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Scottish Committee Activity Outside Edinburgh: Towards a Mobilized Small Democracy?
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backed by the Scottish Executive – in its first major report on ‘Local Economic Development’ in May 2000. Considerable frustration was expressed at the lack of progress in setting up local economic forums. As the deputy convenor Annabel Goldie put it graphically, “matters have not simply proceeded at a snail’s pace, but the snail seems to have been clogged up with constipation”!
19
In terms of post-legislative scrutiny
in the strictest sense, however, the Local Government and Transport Committee’s meetings in Stranraer and Glasgow in September 2004, as part of its Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 inquiry, broke new ground. The committee focused on the impact of the legislation on bus services and in particular on why little progress had been made in developing ‘quality partnerships’ and ‘quality contracts’. In the words of the convenor, Bristow Muldoon, “we want to know whether this is due to deficiencies in the legislation and whether further reform is necessary to improve the way bus services operate in Scotland”.
20
5.6% of all FCMOEs since 1999 have involved dealing with petitions. Petitions, which can be submitted electronically, are considered in the first instance by the Public Petitions Committee and may then be passed on to a subject committee for further deliberation. The activity of the Public Petitions Committee is probably the most widely reported in the press and petitioners will often attract a modicum of publicity (at least in the local newspaper) when travelling to Edinburgh to deliver their petition and be cross-examined by the committee. It is also commonplace for MSPs involved in an issue to attend a meeting of the Public Petitions Committee and speak in support of a petition.
21
There
have been occasions, however, when the Public Petitions Committee has gone to the petitioner rather than vice versa. Indeed on three occasions between 1999-June 2005 the Public Petitions Committee has held FCMOEs. It met in Ayr in June 2005 as part of the ‘Ayr800’ celebrations and heard from a number of local petitioners on matters ranging from upgrading the southern section of the A77 and a National Burns Heritage Trail to a national policy on singing.
22
Its first meeting outside Edinburgh was in Galashiels in
March 2000 – it also convened in Glasgow in December the same year – to consider a petition from the ‘Campaign for Borders’ Rail’ calling for the reinstatement of the Borders’ Rail Link. The momentum generated by this meeting ultimately led to the introduction of a private bill, backed among others by the Edinburgh City Council, to reopen the Waverley line, which had been axed in 1969.
23
Indeed, the Waverley Railway
Bill (Scotland) Committee also met in Galashiels in February 2005 as part of its scrutiny of the bill.
The FCMOEs of other committees may be petition-based. The Rural Development Committee’s meeting in Kingussie in October 2002 was in large part a response to two petitions on the proposed Cairngorms National Park, especially the proposed planning powers of the park.
24
Similarly, the Health Committee’s meeting in Stonehaven in
January 2005 was prompted by a petition from Gráinnie Smith on behalf of the ‘North
19
Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee, meeting 2, 16.1.2002
20
Local Government Committee, meeting 19, 21.9.2004 and meeting 20, 28.9.2004
21
All MSPs can attend any public session of a committee and speak with the permission of the chair.
22
Public Petitions Committee, meeting 10, 6.6.2005.
23
‘Waverley line return is just the ticket for Edinburgh’ The Guardian 19.3.2005. Reopening the line was
one price demanded by the Liberal Democrats for maintaining their role as junior partners in the Executive coalition with Labour.
24
Rural Development Committee, meeting 24, 11.10.2002
9
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backed by the Scottish Executive – in its first major report on ‘Local Economic
Development’ in May 2000. Considerable frustration was expressed at the lack of
progress in setting up local economic forums. As the deputy convenor Annabel Goldie
put it graphically, “matters have not simply proceeded at a snail’s pace, but the snail
seems to have been clogged up with constipation”!
In terms of post-legislative scrutiny
in the strictest sense, however, the Local Government and Transport Committee’s
meetings in Stranraer and Glasgow in September 2004, as part of its Transport (Scotland)
Act 2001 inquiry, broke new ground. The committee focused on the impact of the
legislation on bus services and in particular on why little progress had been made in
developing ‘quality partnerships’ and ‘quality contracts’. In the words of the convenor,
Bristow Muldoon, “we want to know whether this is due to deficiencies in the legislation
and whether further reform is necessary to improve the way bus services operate in
Scotland”.
5.6% of all FCMOEs since 1999 have involved dealing with petitions. Petitions, which
can be submitted electronically, are considered in the first instance by the Public Petitions
Committee and may then be passed on to a subject committee for further deliberation.
The activity of the Public Petitions Committee is probably the most widely reported in
the press and petitioners will often attract a modicum of publicity (at least in the local
newspaper) when travelling to Edinburgh to deliver their petition and be cross-examined
by the committee. It is also commonplace for MSPs involved in an issue to attend a
meeting of the Public Petitions Committee and speak in support of a petition.
There
have been occasions, however, when the Public Petitions Committee has gone to the
petitioner rather than vice versa. Indeed on three occasions between 1999-June 2005 the
Public Petitions Committee has held FCMOEs. It met in Ayr in June 2005 as part of the
‘Ayr800’ celebrations and heard from a number of local petitioners on matters ranging
from upgrading the southern section of the A77 and a National Burns Heritage Trail to a
national policy on singing.
Its first meeting outside Edinburgh was in Galashiels in
March 2000 – it also convened in Glasgow in December the same year – to consider a
petition from the ‘Campaign for Borders’ Rail’ calling for the reinstatement of the
Borders’ Rail Link. The momentum generated by this meeting ultimately led to the
introduction of a private bill, backed among others by the Edinburgh City Council, to
reopen the Waverley line, which had been axed in 1969.
Indeed, the Waverley Railway
Bill (Scotland) Committee also met in Galashiels in February 2005 as part of its scrutiny
of the bill.
The FCMOEs of other committees may be petition-based. The Rural Development
Committee’s meeting in Kingussie in October 2002 was in large part a response to two
petitions on the proposed Cairngorms National Park, especially the proposed planning
powers of the park.
Similarly, the Health Committee’s meeting in Stonehaven in
January 2005 was prompted by a petition from Gráinnie Smith on behalf of the ‘North
19
Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee, meeting 2, 16.1.2002
20
Local Government Committee, meeting 19, 21.9.2004 and meeting 20, 28.9.2004
21
All MSPs can attend any public session of a committee and speak with the permission of the chair.
22
Public Petitions Committee, meeting 10, 6.6.2005.
23
‘Waverley line return is just the ticket for Edinburgh’ The Guardian 19.3.2005. Reopening the line was
one price demanded by the Liberal Democrats for maintaining their role as junior partners in the Executive
coalition with Labour.
24
Rural Development Committee, meeting 24, 11.10.2002
9
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