Policy change in Scotland and England
One section of Scotland that has seen many policy changes in this century is land ownership. In 2000 the Abolition of Feudal Tenure Act 2000 was passed. This act show the abolition of superiorities and tenures and a replacement of a system which gave the vassals an ownership right. In 2003 the land reform(Scotland)Act,2003 was enacted, which created a legal framework for land access and gave the community right to buy land. It also established the crofting right of communities that allows the community to purchase crofts from landowners and use it for non-agricultural purposes. In 2019 the Scottish Crown Estate act that stipulated the corporation of Scottish government for management of all land including that owned by the monarch.
Community Empowerment act was passed in 2015, which permitted the community to buy any size of land in all areas, including urban areas. In 2016 the land reform(Scotland) Act was enacted, which resulted in the community being able to purchase land for sustainable development. The 2016 act enabled the ministers to compel any individual to sell his or hand as long as they were convinced the sale would attract sustainable development.
Another area that has seen policy change is in finance. The public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000 was passed to enable disclose of some or all public data depending on the circumstances. In 2001 the Poindings and Warrant Sales Act was passed which abolished the practice of poinding the debtor’s goods in preparation of their warrant sale. The Scottish budget act was later adopted in the same year, which gave the Scottish government statutory authority for revenue and expenditure plans.
In 2008 the Scottish parliamentary passed the abolition of bridge tolls which removal of all tolls in the road bridges across Scotland. In 2009 the parliament passed the Scottish parliamentary pension scheme that regulated the pension schemes across the country. In 2010 the parliament enacted the Marine (Scotland)Act that introduced a government duty to care and conserve the marine environment. It aimed at boosting economic growth and investment along the marine areas.
Scottish parliament in 2009 provided procedures for electing members of the health board. Through this law, the process of joining the board became more complex and hence very few qualified people would make it. In the health sector, the Scottish parliament passed the Patient rights Act 2011, which compelled the healthcare provider to consider what will be most beneficial to the patient. This act advocated for patients to be part of decision-makers in cases regarding their health and wellbeing. The parliament in the same year passed the Certification of Death Act which gave the protocol of issuing death certificates. To counter the alcohol problem, the country introduced the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing)Act which provided a minimum statutory price for alcohol.
Laws against the various form of discrimination have been amended in Scotland and England to ensure equal opportunity among all persons. In 2002 the parliament of the United Kingdom outlawed sexual discrimination while selecting party candidates. The act allowed the selection of candidates based on their gender to increase women representation in the parliament. Concerning the disabled people, the Scotland government changed the parking policies in 2009. The government gave local authority a mandate to provide parking spaces for disabled persons. In 2019 the government amended the census law and incorporated inclusivity by allowing counting of people with sexual orientation and transgender issues.