RC Politics Volume 16 Issue 1
Parliament in View
23 October 2014
Contents A Home for Children Building Solidarity The Pros and Cons of Organ Donation The Benefits of Education Current Legislation Measuring and Tackling Poverty News in Brief Teachers Lose Out on Pension Reforms Children and Ideologies Recommended Reading Consultations [Top]
A Home for Children The Scottish Government has released findings on the educational outcomes of children who are looked after by local authorities. Improvements have been made over recent years but children are understandably still at a disadvantage compared to children brought up in their own home. Last year 935 children were looked after by local authorities. Poorer outcomes are also found to be linked to less stability. For example those who have one placement do better than those who have several different placements. Attendance at school is also found to be lower for ‘looked after children’. The evidence shows the importance of strengthening family life to ensure more likelihood of children being brought up in their own homes. Family breakdown and instability is unfortunately a mark of our age. The vital role of adoptive and foster parents is also underlined. Sadly because of concerns around political correctness, such as being forced to endorse alternative lifestyles, some Christians have been reluctant to get involved in the adoption or fostering process. It is more important than ever that this should not be the case. Scotland thankfully still has a Catholic adoption agency and local authority areas should also have the good sense to recognise the potential of Catholic couples applying to adopt. An initiative has begun in England, and now venturing in to Scotland, aiming to make fostering and adoption a more normal part of Church life. The work is being done by several groups united as ‘Home for Good’. Resources and information is available from them online at www.homeforgood.org.uk St Margaret’s Children and Family Care Society can be contacted for further information for anyone interested in the issues at: info@stmargaretsadoption.org.uk or call 0141 332 8371. Adoption Sunday will be marked around the UK on 2 November. [Top]
Building Solidarity The Referendum has obviously been the huge mountain on the political landscape for so long. The result inevitably leaves many disappointed and many relieved. That such a constitutional issue is evidently very divisive for our society presents a challenge. The constitutional position is a sort of capping stone on an extended community of people who live with a shared set of values. Communities however grow from the bottom up and the polarised nature of the vote indicates that the peoples of Scotland and the UK have not coalesced firmly to a view of our national identity. When Norway chose independence from Sweden over a century ago, 99.95% of the votes where for independence. Scotland is far from that unity in either direction. Interestingly Norway had an 85% turnout at the time and, shockingly to the modern mind, women had no vote. A joint sense of purpose gives a great sense of joy and many of the campaigners who worked in teams toward their particular goal in the Referendum speak of the exhilaration they felt in doing so. For many the chance to change the present political system gave them that sense of unity. In the wake of the result we still need to build a sense of common identity and purpose. The commitment to make our society fairer can continue regardless of the constitutional position. It does mean giving a proper place to political action and debate. It is a forum for evaluating and challenging ideas with the aim of identifying the best path for the whole of society. In the months ahead a commission headed by Lord Robert Smith will examine proposals for increasing powers for the Scottish Parliament. It is an opportunity to gauge how the balance of solidarity and subsidiarity will be set. There is no correct answer but the opportunity to examine the values of our society is itself a useful form of self-evaluation. Much like individuals might do a personal development review for assessing what they have been doing and what they should do in future. Participation in such important initiatives in our society is greatly encouraged in Catholic social teaching. The Commission gives guidelines for submissions. It asks for contributors to identify the principles they are promoting e.g. are they aimed at promoting employment or social justice etc. It suggests that people give their assessment to how the balance of power if currently exercised. It asks for the advantages and disadvantages of the proposal that respondents suggests and whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The proposals are to be considered in relation to other main issues which they may impact on and the financial implications for these. Submissions are easy to complete and can be as simple as a comment on the website which can be found at www.smith-commission.scot Time is tight and submissions must be made by 31 October 2014. [Top] The Pros and Cons of Organ Donation A Members bill introduced by Labour MSP Anne McTaggart has the very laudable aim of improving organ donation levels. Many lives have been saved by those willing to donate a kidney or bone marrow to another person whilst still alive. Blood transfusion has of course become routine although there is always a need to encourage more donors. Successive Popes since the advent of technology permitting organ transplantation have encouraged people to consider the great gift that they can give to others in the form of donating organs especially after their death. In responding to the consultation the Catholic Parliamentary Office quoted the words of Pope John Paul II “There is a need to instil in people's hearts, especially in the hearts of the young, a genuine and deep appreciation of the need for brotherly love, a love that can find expression in the decision to become an organ donor." Given that organ donation is such a good thing, there is every reason to believe that many people would automatically approve of the proposals in the bill. However there is a problem. The main aim of the bill is that it will change the law to assume that everyone has consented to
