Meeting of the Parliament 11 November 2015
Labour supports the approach that has been taken at stage 1. Wills and inheritance are an important issue and I am grateful to Nigel Don and the DPLR Committee for taking on an undoubtedly daunting task in dealing with complex—and, in some areas, controversial—issues.
The fact that the committee held four oral evidence sessions is heartening and demonstrates the depth of inquiry in the committee’s approach. The sensible decision to take from the discussions those elements of the proposals that could be introduced into law at this stage with a view to considering a second bill later in the process is also heartening; that was the right decision.
Hearing from Nigel Don that the committee was persuaded by evidence in deciding the way forward with regard to section 1 indicates best practice and the reason that committees exist in this Parliament, which is to follow evidence. That gives members more confidence in moving forward.
It is not surprising that Elaine Murray found parts of the bill interesting. Stewart Stevenson, as always, found the legislation interesting but came up with an obscure way of analysing it, which lightened the atmosphere in an otherwise in-depth consideration.
The Scottish Law Commission does important work on our behalf. Paul Wheelhouse was right to acknowledge its work on the 2009 report but failed to acknowledge that the 2009 SLC report reiterated an SLC report from 1990. It just goes to show how quickly the law moves in these parts.
In my time on the Justice Committee, it was a source of some embarrassment to me that we were aware of many Scottish Law Commission reports that unfortunately we had no time to address. I agree with Richard Baker that the creation of the DPLR Committee approach is a good step forward. I hope that the Scottish Law Commission can take heart that its hard work on behalf of Scots law in maintaining an up-to-date environment that is fit for the demands of modern life is well worth the effort. We should try to ensure that we introduce that into our processes, so that new law can be created.