SHINe visit to the Scottish Parliament

Monday 28 August 2006

 
Janice Grant

On a beautiful late summer morning, around 15 SHINE members assembled at the entrance to the new Scottish Parliament, at the bottom of Arthur’s Seat, across the road from the Palace of Holyroodhouse. After a thorough security check, we were met by our hosts, staff from the Parliament’s SPICe (Scottish Parliament Information Centre). Our group then split in two, and my own section set off on a tour of the building.

It was the first visit to the building for most of us, and first impressions varied. It is certainly unusual, and we were assured that it looks much more imposing from above!  This certainly explained the grass growing on the various roofs at different levels.  The building has been planned to blend into the surrounding park, which will develop as the young trees mature.  The little lake in the grounds mirrors the shape of the debating chamber.  The interior is interesting, though some of the group found the design too cluttered and longed for smooth lines.  Where possible, natural wood and stone have been used and there was certainly an atmosphere of calm.  However, this was the recess, so perhaps this was a false impression!  Incorporated within the new structure is the historical Queensberry house, which has a fascinating history, including a grisly ghost story!  The building defies description, both inside and out.  I had seen television pictures and photographs, but the interior was still a surprise to me. I suggest you pay a visit and judge for yourselves.

We saw various committee and meeting rooms, and the SPICe Information Centre, where a small staff handle MSPs’ enquiries of all kinds.  We were shown some of the MSPs’ offices with their ‘thinking pods’, but the debating chamber was out of bounds due to repairs.  A highlight was the Donald Dewar room, where some of the former First Minister’s library is on display.  This was a fascinating insight into the personality of this great statesman. The room may be viewed by anyone on appointment.

SPICe staff gave a very informative presentation on their work, which is within the Access and Information Directorate.  SPICe has around 25 staff, who service the information needs of MSPs, MSPs’ staff, parliament staff, and the public, including constituency offices.  SPICe has very high standards, for example on currency and accuracy, which must be met fully.  Enquiries could be: answers to specific enquiries; access to publications, print and electronic; current awareness; knowledge and expertise.  The success of the service is measured by feedback, user statistics and surveys.  Services provided by SPICe include confidential enquiries; research briefings; factsheets, many of which are on the website; contributions to both the parliament’s intranet and website; co-ordination of freedom of information and data protection.  Many of the enquiries are naturally on legislation, though of course they cannot provide legal advice.  Over 500 enquiries are received each month, such as ‘is bird flu a reserved or devolved matter?’, or ‘does the smoking ban apply to company cars?’  Overall, the work of SPICe certainly seemed varied, and was undertaken to very rigorous standards.

We enjoyed a very pleasant lunch in the civilised surroundings of the Queens Gallery at the Holyrood visitors centre.  I’m sure I spotted Her Majesty buttering the scones!  We had time to catch up with old friends and decide which royal mugs and t-shirts we would purchase.

In the afternoon two members of the Health Research Specialists team gave a very comprehensive talk on their work.  The section has 21 members, divided into 4 subject areas. Health is covered by the Social Affairs team, and the client group is MSPs, MSP staff and other officers within the parliament – but not ministers or the general public.  The workload is determined by committee investigations, legislative proposals, MSPs’ enquiries or the researchers’ own instincts. The section provides a confidential MSP enquiry service, covering topics such as NHS and GMC complaints procedures or consultant waiting time data.  They produce bill briefings, one for each new bill, describing the background to the bill and outlining arguments for and against the proposed legislation.  They provide support for the work of the committees, where the legislation is scrutinised line by line.  A recent example is suggesting possible witnesses for the Abolition of Prescription Charges (Scotland) Bill.  Most of the research is secondary, mainly sourced from data provided by ISD or the Scottish Executive – in fact a future SHINE visit to the Scottish Executive suggested itself to some of us!  The researchers all have good subject backgrounds and occasionally carry out primary research for specific NHS boards.  Their work sounded varied and interesting, and, like that of SPICe, is rigorously checked and must attain defined standards for timeliness and accuracy.

At the end of the afternoon, we all agreed that this was a particularly successful SHINE visit. The parliament staff had carefully prepared their presentation and made their material relevant to ourselves as health librarians.  The sessions kept to the time allocated and there was ample opportunity to ask questions, which were answered fully and courteously.  Special thanks are due to Sandra for her excellent organisation of the day and arranging the bargain of the year in the Holyrood lunch – huge slices of chocolate fudge cake included!

If you have not yet done so, pay a visit to the parliament building.  I certainly intend to return when the MSPs are in session and we can hear how the material so meticulously provided by SPICe and the Research Department is put into practice.

Link:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk

Janice Grant
janicelib@fsmail.net