Following the election and inter-party negotiations, Labour and the Liberal Democrats have published their Partnership Agreement detailing their programme for government. Both coalition parties are able to claim that they have seen the vast majority of their manifesto commitments translated into the Agreement – partly due to the similarity of their manifestos (a feature of the manifestos of all the main parties in the election).

A key focus of the document is on the environment, which was a particularly strong focus in the Lib Dem manifesto, and Labour has had all of its manifesto targets enshrined. The major stumbling blocks – on youth crime and PR for local government – were resolved, with the Lib Dems securing a commitment to voting reform and obtaining some qualifications of Labour’s plans to imprison parents who fail to control their children (which may mean it will be virtually impossible for any parent to be jailed under the policy).

This Briefing summarises major policies on issues identified by the churches as priorities during the election; it also outlines the 14 Bills planned for the first year of the new Parliament (with 4 to be introduced before the summer recess).

1. Social Inclusion

Social Inclusion Partnerships are to merge with Community Planning Partnerships, in a bid to make them more accountable to the local community. A target is set for reducing the unemployment rates gap between the bottom 10% of areas and the Scottish average by 2006. The voluntary sector is to benefit from three-year core funding, as per the recommendations of the strategic funding review of the sector, helping its planning and sustainability, and the Executive plan to work with the UK Government to create a Scottish Opportunities Fund to provide sustainable core funding.

Greater links are to be forged between schools and the NHS to help close inequality gaps in health, and the work already underway on providing free fruit in Primary 1 and 2 and breakfast clubs is to be continued. Nutrition in school meals will be improved; local authorities will be encouraged to promote healthy eating; advertising of junk food in schools is to be banned and reducing its availability will be a condition of becoming a health promoting school. The Education (School Meals) Bill, rushed through Parliament in June, ensures that entitlement to free school meals is not affected by changes to the benefits system.

The Education (Additional Support for Learning) Bill is designed to facilitate access to services for children who need additional support for learning needs. Measures include a national strategy for special educational needs, a mediation and tribunal service, and more say for parents and carers in their child’s education and support provision. Access to specialist schooling will be improved while mainstream schools will continue to be used where this is in the child’s best interest. Local authorities will be allowed to fund specialist schools for gifted children.

An end to so-called ‘postcode prescribing’ is promised, and free eye and dental checks – a key plank of the Lib Dem manifesto - introduced for all by 2007. Concessionary fare schemes on public transport, for older people and people with disabilities, are to be extended, with a national free off-peak bus scheme and concessions for young people. Access to transport - including timetable information and through-ticketing schemes - will be improved and support given to increased safety measures at rail stations and on the roads.

2. Poverty and Debt

Along with implementation of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act, support will be given for the development of credit unions, community banking arrangements, home insurance schemes linked to rents in social housing, and money advice services to help those struggling with debt; there is also a commitment to "working with the DTI to tackle harassment by loan sharks, establish fairer credit schemes and increased protection from excessive interest rates". The feasibility of community-based insurance schemes, through credit unions (initially for areas at risk of flooding) is to be investigated. The Executive will consult with the Post Office on how it can help improve the Post Office network in Scotland.

There will be further consultation on diligence (debt recovery) and on legislation to modernise the laws of personal bankruptcy, which will "strike a better balance between supporting business risk and protecting the rights of creditors".

3. Racial Justice

Action is promised on racist abuse and attacks, and the commitment to tackle sectarianism and implement the proposals of the cross-party working group on tackling religious hatred is reaffirmed (although – despite a manifesto pledge by the Labour Party to work with the churches, as well as employers, schools and sporting clubs, on tackling sectarianism – no specific mention is made of churches or faith communities anywhere in the document). A national language strategy will help develop and support Scotland’s main languages, including British Sign Language and ethnic community languages. Local councils and other public bodies are to be required to draw up a languages plan reflecting the local community and secure status for Gaelic will be achieved through legislation, with a consultation promised for autumn this year.

4. Refugees and Asylum-Seekers

The only mention of refugees and asylum seekers in the document is contained in a single sentence: "we will encourage the integration of refugees into local communities".

5. Community Care

NHS trusts are to be abolished and replaced by Community Health Partnerships, under the NHS Reform Bill; and devolved decision making is to be extended in an attempt to empower frontline staff and give greater freedom to local communities. The Agreement contains an assurance that local authorities will continue to deliver existing levels of respite care. Quality and consistency of care will be maintained through national standards, inspection and support, in partnership with health staff and Health Boards. However, there is no mention of the problems of the "care gap".

6. Housing and Homelessness

There are pledges to provide effective support for homeless people and eradicate the need to sleep rough. Investment in improving social housing stock and developing a range of housing options is promised, with an extra 18,000 new and improved homes for social rent and low cost home ownership by 2006, and action on increasing the availability of affordable housing in rural areas. Local authorities will continue to be encouraged to transfer control of housing to community based housing associations and tenants’ co-operatives with 70,000 houses to be transferred by 2006 to community ownership, subject to the approval of tenants. Restrictions on social landlords’ ability to contribute to community regeneration are to be reviewed.

The Executive pledge to cut by 30% the number of households living in fuel poverty by 2006. The home insulation and central heating programme will be extended to improve another 4000 homes by 2006, initially focusing on those over 80 who have inadequate heating systems; depending on the scheme’s success it may be rolled out to other pensioner groups after 2006.

