Equal Opportunities Committee, 06 Jun 2000

Meeting date: Tuesday, June 6, 2000

Official Report 140KB pdf

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Petition

Everybody should have a copy of the petition. Are there any comments?

I am not sure of the basis on which the petition was sent to the committee—more briefing might have been helpful. There is an issue about the power of local government to make decisions about funding. We hold subsidiarity and local accountability dear. As a member of the Local Government Committee, I think that it would be inappropriate for Parliament to intervene on any occasion on which we thought that local authorities were making the wrong budgeting decisions for projects, especially given the argument that is active in local authorities throughout the country that there is already too much ring-fencing, hypothecating and so on.

I do not know the issues around the project that is mentioned in the petition, but I would be anxious about the committee arguing in favour of a project, especially when that argument opposes our usual position—that it is a matter for local authorities to decide—because somebody has petitioned on it. I hope that local authorities are meeting people's equal opportunities needs at a local level. The appropriate people might already be engaged in discussion with the council. We should tread warily. I am interested to know what the petitioners mean by "persuading West Lothian Council". The easiest way to persuade a local authority to do something is to control its funding streams. There is a lot of anxiety about that at a local level.

I must admit that when I saw the petition, my first thought was to send it back to the Public Petitions Committee and to make that point. It is not up to committees of the Parliament to tell councils how to spend money. The Public Petitions Committee, which has to decide on the most appropriate place to send petitions, should have sent it back to the petitioner. Petitions that relate to funding decisions that are made at a local level should be sent back. Sending them to committees for consideration is merely passing the buck. It is not appropriate—however good a project sounds—for committees to decide how councils should spend their money. Johann is right—there is far too much ring-fencing and hypothecation. I am sure that our telling councils how to spend their money would be unwelcome. Does everybody agree on that? I shall draft a letter to John McAllion on behalf of the committee.

Members indicated agreement.

We are not judging the quality of the project or the importance of the service it provides.

Absolutely not.