donate their organs. This contradicts an important principle in the ethics of donation. We have seen in recent years the anguish that has arisen when people realise that tissue from their deceased children has been taken without their knowledge or consent. In some cases it has included parts of the body that people may just not have considered. In cases of live donors the participation is obviously voluntary and takes place with the full consent of the donor. When it comes to using organs from the deceased the issue of consent is still important. The respect society has for each human person extends to respecting the body after death. The public need to have trust in the authorities that such respect is granted. Therefore presuming to know the choice of individual persons could actually undermine the confidence that is required for organ donation to get widespread support. In light of the pressure to have more organs available there is a fundamental need to ensure the ethical safeguards are always upheld. The Church has typically noted that these include ensuring that prospective donors are always regarded as human persons and not a collection of organs otherwise temptations for exploitation could creep in. That organs should be given freely and not for money should be upheld to ensure the poor are not pressurised to donate organs just to survive financially. Temptations could also arise to hasten the death of donors to make organs available. The Church has emphasised that vital organs should only be removed from patients who are already dead. There has arisen a black market in organs in some parts of the world. The World Health Organisation has reported allegations that some illegal brokers can organise organ donations for wealthy customers at prices exceeding $100,000. Legislation dealing with human trafficking is therefore now starting to address organ trafficking in some parts of the world. Although details are difficult to assess, one recent study in the USA argued that around twice as many people receive kidney donations than the number of organs officially donated therefore indicating a considerable level of ‘organ laundering’. The Scottish Government is due to produce proposals on a future trafficking bill and including the issue of organ trafficking may be an appropriate place to keep Scotland alert to this growing problem. Meanwhile the role for the Church to promote the charitable act of organ donation, in keeping within the ethical guidelines, is an opportunity to save many lives. [Top] The Benefits of Education It probably doesn’t need a census to reveal the reality that a good education is a considerable help to finding a better job. The hard facts are however still of some interest to quantify the effect. The data collected from the 2011 census is still being analysed and presented in various categories. Last month the Scottish Government revealed the information obtained on the kinds of employment that people are engaged in. The age group 16–74 years of age is considered for the survey and accounts for 4 million of the Scottish population. Nine percent of the 4 million considered work in “higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations”, whereas 20% work in “lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations”. Those in the category of “never worked and long-term unemployed” account for 5% of the population. In regard to qualifications of the 4 million, 27% had achieved degree level qualifications and 23% had no qualifications whatever. The impact on employment prospects is shown in the fact that those in the highest job category had a breakdown of only 3% with no qualifications in comparison to 74% who had achieved degree level qualifications. For the long-term unemployed 51% had no qualifications and only 8% in this category had a degree.
The census revealed that 360,000 people were in full-time education. 81% of those aged 16-19 lived with parents, 32% of those 20—24 years of age lived with parents and 10% of those aged 25 and over did likewise. 32% of full-time students were also in employment. Education is also seen as crucial for another group of people, namely prisoners. The government also revealed that the IQ levels of prisoners indicated a problem with learning difficulties among the prison population which show that lower educational attainment is linked with prospects of imprisonment. Understandably some may see a life of crime or be drawn in to crime due to other poor life outcomes arising from poor education. Resources in this area may be a way to prevent re-offending but preventing prison in the first place is a better goal and thus an important part of promoting an opportunity and willingness to learn. Pressure is building form a variety of groups working in the area of prison reform to have some form of screening implemented in prisons. This would allow learning disabilities to be detected and better support offered to address the problem. [Top] Current Legislation Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Bill (G) Stage 1 (Finance Committee) 25 June Lead Committee – Local Government and Regeneration Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill (M) Stage 1 (Justice Committee) 30 September Lead committee – Health and Sport Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill (G) Stage 1 (evidence, lead committee (Local Government and Regeneration)) 8 October Courts Reform (Scotland) Bill (G) Passed 7 October Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill (G) Stage 1 completed 27 February Criminal Verdicts (Scotland) Bill (M) Introduced 27 November Lead committee – Justice Food (Scotland) Bill (G) Stage 1 completed 2 October Stage Historic Environment Scotland Bill (G) Stage 3 (debate, meeting of the Parliament) 4 November Legal Writings (Counterparts and Delivery) (Scotland) Bill (G) Stage 1 (evidence, lead committee (Delegated Powers and Law Reform)) 7 October Mental Health (Scotland) Bill (G) Stage 1 (evidence, lead committee (Health and Sport)) 7 October Prisoners (Control of Release) (Scotland) Bill (G) Introduced 14 August Welfare Funds (Scotland) Bill (G) Stage 1 (evidence, lead committee (Welfare Reform)) 7 October (G) – Government Bill; (M) – Member’s Bill; (C) – Committee Bill; (P) – Private Bill; (H) – Hybrid Bill [Top] Measuring and Tackling Poverty A report on child poverty during the summer recess indicated the priority given to tackling this social evil. However it begins with bad news. The latest figures show an increase of 30,000 children living in poverty. The government indicated that 19% of children live in relative poverty, which according to another government source means children living in “households whose equivalised income before housing costs is below 60% of the median (i.e. midpoint) income in the U.K. in the same year.” The drawback of this measure is that it doesn’t measure objective poverty. For example a tiny income in India may not be deemed to be a poor one yet a much greater income in Scotland may be regarded as placing someone in poverty.
