21 December 2015
This briefing examines the plans set out in ‘Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2016-17’ for the health, wellbeing and sport portfolio.
17 December 2015
An overview of Scottish Government Draft Budget 2016-17 and the Governments plans for the Scottish Rate of Income Tax (SRIT) and the devolved taxes.
16 December 2015
A briefing on the Office for National Statistics' December 2015 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
16 December 2015
This briefing examines genetically modified organisms (GMOs), focussing principally on GM crops.
This briefing has been produced for the Devolution (Further Powers) Committee. It looks at some of the key issues relating to the fiscal framework that will accompany the Scotland Bill 2015-16.
10 December 2015
The Office for National Statistics released the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2015 provisional results on 18 November 2015.
10 December 2015
The Office for National Statistics released the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2015 provisional results on 18 November 2015. Using this data, this briefing provides a brief overview of people earning les
08 December 2015
This briefing gives an overview of these benefits and the debate so far over their devolution. It also looks briefly at proposals to devolve other measures related to welfare foods and fuel poverty.
08 December 2015
This briefing considers the background to the Lobbying (Scotland) Bill, including the prior consultation by the Scottish Government on its proposals for a Lobbying Bill.
07 December 2015
This briefing looks at consideration of the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Bill at Stages 1 and 2. The Bill would reform the law governing the holding of Fatal Accident Inquiries
4 December 2015
The UK Spending Review and Autumm Statement was published on Wednesday 25 November 2015 and presents UK spending plans for the period 2016-17 to 2019-20.
2 December 2015
The Justice Committee returned to its scrutiny of the Bill with consideration of stage 2 amendments in September and October 2015. Stage 3 proceedings on the Bill are scheduled to take place on 8 December 2015.
13 November 2015
This briefing sets out the Transplantation (Authorisation of Removal of Organs Etc) (Scotland) Bill’s main provisions and the response to these proposals from the Health and Sport Committee’s call for written evidence
12 November 2015
The Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Bill was introduced in the Parliament on 8 October 2015. This briefing considers the background to and the main provisions within the Bill.
A briefing on the Office for National Statistics' November 2015 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
30 October 2015
This briefing analyses the available statistical data on income tax in Scotland and discusses what progress has been made on the implementation of SRIT.
30 October 2015
This briefing has been written to support the European and External Relations Committee’s inquiry into “EU reform and the EU referendum: implications for Scotland”.
29 October 2015
The Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Bill was introduced in the Parliament on 8 October 2015. This briefing examines the Bill’s proposals, policy objectives and looks at the financial implications.
4 November 2015
This briefing looks at the Bankruptcy (Scotland) Bill. The Bill is a Consolidation Bill and therefore makes no changes to the substantive law on the subject.
28 October 2015
The Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Bill is a government bill that was introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 7 October 2015. This briefing discusses the background to the Bill and the main provisions in the
23 October 2015
This briefing summarises the background to the Scottish Fiscal Commission Bill and key elements of the Bill as introduced. It also contains likely issues and themes for parliamentary scrutiny of the legislation.
16 October 2015
This briefing provides information about sources of statistics on private sector rents, trends in private rent levels, current legislative provisions about rents in private tenancies and a background to the debate abo
14 October 2015
A briefing on the Office for National Statistics' September 2015 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
07 October 2015
Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, is a measure of the total amount of goods and service produced. The Scottish Government produce a number of reports on GDP. This briefing looks at how the Scottish economy is performing
06 October 2015
Briefing sets out the background to the United Nations climate change conference, the expectations for the meeting, commitments that have been made in advance, and some of the challenges in securing a global agreement.
1 October 2015
The National Galleries of Scotland Bill is a Private Bill aimed at removing certain legal obstacles to the plan to extend the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh into a small area of land which currently forms part
29 September 2015
Dr Richard Simpson MSP’s Member’s Bill – the Alcohol (Licensing, Public Health and Criminal Justice) (Scotland) Bill – was introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 1 April 2015. It takes forward ten main proposals.
28 September 2015
The Scottish Parliament had been given increased power over its members interests scheme by the provisions of the Scotland Act 2012.
25 September 2015
This briefing provides information on the European Convention on Human Rights and the role of the European Court of Human Rights in enforcing the Convention.
22 September 2015
This briefing provides information on local government finance, to help inform parliamentary debate on the local government budget and local authority allocations.
18 September 2015
A briefing on the Office for National Statistics' September 2015 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
16 September 2015
A briefing and infographic on the Office for National Statistics September 2015 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
11 September 2015
The Footway Parking and Double Parking (Scotland) Bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament by Sandra White MSP on 20 May 2015.
The Higher Education Governance (Scotland) Bill (“the Bill”) is a government bill that was introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 16 June 2015 by Angela Constance, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning.
07 September 2015
The Smith Commission proposed further devolution of employment programmes. The Scotland Bill, as introduced, would in effect, devolve the Work Programme. This briefing sets out the current provision for employment
2 September 2015
This briefing provides an overview of Scotland’s Economic Strategy and how economic strategies have evolved since devolution
31 August 2015
This briefing summarises the main issues raised during the Education and Culture Committee’s deliberations at Stage 1 and the amendments put forward at Stage 2.
27 August 2015
The Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Bill contains four broad proposals.
27 August 2015
The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on 22 June 2015. This briefing is intended to help inform Parliamentary scrutiny of the Bill at Stage 1, by summarising its key provisions.
26 August 2015
This briefing considers the Succession (Scotland) Bill introduced in the Scottish Parliament in June 2015.
