselves, but I wish that the Executive would
even just consider the matter rather than rubbishing it and dismissing
it out of hand as some nationalist plot. 78% of respondents to a
recent survey are in support, so let’s investigate the possibility. As
far as St. Andrew’s Day is concerned – can anyone think of a nation
which doesn’t have a holiday on it’s national day? I can – Scotland.
In between-times Morag
and I guided a really interesting group of chartered surveyors from
Birmingham round our Parliament, and also heard that the project has
won another award, the Andrew Doolan Award for Architecture by the
Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland. I had mixed feelings
about this one I must admit as I had a soft-spot for another entry –
the A’Chrannag housing project on the Isle of Bute for the Housing
Association where I used to work; although I had left before the
nominated building was designed and completed, I had been involved in
the initial feasibility study for the site. It was quite gratifying to
feel a degree of involvement in two of the shortlisted projects.
Similarly, one of the Sunday papers last week ran a really interesting
article about community projects in Cairndow, Argyll, and in the
accompanying photograph I recognised some of those who had been
instrumental within their community in achieving the award-winning
housing project which we built there on land purchased from
Ardkinglass Estate. I am a true believer in community ownership and
involvement – that’s what makes for sustainability.
A meeting with the
Ambassador of Armenia in the evening – the ex-Soviet state has a
fascinating history and, I suspect, difficult future. Their parliament
is looking to create links with other Parliaments, and they see the
Scottish Parliament’s accessibility and civic involvement as an
interesting model. They wanted to speak to me about potential links
between their External Affairs Committee and our own.
And so to today and my
clearout, interspersed with making arrangements for the recognition of
the next two South Lanarkshire Schools which are about to attain Fair
Trade Status, and the lads from East Kilbride and Hamilton who are
going to work with me for a week’s work experience in November. That
should be fun – perhaps I’ll ask them to contribute to the Diary their
views on what working in the Parliament and shadowing an MSP has been
like. Meanwhile, I’m off for a couple of weeks – over to Davie and
Calum for the next two weeks. I just had to show you this photo though
– our Chamber was taken over today. I’ve no idea why, but it’s a grand
photo – spot our Fiona Hyslop hiding behind her youngest.
Bairns in Chamber
Linda Fabiani
7th October 2005
Email Linda at
Linda.fabiani.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