In another government report on poverty produced during the summer it is explained that a couple with no children is deemed to be in relative poverty if household income is below £264 per week whilst an income below £272 per week for the same couple indicates absolute poverty. (A ratio of 0.33 is added for each child in a household to determine the threshold) The definition for absolute poverty used by the government looks at how lowest incomes are keeping pace with inflation. Researchers now take in to account material deprivation when studying the conditions of families in poverty. The child poverty report notes the importance of providing work for families to get people out of poverty. At the same time it notes the impact of welfare changes which mean some people losing out on previous benefits. More recently produced figures show improvements in employment levels but there is still a considerable lack of work. Since the time of the industrial revolution the Church has proposed the importance of a fair wage for establishing a just society. Companies do not need to wait for governments to force their hand on this but at times governments have to protect individuals from those who would exploit their desperation for work. The government itself has imposed a requirement for all state workers to receive at least the living wage, which is presently £7.65 per hour. The Church has repeatedly spoken about the need for fair wages in society. In the first social teaching documents the right for a wage earner to be paid enough to support a spouse and family was explicitly stated. Pope Francis has pointed out that mothers are performing important work when they choose to look after children at home. In these areas the Church therefore offers important advice. There must be room for recognising the importance of the task of parenting. There is a danger of political parties simply trying to outdo each other on how much they will ensure children are looked after by schools and nurseries rather than their own parents. The needs and wishes of children and their parents should to be considered. There is real danger of children spending vast percentages of their young lives in state institutions rather than in the security of a family home. The constant demand for low cost child care also puts a pressure on wages for those then given the important job of looking after children. The strong bonds of family life and the need for developing affectionate relationships in families are irreplaceable for children and important for wider society. The government’s child poverty report contains a variety of local community case studies showing initiatives aimed at supporting families and children which the government supports. There must be many similar initiatives run by parishes and church groups and hopefully these can continue to flourish. More recent announcements of the government indicate areas where more government action is to be targeted, such as in providing free school meals to all children in the first three years of school and support for improving home energy efficiency. Recent figures showing that unemployment level has fallen to a record low of 5.5% also offers some good news. Many still seek employment or more employment. It may require innovative ways of redistributing work. In a world with many resources the Church has repeatedly urged each of us to contribute to achieving justice for all. [Top] News in Brief The Scottish Government has announced that same-sex marriages will be permitted from 31 December 2014. Catholic clergy will still be able to act as civil registrars at Church weddings and are exempt from conducting same-sex ceremonies as are Catholic premises. The European Court of Human Rights recently ruled that Same-sex marriages are not a human right. *********
Government statistics show that life expectancy is 76.8 and 80.9 years for men and women respectively. Figures show that between the most and least deprived areas of Scotland there is a difference of 12.5 years for men and 8.5 years for women. ********* Census figures have been revealed that indicate a growth in non-belief among Scots to 20% of the population whilst the percentage of Catholics remained at 16% and the Church of Scotland proportion dropped to 32% from 42% ten years ago. ********* The proposal to create three-parent embryos is being considered by Westminster’s Science and Technology Committee. Regulations to permit the practise could result in the near future. Other European countries outlaw the technique as unethical. The issue involves manipulating embryos to replace faulty DNA with that taken from a person other than the parents of the embryo. The method aims at avoiding genetic defects which are spread in the mitochondria of a woman’s egg. The UK is pushing ahead with laws which allow manipulation of human beings at their earliest stages. Whilst it involves a good intention it is based on eugenic principles and requires participating in IVF which leads to the destruction of many human embryos for each one which is implanted. [Top] Teachers Lose Out on Pension Reforms Teachers have long been aware of the forthcoming changes but the regulations to change the pension scheme for teachers are now before the Scottish Parliament. The regulations will be adopted unless challenged. The Scottish parliament has positive and negative statutory instruments. This means regulations which are changes to the law, are approved without the same detailed scrutiny given for bills. Typically they are technical changes being applied to