26 August 2015
Scotland’s eight animal disease surveillance centres aim to provide early warning or prompt detection of new or re-emerging disease threats in animals
26 August 2015
The Scottish Government introduced the Community Justice (Scotland) Bill in the Parliament on 7 May 2015. It seeks to establish new arrangements for the delivery and oversight of community justice services.
25 August 2015
This briefing provides an introduction to inheritance law in Scotland, also known as succession law or the law of succession. This area of law says what happens to someone’s property and possessions when he or she dies
24 August 2015
SPICe has received a number of enquiries about the impact of lower oil prices on the North East’s economy.
19 August 2015
This briefing looks at the two bills before the Scottish Parliament which deal with inquiries into deaths.
12 August 2015
A briefing and infographic on the Office for National Statistics' August 2015 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
30 July 2015
This briefing aims to provide Members with an overview of the concept of a “Politically Exposed Person” (PEP).
21 July 2015
The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 requires a reduction in Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050. Policies for reducing emissions can also provide benefits for public health.
15 July 2015
A briefing and infographic on the Office for National Statistics' July 2015 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
10 July 2015
This briefing considers the current patterns of land ownership, governance, use and management in Scotland, and compares them with those of other countries around the world.
09 July 2015
A briefing on the Office for National Statistics' publication Regional Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI), 1997 to 2013
18 June 2015
This briefing looks at Stage 1 and Stage 2 consideration of the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Bill.
18June2015
This provides some background to Regional Parks and the process for designating them, information on the existing Pentland Hills Regional Park, and on the Pentland Hills themselves.
17 June 2015
A briefing and infographic on the Office for National Statistics' June 2015 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
17 June 2015
Stage 3 proceedings on the Prisoners (Control of Release) (Scotland) Bill are scheduled to take place on 23 June 2015.
17 June 2015
This briefing provides information on non-domestic rates and analyses the most recent data on revenues from these rates.
09 June 2015
This briefing provides general statistical and research information on the labour market position of ethnic minorities in Scotland.
04 June2015
The Bill sets out measures to prohibit smoking in private motor vehicles containing children when the vehicle is in a public place.
04 June 2015
The Bill is intended to stop apologies being used as evidence of liability in most civil legal proceedings in Scotland
03 June 2015
This SPICe Briefing provides an introduction to the broad subject of land reform in Scotland, covering a range of topics, devolved and reserved, urban and rural.
20 May 2015
This briefing provides an update on the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill.
13 May 2015
A briefing on the Office for National Statistics' May 2015 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
13 May 2015
This briefing aims to support MSPs with their constituency casework relating to contact between grandparents and their grandchildren.
07 May 2015
The UK General Election 2015 was held on the 7 May. This infographic provides details on the results in Scotland.
1 May 2015
The Carers (Scotland) Bill sets out a range of measures intended to improve the support given to carers.
29 April 2015
The Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Bill proposes to reform the legislation governing Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs).
27 April 2015
The Bill would remove Scottish Ministers’ power to compel a trust port, with an annual turnover above a certain level, to bring forward privatisation proposals. It also makes minor amendments to the Harbours Act 1964.
24 April 2015
This Bill was introduced on 2 April 2015. Its purpose is to introduce the changes to electoral procedures necessary to allow the voting age for Scottish Parliament and local elections to be reduced to 16 years old.
21 April 2015
A briefing on the Office for National Statistics' April 2015 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
23 April 2015
The Education (Scotland) Bill was introduced in the Parliament on 23 March 2015. It covers a range of school policy issues, in particular school attainment and Gaelic-medium Education.
1 April 2015
The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill was introduced in the Parliament on 11 June 2014. This briefing summarises the main changes made to the Bill during Stage 2 consideration.
31 March 2015
The purpose of this briefing is to support MSPs in their constituency casework relating to legal issues associated with parenting when parents live apart
19 March 2015
This briefing provides background to the draft clauses and discusses some of the issues arising from them
19 March 2015
A briefing on the Office for National Statistics' March 2015 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
12 March 2015
This briefing first discusses the origins of the living wage how it is calculated.
9 March 2015
This briefing looks at the statistics on fuel poverty, the policy measures in place to tackle fuel poverty and the levels of spending directed at tackling fuel poverty.
26 February 2015
This briefing provides information on human trafficking; the current legislative background in Scotland; and also examines key provisions within the Bill.
24 February 2014
This briefing provides a summary of the parliamentary scrutiny of the Welfare Funds (Scotland) Bill prior to the Stage 3 proceedings which are scheduled to take place on 3 March 2015.
19 February 2015
A briefing on the Office for National Statistics' February 2015 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
2 February 2015
The briefing is intended to provide background information on Scottish international exports for members of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee.
23 January 2015
A briefing on the Office for National Statistics' January 2015 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland
21 January 2015
This briefing provides a background to the UK Government’s current welfare reform agenda, details of the main political parties’ submissions to the Smith Commission, and details of the proposals made by the Smith Commi
16 January 2015
This briefing outlines the duties on the Committee, particularly those that relate to Scotland and the role the Committee plays in fulfilling the advice and reporting requirements set out in the Climate Change (Scotla
15 January 2015
The British Sign Language (Scotland) Bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 29 October 2014.
9 January 2015
This briefing examines the Bill’s proposals, provides the legal context and looks at the financial implications. The briefing also provides a summary of the evidence received by the Finance Committee.
8 January 2015
The Report of the Smith Commission for further devolution of powers to the Scottish Parliament was published on 27 November 2014. This briefing provides background to the Smith Commission.
8 January 2015
The Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill seeks to legalise assisted suicide for people with terminal and life-shortening illnesses and conditions.
7 January 2015
This briefing considers the sizeable health and economic burden attributable to obesity in Scotland. It also covers the actions taken by the Scottish Government, and the health care interventions being used.