SCRI Annual Report 2003/2004 - Scottish Crop Research Institute

Director’s Report
aim was to provide more accountable government in
Scotland and Wales within the framework of the UK.
The Scottish Parliament and Executive will be responsible
for health; education and training; local government,
social work and housing; economic
development and transport; the law and home affairs;
the environment; sports and the arts; research and
statistics, and agriculture, fisheries and forestry.
Reserved to the UK Parliament will be the constitution;
UK foreign policy; UK defence and national
security; the UK’s fiscal macroeconomic and monetary
system; common markets for UK goods and services;
employment legislation; social security; and most
aspects of transport safety and regulation. Relations
with the EU will remain the ultimate responsibility of
the UK Government but the Scottish Executive will be
involved in decision-making on Europe. SCRI was
one of the Scottish Public Bodies listed in Annex A of
the July 1997 White Paper Scotland’s Parliament (Cm
3658). These are deemed to have a remit which is
concerned with matters to be devolved. Other such
bodies include the other four Scottish Agricultural and
Biological Research Institutes, the Royal Botanic
Garden, Edinburgh, the Scottish Higher Education
Funding Council, water authorities, health bodies, and
advisory bodies. The SABRI remits clearly extend
beyond the UK, but have a special relationship with
Scotland. Any changes to the Annex A bodies will
depend on ministerial decisions. The Scottish
Executive will be able to alter the structure or wind-up
existing bodies, and create new ones. It will also be able
to alter budgets to suit its own priorities. 1997-1998.
Devolution in the UK Devolution developed during
the course of 2000. The Westminster-based UK
Parliament remained the supreme law-making authority,
legislating for the UK as a whole, or for any parts of
it. Sovereignty resides with the Queen in Parliament.
The main functions of Parliament are to pass laws, to
provide the means of carrying on the work of government
by imposing taxes, and to scrutinise government
policy and administration. All international treaties
and agreements are presented to Parliament before ratification.
Contrasting with most countries, the UK
constitution is not contained in a single document but
has slowly evolved, and been shaped by statute, common
law, and by convention. Membership of the
European Union poses constraints and overrides, however.
Following its election on 6 May 1999, the
Scottish Parliament exerted legislative power over all
devolved powers, i.e. matters not reserved to
Westminster; primary legislation can be introduced,
and the Scottish Parliament has the power to raise or
lower the basic rate of income tax by three pence in the
pound. The areas of responsibility cover agriculture
(including agricultural R&D), economic development,
education, environment, financial assistance to industry,
fire services, food standards, forestry, heritage and
the arts, health, housing, law, planning, police, and
some aspects of transport. A busy year was experienced
by the Scottish Parliament (see Scottish
Parliament Annual Report 2000 to 2001). Thirteen
bills were passed, 14 bills received Royal Assent, 71
members’ business debates were held, large numbers of
questions were lodged, and answered either in
Chamber or in writing. The Committees of the
Scottish Parliament gained a higher profile. Of relevance
to this report was the work of the Rural
Development (formerly Rural Affairs) Committee
which devoted considerable time to the controversial
Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Bill, but
became increasingly involved in the alarming outbreak
of foot and mouth disease. Other topics covered by
this committee included an inquiry into the effect of
changing employment patterns in rural areas.
Following a petition, GM crops were considered in a
report by the Transport and the Environment
Committee; this Committee also considered a petition
on the environmental effects of an oilseed-crushing
plant in Arbroath. Petitions from the public were firstly
reviewed by the innovative Public Petitions
Committee, a noteworthy democratic initiative.
Cross-party groups were also active. The National
Assembly for Wales was also elected in 1999 and has
the power to make secondary legislation in the areas
where it has been granted executive functions. The
New Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 1998 was
due to be formally established by legislation in 1999.
It was suspended in February 2000 and resumed sitting
in June 2000, and had legislative authority in the
fields administered by the Northern Ireland departments.
2000-2001.
The Dome In the UK, the Millennium Dome was
built to celebrate the year 2000. Standing on the
prime meridian on a reclaimed site in Greenwich, near
to the Thames Barrage, the Dome was noted for its
roof of tensioned fibreglass membrane covering 8
hectares and suspended from 12 masts. Such is the
standing of science that early hopes that the building
would house British scientific, engineering and technological
achievements, and exciting new R&D projects,
did not materialise, despite an expenditure on the
building of over £600m derived for the most part from
National Lottery funds. 1999-2000.
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