Ministers' Programme for Government proposes 16 further bills
Sixteen new bills, in addition to those already before Holyrood, were announced for the new parliamentary year by the Scottish Government yesterday as it published its 2017-18 Programme for Government.
They include measures on land and buildings transaction tax, pre-recorded evidence, prescription and damages among topics of interest to practising lawyers.
In addition to the annual Budget Bill, the new legislation announced for 2017-18 is:
- Climate Change Bill, setting new, more ambitious targets for reducing emissions;
- Crown Estate Bill, establishing a framework for the management of assets;
- Damages Bill, amending the law on the personal injury discount rate;
- Education Bill, containing a range of reforms designed to further the Government's flagship policy;
- Land and Buildings Transaction Tax Bill, giving retrospective effect to the Order providing relief from the second home charge where spouses, civil partners or cohabitants jointly buy a home to replace a home that was owned by only one of them, thereby enabling repayments to be claimed;
- Management of Offenders Bill, implementing recommendations of the expert group on electronic monitoring, and amending the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act;
- Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility Bill, raising the minimum age from eight to 12 while making provision for investigating harmful behaviours;
- Organ and Tissue Donation Bill, introducing a "soft" opt-out system for organ and tissue donation;
- Planning Bill, providing for a simpler, more effective system of development plans;
- Prescription Bill, implementing Scottish Law Commission recommendations on negative prescription;
- Safe Staffing Bill, enshrining in law the principles of safe staffing in the NHS;
- Sexual Offences (pardons and disregards) Bill, providing that men convicted of same sex activity that would now be lawful will receive a pardon and be able to have their conviction removed from records;
- Transport Bill, covering smart ticketing, provision of bus services, road works management and parking;
- Vulnerable Witnesses and Pre-recorded Evidence Bill, removing legislative barriers to the greater use of pre-recorded evidence for child and vulnerable adult witnesses;
- Warm Homes Bill, setting a new statutory fuel poverty target to help ensure that progress is made on tackling fuel poverty.
Launching the programme in the Scottish Parliament, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the Education Bill would be the centrepiece of the legislative programme.
The Programme for Government also announced:
- support for key business sectors including low carbon, screen, manufacturing and financial technology;
- extending free personal care to all those under 65 who need it, known as "Frank’s law";
- rolling out new social security powers as part of a package of measures to tackle inequality, child poverty, and rough sleeping;
- reducing drug deaths and providing free sanitary protection to students in school, college and university
- extending the presumption against short prison sentences to 12 months to break the cycle of offending and encourage the greater use of more effective community sentences
- a pledge to lift the public sector pay cap for NHS and other public sector workers;
- doubling the provision of free childcare;
- action on air quality, increased investment in active travel and measures to restrict the advertising of fatty and sugary food and drink;
- a discussion paper on the use of income tax in Scotland to support public services.
The Conservatives warned that the proposals meant tax rises, but Labour said it was time for an "honest discussion" on a higher top rate of income tax.