SCPO PARLIAMENTARY UPDATE APRIL 2011

In this month's SCPO Update,

As we approach the Scottish Election on 5 May the Scottish Parliament has passed 12 Bills prior to being dissolved on 22 March (see page 6 of the Update for a full list). The proposed Criminalisation of the Purchase and Sale of Sex (Scotland) Bill was not introduced prior to dissolution and therefore fell.

In Westminster this month Chancellor George Osborne delivered the UK Budget.

Child Poverty has been on the agenda in March with both Westminster and Holyrood publishing a Child Poverty Strategy as required under the Child Poverty Act. Neither strategy has been well received with concerns expressed about the absence of clear targets in both strategies. The UK strategy has been further challenged as it was issued after the legal deadline and there had been no prior announcement of a Child Poverty Commission, as required under the terms of the Child Poverty Act 2010, which was meant to advise on and contribute to the writing of this strategy. The DWP announced a broader commission, to be created through changes to the Welfare Reform Bill, which will “monitor and drive progress towards ending child poverty, improving life chances, and increasing social mobility.”

Consideration of the Scotland Bill has taken place in both Westminster and Holyrood with the Scottish Parliament passing a Legislative Consent Motion to allow Westminster to continue consideration of the Bill. The LCM was not unqualified, as the Bill could be significantly altered by MPs, MSPs have asked for the Bill to be re-discussed at Holyrood in the next Scottish Parliament, once amendments to the Bill have been considered by MPs at Westminster.

Equalities has been hotly debated this month with the Equal Opportunities Committee of the Scottish Parliament rejecting new equalities duties for been too weak and the UK Government announcing that equality duties will be re-drafted in spite of the fact that regulations have already been published following a consultation in January. Westminster has also opened a consultation on enabling civil partnerships to be conducted on religious premises. This proposal applies only to England and Wales; the Scottish Government has confirmed that separate legislation would be required in Scotland.

This month our prayers are for the Scottish Election, echoing Scottish Church Leaders who ask us to use these elections “to challenge candidates and voters alike to remember that elections are community events in which “my” vote is not only for me but also an opportunity for each of us to express the needs of the whole community. Let us look beyond the selfish and fearful parts of ourselves and aspire to build a society where everyone has equal access to opportunities and can live with dignity.”