2.1 Accompanying documentation to Bills
Through Activities 1 - 4 you will become familiar with the documents which accompany Bills.
Activity 1 fPromoters' memorandum to the National Galleries of Scotland Bill
Read through the promoter’s memorandum [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] (The Scottish Parliament, 2015b) then answer the following questions.
- Who were the promoters of the Bill?
Comment
The promoters of the Bill were the Board of Trustees of the National Gallery of Scotland. This information could be found in paragraph one.
- When was the Bill introduced?
Comment
The Bill was introduced into the Scottish Parliament on 28 October 2002. This information was in paragraph one.
- What were the objectives of the promoters?
Comment
The objectives of the promoters were in relation to a piece of land onto which new facilities for the National Gallery of Scotland would be built. These included new facilities and access. The proposed building works and improvements were prevented by a statutory restriction and the Trustees were seeking permission by legislation to carry out those works. They were seeking to have the land removed from the gardens over which there was a restriction and the restriction on that piece of land removed. This information could be found in paragraph three.
- Who has been consulted?
Comment
Paragraph 34 contained a list of 19 organisations that had been consulted and explained why they had been chosen.
Having read the promoters' memorandum Activity 2 asks you to think about legislative competence and how Bills are advertised as part of the open and transparent law making process.
Activity 2 Explanatory note
Read through the explanatory note (The Scottish Parliament, 2015a) and answer the following questions.
- Who gave the statement on legislative competence?
Comment
The statement on legislative competence was given by the Presiding Officer (Sir David Steel) in paragraph 34.
- Where had advertisements giving notice of the Bill been placed?
Comment
Advertisements giving notice of the Bill had been placed both in newspapers (the Scotsman and Evening News on two separate occasions) and local libraries (based in six Edinburgh constituencies).