SPICe Guide SPICe Research Service

Transcription

1 SPICe Guide SPICe Research Service October 2014 Guide 3 Who are we? The SPICe Research Service consists of three units: the Justice and Social Affairs Research Unit; the Health, Environment and Europe Research Unit; and the Financial Scrutiny Unit. Contact details for SPICe researchers and their respective portfolios are included in this guide. What do we do? The Research Service aims to provide impartial, accurate and comprehensive briefing on all subjects within the Parliament s legislative competence, and to cover other subjects to the level required by parliamentary business. Our main products are: SPICe Briefings: These papers may include detailed analysis of bills under consideration by the Parliament, or briefing on issues of current interest to the Parliament or its committees Responses to Individual Enquiries: The Research Service s subject specialists will respond to requests for research support from Members and their staff and can also provide advice and sources to help Members conduct their own research

2 Material for Debates (MfD): MfD is available on the Parliament s intranet, and is the first stop for key resources for all debates. MfD is updated on a rolling basis Assistance with Internal Research and Surveys: The Research Service coordinates the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body s (SPCB) policy on the conduct of surveys in the Parliament and is available to advise and assist parliamentary offices with this work Who can use our services? The Research Service provides impartial research support to MSPs, their staff, parliamentary committees and parliament staff to help them carry out their parliamentary and constituency duties. All requests from Members and their staff are treated as strictly confidential. We do not work for Ministers, except in relation to their constituency duties. Nor do we provide services for members of the public or journalists. As an impartial, non-partisan parliamentary service we cannot provide MSPs or their staff with support or advice in relation to the following: the preparation of election materials and/or electioneering personal matters legal advice In recent years, we have also provided assistance to the many interns who come to work at the Parliament. The assistance that we can provide for interns may vary but will, in the main, involve us pointing them in the direction of relevant research material and other sources of information. How quickly can we respond? We aim to ensure that all SPICe Briefings and other products are available in good time for parliamentary business. We also aim to meet all individual enquiries on matters within the Parliament s competence, and those of interest to individual Members and their staff, within timescales requested by the enquirer or, otherwise, within one working week of receipt. In some cases, the complexity of the request, or likely difficulty in obtaining the information, may mean that we will need to agree a suitable timescale with the enquirer. This approach may also be necessary where enquiries are particularly resource-intensive. We can also offer expert advice on the potential scope of enquiries which can be beneficial in setting appropriate deadlines. Where we are unable to provide a full response in the time available we will endeavour to provide as much relevant information as possible and/or provide advice on how to conduct further personal research. Where can you find us? The Research Service is located in the Information Centre, room CG.01, just off the Garden Lobby. All research briefings are available on the Scottish Parliament website 2

3 and in hard copy format from the Information Centre. See Contact Details below for a full list of SPICe research staff, along with subject responsibilities and individual telephone extension numbers. How can you help us? We continually strive to improve our service to users. You can help us in this by commenting on the service you have received. Comments or queries on individual products should be directed to the author. General comments, queries or complaints should be directed to any of the Principal Researchers in SPICe, Graeme Cook (85086) or Simon Wakefield (85372). Primary and secondary specialisms Our dedicated team of researchers provide impartial support to Members, their staff and parliamentary committees to help them carry out their parliamentary duties. We provide accurate, in-depth and impartial analysis on all subjects within the Parliament s legislative competence and cover other subjects to the level required by parliamentary business. In each subject area, there is a primary subject specialist and at least one secondary subject specialist. Note - all addresses are in the format of firstname.secondname@scottish.parliament.uk Research specialisms Agriculture Tom Edwards (85198) Animal health and welfare Tom Edwards (85198) Borrowing and Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) Broadband Broadcasting Business rates Children s services (looked after children and adoption) Children s services (preschool childcare) Civil law (commercial law, Angus Evans (85356) 3 Iain McIver (85294) Alasdair Reid (85375) Simon Wakefield (85372) Camilla Kidner (85087) Suzi Macpherson (85388) Angus Evans (85356) Camilla Kidner (85087) Suzi Macpherson (85388) Kate Berry (85370)

4 consumer law, European law) Research specialisms Civil law (debt, employment law, licensing) Civil law (family law, property law) Angus Evans (85356) Frazer McCallum (85189) Frazer McCallum (85189) Constitution Costing and appraisal Simon Wakefield (85372) Criminal law (courts; prosecution) Criminal law (police; prisons) Culture Economic accounts, inflation, GDP Economic development and business Economy (Scottish economy) Education (further) Education (higher) Frazer McCallum (85189) 4 Frazer McCallum (85189) Frazer McCallum (85189) Suzi Macpherson (85388) Suzi Macpherson (85388) Suzi Macpherson (85388) Camilla Kidner (85087) Kate Berry (85370)

5 Education (school age) Camilla Kidner (85087) Nicki Georghiou (85190) Research specialisms Education (skills and modern apprenticeships) 5 Suzi Macpherson (85388) Elections Energy economics and oil Energy policy Alasdair Reid (85375) Dan Barlow (85416) Alan Rehfisch (85158) Environment Alasdair Reid (85375) Tom Edwards (85198) Environment economics Simon Wakefield (85372) Equal opportunities Nicki Georghiou (85190) Suzie Macpherson (85388) Europe and international Affairs Fisheries Tom Edwards (85198) Iain McIver (85294) Tom Edwards (85198) Alasdair Reid (85375) Iain McIver (85294) Flooding Alasdair Reid (85375) Tom Edwards (85198) Food Tom Edwards (85198) Alasdair Reid (85375) Forestry Alasdair Reid (85375) Tom Edwards (85198) Health economics

6 Research specialisms Health policy Lizzy Burgess(85392) Jude Payne (85364) Kathleen Robson (85371) Housing budget Kate Berry (85370) Housing policy Kate Berry (85370) Nicki Georghiou (85190) Infrastructure Justice budget Frazer McCallum (85189) Angus Evans (85356) Labour market Land reform Alasdair Reid (85375) Tom Edwards (85198) Local government Local government finance Natural heritage Alasdair Reid (85375) Tom Edwards (85198) Parliament Pay Frazer McCallum (85189) 6

7 Research specialisms Pensions Planning and built environment Poverty, regeneration, inequality Public finance, including budget Alan Rehfisch (85158) Dan Barlow (85416) Suzi Macpherson (85388) Radioactive waste Alasdair Reid (85375) Dan Barlow (85416) Referendum Iain McIver (85294) Resource use Dan Barlow (85416) Iain McIver (85294) Rural development Tom Edwards (85198) Scotland performs Simon Wakefield (85372) Social care Lizzy Burgess (85392) Jude Payne (85364) Kathleen Robson (85371) Sport Statistics and data Andrew Aiton (85188) Alasdair Reid (85375) Sustainable development Graeme Cook (85056) Alasdair Reid (85375) Taxation Third sector/voluntary sector 7

8 Research specialisms Tourism Transport Alan Rehfisch (85158) Dan Barlow (85416) Water industry Alan Rehfisch (85158) Tom Edwards (85198) Welfare reform Welfare reform Housing elements Nicki Georghiou (85190) Suzi Macpherson (85388) Kate Berry (85370) Camilla Kidner (85087) Kate Berry (85370) Nicki Georghiou (85190) 8