Other housing measures include the introduction of a decent homes standard, which will be used to establish a new energy efficiency banding system, and to offer incentives to homeowners who make energy conservation improvements to their homes. For house buyers a new single seller survey will be introduced along with a common factoring scheme to encourage maintenance. Support is to be offered to a voluntary accreditation scheme for private landlords designed to offer tenants a uniform standard of quality assurance.

7. Sustainable Development

The document states; ‘Our commitment to the environment is demonstrated in every section of this Partnership Agreement’. A target of 40% of Scottish electricity generation to be from renewable sources by 2020 is set, supporting the development of wave, tidal and solar energy and other forms of renewable energy, and encouraging participation by local communities. There will be no further development of nuclear power stations until issues around waste management issues are resolved, and the UK Government and utilities companies are to be urged to strengthen the electricity grid. A "green jobs" strategy will be created, in conjunction with the business community.

The Organic Action Plan will be implemented, and Scottish Enterprise is to be asked to help develop opportunities for new products manufactured from waste. A regulatory framework for public water and sewerage services to safeguard both public health and the environment protection as competition increases will be brought in through the Water Services Bill.

Economic development policies are to be assessed with regard to their impact on the Executive’s sustainable development indicator targets, via the Strategic Environmental Assessment. Vacant and derelict land is to be returned to productive use, opening up opportunities for businesses and communities. Other measures include (a) a Freight Facilities Grant to encourage freight carrying by rail and water (b) Green Transport Plans (c) a minimum standard for tree planting to act as carbon sinks beside new road developments (d) car fumes to be cut by supporting the use of emission reducing equipment (e) support for sustainable farming and (f) the introduction of 20mph speed zones near schools and safer walking and cycling routes to school, with a national framework for safe walking to school - including ‘Homezones’ - to improve safety in residential areas. Local authorities will continue to be supported in providing park and ride facilities. A Nature Conservation Bill is planned for later in the parliamentary year (see below), and proposals for a new Strategic Transport Authority are to be introduced, to improve the transport infrastructure.

8. Family

A Family Law Bill is promised, presumably building on earlier consultation and reforming marriage and divorce legislation; no mention is made of registration of civil partnerships or other possible measures for inclusion in this. However, this Bill is not part of the initial legislative programme. This apart, while there are policies which affect children and education – including encouraging parents to be more involved in their child’s schooling, and help for children from low income families to stay on in education post 16 – there are few specifically family-oriented measures.

9. Parliament

Collective responsibility is spelled out, stipulating that decisions of the Executive are binding on all Ministers, and outlining mechanisms for consultation and information sharing. There are also provisions for backbench co-operation: "Whilst preserving the independence of the committee system, members of the partnership parties serving on the same committee will co-operate on the formal business and legislation of the Executive." Any disagreements are to be dealt with through internal party mechanisms.

Proportional Representation will be in place in time for the next local government elections, under the Local Governance Bill, with the Lib Dems’ preferred system of Single Transferable Vote introducing larger multi-member wards represented by either 3 or 4 members. Measures to increase participation include reform of voting arrangements, with further investigation of postal and electronic voting. In consultation with CoSLA, an independent review into local government finance will be carried out and an independent remuneration committee for local government will be established. Restrictions on standing for local authority election will be relaxed, including a lowering of the age limit for local government candidates to 18.

Radical changes to First Minister’s Question Time look likely after Jack McConnell expressed his support in a letter to George Reid, the Presiding officer. Changes to timetabling and extending the duration would allow more input from backbench MSPs and leaders of both the smaller parties. The FM also suggested that Convenors of Committees could question him in public twice a year. To improve the accountability of Ministers, Scottish Executive Questions could be done on a ‘thematic basis’, allowing for greater depth of scrutiny.

The 14 Bills to be submitted over the next year are:

1. Anti-Social Behaviour – this "flagship" Bill reflects the major election issue, introducing Anti-Social Behaviour Orders for under-16s, Parenting Orders requiring parents to fulfil their responsibilities in respect of their children, tagging for under-16s, and banning the sale of spray paint to under-16s. A draft Bill is promised in June for consultation (with an SCPO Briefing on this soon after)
2. Budget – the annual Bill authorising Executive expenditure
3. Court Reform: Modernising Justice – improving the efficiency in the High Court, following Lord Bonomy's report and a White Paper issued in June
4. Education (Additional Support for Learning) – see above
5. Education (Ministerial Powers of Direction) – extending Ministerial powers to intervene in "failing schools" in order to ensure that recommendations of the inspectorate are taken forward
6. Education (School Meals) – see above
7. Fire Services – subject to the outcome of the current dispute, updating current Fire Service legislation
8. Local Governance – see above
9. Nature Conservation – dealing with the conservation of biodiversity, reform of the SSSI (sites of special scientific interest) system and building on new wildlife crime measures
10. NHS Reform – "improving the effectiveness of health services", abolishing NHS Trusts and establishing Community Health Partnerships
11. Primary Medical Services (GP Contracts) – implementing new GP contracts
12. Strategic Environmental Assessment – see above
13. Vulnerable Witnesses – improving the way that vulnerable witnesses are treated by the justice system and assisting them to give their best evidence
14. Water Services – see above

Conspicuous by their absence from the Executive's annual legislative programme were a Family Law Bill, a Charity Law Bill and legislation to create a Scottish Human Rights Commission; Member's Bills are proposed re the first two, and the SSP will revive the free School Meals Bill.