Any ID for this week's debate?

By John Knox
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Spain is one of the main export markets for Cardhu

Should it be "scrapped" or "fundamentally reformed"?

We've been discussing "identity" this week at Holyrood - identity cards, the identity of Scotland within Europe, the identity of whisky in a bottle of Cardhu.

We've also been trying to identify ways of helping a long list of vulnerable groups - children at risk from domestic abuse, witnesses in court, fine defaulters and pregnant teenagers.

SNP leader John Swinney chose to make identity cards his issue at first minister's question time.

Any ID?

He asked Jack McConnell if he was in favour of the Home Secretary's 10-year plan to introduce compulsory identity cards for all UK citizens.

Mr McConnell said: "Any ID cards introduced by the UK government before 2007 will not be compulsory for the use of the services we have responsibility for here in Scotland."

He said the Home Secretary had been told this and had accepted it.

Conservative leader David McLetchie congratulated Mr McConnell on his new identity - president of RegLeg, the committee of European regional legislatures.

Mr McLetchie continued his teasing:

Jack McConnell: Fishy issue

He said: "In the course of his grand tour of Europe this week, the first minister spoke of thriving fishing communities in many parts of Scotland, could he name some of them?"

Well no actually he couldn't.

But Mr McConnell did point out that some shell fish producers in the North West were having a good year and fish stocks generally were showing signs of recovery.

Conservative MSP Mary Scanlon had an even more awkward question.

"Would the first minister agree with me that a single malt such as Cardhu is unique?"

Mr McConnell, like Mr Blair at Westminster on Wednesday, refused to be drawn into the dispute.

Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm found himself talking about sex

He said it was up to the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) to rule on whether Diageo could sell its new blended whisky under the same label as its well known single malt from the Speyside distillery.

In the debating chamber MSPs were dealing with much more serious issues.

On Thursday morning, the minister for children Peter Peacock outlined what the executive was doing to protect children from abuse.

It follows a string of disturbing cases of children dying while on the "at risk" register.

Caleb Ness in Edinburgh, Kennedy McFarlane in Dumfries, Carla Bone in Aberdeen and Danielle Reid in Inverness.

A new children's inspectorate is to be formed to make sure that all departments including police, health, social work and education are working together.

New graduates

There's to be a summit of child protection leaders early next year.

And measures are being taken to improve the recruitment of social workers.

There are over 400 vacancies, including a £9,000 bonus for new graduates.

Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm found himself talking about sex.

In particular, what to do about the rising level of sexual diseases in Scotland and the 9,000 unwanted teenage pregnancies every year - the highest rate in Europe.

He read out the findings of the expert group he'd set up on the issue.

Unfortunately, it was short on detailed recommendations because it was made up of too broad a spectrum of people, from those who want contraception and abortion on demand, to those like the Catholic Church who want young people to simply say "No".

Green MSP Mark Ballard: "Red face"

The real test of Mr Chisholm's courage will be when the consultation period ends in February and he will have to come out either for or against free contraceptives and morning-after pills.

Hugh Henry, the deputy justice minister, was on more consensual ground when he announced on Wednesday that he wanted to end the practice of jailing people who fail to pay their fines.

Four thousand people every year are put in prison for fine default, that's one in every five prisoners, and most of them serve less than a week.

Mr Henry said: "I find it hard to justify that system."

He announced a pilot programme in which Sheriff Courts, in two as yet unnamed parts of the country, will no longer have the option of sending fine defaulters to jail.

They will be given supervised attendance orders instead, requiring them to work in the community for up to 100 hours or undertake training.

Vulnerable witnesses

This week the enterprise committee launched its inquiry into renewable energy.

The justice committee agreed to back the Vulnerable Witnesses Bill (Scotland), making it easier for children to give evidence in court.

At the petitions committee, there was a sharp clash over the Home Office's involvement in the education of children at the asylum seekers detention centre at Dungavel in Lanarkshire.

By four to three, the committee agreed to await further clarification from the Home Office over who would pay for the children's schooling.

Every week there seems to be a new bill launched.

This time it came from the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon.

She wants Scotland to hold its own referendum on the new European constitution.

To get round the Devolution Act, it would only be advisory and the result would be sent to the Westminster parliament for a final decision.

'Lady sings'

This week also had its "historic" debates.

One was led by Culture Minster Frank McAveety, celebrating the 150-years of public libraries in Scotland.

And the other was led by the Labour MSP Cathy Peattie on the 100th anniversary of Emmerline Pankhurst 's Women's Social and Political Union.

And, yes, the lady did sing!

We've had two important visitors to Holyrood this week.

A six-strong delegation came from the Palestine Legislative Council to study our voting system.

And the new chairman of the UK Conservative Party Liam Fox came to study our mental health legislation - at least that's what he told reporters.

Clockwise from left: Tory MSPs Phil Gallie, Alex Johnstone, David Mundell and Jamie McGrigor

He denied he was on a recruiting drive for Westminster candidates.

Though, co-incidentally, four Tory MSPs revealed that they would be trying for Westminster seats at the next general election.

Phil Gallie, Alex Johnstone, Jamie McGrigor and David Mundell.

Finally, I must give the Green MSP Mark Ballard a red face.

He locked my bicycle to the cycle rack we share in the parliamentary garage.

He had of course intended to lock his own bicycle to the rack.

But like so much else this week, it was a case of mistaken identity.