the various areas of government responsibility. The teachers plan will impact on many thousands of people. Effectively it changes the pension scheme from a final salary scheme to an average earnings scheme. It is a symptom of profound demographic and economic changes in society over the last few decades. Other areas of public service are hit by similar changes. e.g. the Fire Service, Police Service and NHS. Final salary schemes are also mostly a distant memory in the private sector. A window of a few decades permitted such schemes but the unforeseen changes in economic systems and society’s demographic profile and life expectancy has made final salary schemes financially ruinous for companies and now even for governments. It means much disappointment for many people and perhaps an end to the era where workers could hope to retire to a comfortable income. [Top] Children and Ideologies So many groups are determined to access children to pass on their views to them at as young an age as possible. In that vein a petition by students to impose particular forms of sex education on primary and secondary children was lodged in Parliament. The group behind it call themselves Sexpression and they are the latest in a long line to push for a statutory programme of sex education for children. This particular group seems to have emerged from a network of medical students across the UK. They have an aim of bringing about cultural change. Why so many are fixated on sex education is in no small part due to the government funded lobby groups which incessantly pump out news and demands in this area. Typically it doesn’t take long to identify ideological views to be imposed through such programmes. It is a tried and
tested tactic at various United Nations conferences and the strategy percolates through various organisations at state levels. In the case of the petition’s aim of imposing one programme of sex education, Jackson Carlaw MSP wisely noted that “I worry that there could be a perceived version of what is correct, which might in some ways be at odds with the views of the parents of whom all the children are still dependents.” The need for relationships education is supported in Catholic schools. It is considered from a context of values and in Catholic schools that includes a faith perspective so that young people are helped to make good informed decisions. The involvement of parents in that task is vital. The petition, despite the good intentions of the people behind it, seems to ignore much of the good work already taking place in schools. For example in Catholic primary schools the new programme - God's Loving Plan - already addresses the appropriate issues in this area for children. [Top] Recommended Reading At a time with much confusion over the meaning of sexuality, a little book, The Christian Meaning of Human Sexuality, by Jesuit priest Paul M. Quay offers a thoughtful and spiritual account of the profound significance of the fundamental aspect of human identity which will inspire readers to a confidence in the Christian message. It is conveniently available as a kindle book or from Ignatius Press online. The Divine Comedy is a recognised masterpiece of literature. Prue Shaw gives an informative and fascinating account of several themes contained in Dante’s imagined journey through hell, purgatory and heaven in her book Reading Dante. Shaw’s lifetime of study of Dante enables her to provide important background on his life and times to give a more profound understanding of his work. [Top]
Consultations (with Closing Date) Protected Food Names - Dundee Cake (15/01/15) Consultation on the Alien and Locally Absent Species in Aquaculture (Scotland) Regulations 2014 (11/11/2014) Housing (Scotland) Act 2014, Section 28 Private Rented Housing: Enhanced Enforcement Areas, Consultation on Regulations (12/12/2014) Consultation on Proposals to Introduce a Statutory Duty of Candour for Health and Social Care Services (12/01/2015) A Consultation on Electronic Cigarettes and Strengthening Tobacco Control in Scotland (02/01/2015) Consultation on Proposals for an Offence of Wilful Neglect or Ill-Treatment in Health and Social Care Settings (02/01/2015) Consultation on New Controls in the Scottish King Scallop Fishery 2014 (05/01/2015) Consultation on a New Tenancy for the Private Sector (28/12/2014) Consultation on bovine TB in specified non-bovine species – Disease Controls (22/12/2014) A Consultation on proposals for a Harbours (Scotland) Bill (13/11/2014) Planning Controls, Payday Lending and Betting Offices Consultation Paper on Changes to Planning Legislation (14/11/2014)
Community Energy Policy Statement Draft for public consultation (10/11/2014) Consultation on Technical Issues Relating to Succession (07/11/2014) Reservoirs (Scotland) Act 2011 - Consultation - Registration, Charging, Risk designation and associated aspects (30/10/2014) Registers of Scotland - Completion of the Land Register (04/11/2014) Consultation on the Allocation of Scottish Fish Quotas (28/11/2014)
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Edited by John Deighan
Catholic Parliamentary Office 3rd Floor 5 St Vincent Place GLASGOW G1 2DH Phone: 0141 222 2182 Mobile: 07930 405 313 Email: jdeighan@rcpolitics.org Website: www.rcpolitics.org Catholic National Endowment Trust (also known as The Bishopsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Conference of Scotland) Charity Number: SCO 16650 <hr size=1 width="50%" noshade style='color:black' align=center> Update email preferences / Unsubscribe from list Powered by YMLP