Background
During the UK’s membership of the European Union, the UK Government and devolved administrations were required to comply with EU law. This ensured that in many policy areas, including some that are devolved, a broadly consistent approach was developed across all four nations of...More
The Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee wants your views on the provision of allotments in Scotland.
Part 9 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (“the Act”) aimed to improve the availability of allotments in Scotland and to reduce waiting times for...More
About the Bill
It is against the law to hunt a wild mammal using a dog except in limited circumstances. This became an offence under the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002.
This Bill replaces the 2002 Act. It will still be an offence to hunt a wild mammal using a dog except...More
About the Bill
The Bill changes the process to get a gender recognition certificate (GRC). A GRC is a certificate that legally recognises that a person’s gender is not the gender that they were assigned at birth, but is their “acquired gender”.
The current process for obtaining a...More
We are seeking your views on the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.
You can either:
complete a short survey on the general principles of the Bill
share your detailed views, by following the submission link below, on specific provisions of the Bill
Please note...More
Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill
The Scottish Government has introduced draft legislation to change the system through which transgender people can gain legal recognition in Scotland.
The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill will amend the existing Gender...More
The Scottish Government has introduced draft legislation to change the system through which transgender people can gain legal recognition in Scotland.
The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill will amend the existing Gender Recognition Act 2004 to introduce new criteria for applicants...More
This call for views is now closed. You can r ead the submissions by accessing them here .
The Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee wants your views on the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill.
What does the legislation do?
It is against the law to hunt a wild...More
We are seeking your views on the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill.
You can either:
complete a short survey on the Bill
share your detailed views, by following the submission link below, on specific provisions of the Bill
What does the legislation do?
It is...More
In February 2012, Scottish Ministers announced changes to the college landscape as part of wider reforms introduced by the Post-16 Education (Scotland) Act. This led to the formation of 13 college regions. During this time, college mergers reduced the number of colleges down from 41 in 2011 to 26...More
In 2007 the Scottish Government introduced the National Performance Framework (NPF). It sets out the government’s ambitions for society and the values that guide its approach.
The framework says it aims to get everyone in Scotland to work together. This includes:
national and...More
The Social Justice and Social Security Committee want to understand the challenges faced by people with low incomes and debt problems.
People on low incomes are more likely to run up debt relating to essential services, such as rent, council tax and fuel bills. They are also more likely to...More
The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee is undertaking an inquiry into health inequalities in Scotland.
Public Health Scotland define health inequalities as the “avoidable and unjust differences in people’s health across the population.”
Some variations in health may be...More
Please see the below letter from Ariane Burgess, Convener of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee.
Please use this online form to respond by 23 March 2022.
Training for new and returning councillors
The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government, Housing and...More
Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Bill (Short Survey)
The Scottish Government was given temporary, emergency powers to respond to COVID-19. These powers will expire unless new primary legislation is passed. The Scottish Government has introduced this Bill to make some of the...More
The Scottish Government was given temporary, emergency powers to respond to COVID-19. These powers will expire unless new primary legislation is passed. The Scottish Government has introduced this Bill to make some of the temporary powers permanent and to extend others.
The provisions in...More
The Scottish Parliament’s Economy and Fair Work Committee sought written views to inform its i nquiry on town centres and retail. The remit for the Inquiry is as follows:
"Identify the new realities of retail and ecommerce in Scotland and the resulting impact on town...More
This page provides information about submitting a detailed response to the Committee about the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Bill.
If you would like to make brief and general comments about the Bill, join in the conversation on our engagement website.
Fireworks and...More
About the Bill
This Bill would seek to restrict the supply and use of certain kinds of fireworks and pyrotechnic articles. An example of a pyrotechnic article would be a distress flare.
The Bill impacts businesses and individuals. It creates a new licensing system which means that:
...More
The Committee wants to hear from you
The Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee wants your views on the draft joint fisheries statement.
Read the consultation draft of the Joint Fisheries Statement
What does the legislation do?
...More
The Scottish Government was given temporary, emergency powers to respond to COVID-19. These powers will expire unless new primary legislation is passed. The Scottish Government has introduced this Bill to make some of the temporary powers permanent and to extend others.
The provisions in...More
About the Bill
The Bill is split into 6 Parts:
Part 1 creates new powers to respond to public health emergencies. The powers are similar to powers that Scottish Ministers already have on a temporary basis to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic. For example, these powers have been used...More
The Committee wants to hear from you
The Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee wants your views on The Sea Fish (Prohibition on Fishing) (Firth of Clyde) (No. 2) Order 2022 (SSI 2022/35).
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2022/35/made
Please...More
The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee is undertaking an inquiry into how patients access primary care in Scotland.
Primary care services provide the first point of contact in the healthcare system, acting as the ‘front door’ of the NHS . When a person seeks...More
Experiences of alternative pathways in primary care
The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee is undertaking an inquiry about the different ways patients access healthcare services in Scotland.
Primary care services provide the first point of contact in the healthcare system,...More
The Committee wants to hear your views on the Non-Domestic Rates (Coronavirus) (Scotland) Bill .
Non-domestic rates, also known as Business Rates, are a form of property tax for businesses which help pay for local council services. The amount of tax that is paid is based...More
The Scottish Attainment Challenge was launched in 2015 and is funded by a number of programmes including Pupil Equity Funding. A total of £750m has been spent in the five years to 2021. The Scottish Government has said it will continue the fund and increase the amount of funding to £1bn over...More
Non-domestic rates, also known as Business Rates, are a form of property tax which help pay for local council services. The amount of tax paid is based on the ‘rateable value’ of the property. The ‘rateable value’ of a property is based on comparable rental values a few years before the...More
The COVID-19 Recovery Committee is undertaking an inquiry into the cause of excess deaths in Scotland since the start of the pandemic.
Figure 1 below highlights the total deaths, excess deaths and average deaths in the previous 5 years in the period April 2020 to October 2021.
...More
The Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee are examining progress towards Scotland’s net zero targets with a particular focus on the role of local government and its partners.
The Scottish Parliament agreed statutory targets to make Scotland a net zero nation by 2045,...More