Editing Donald Dewar (section)

=== Legislation proposals ===
[[File:Alexander Falconer, Kenneth D. Collins, David Martin, Donald Dewar, Bill Miller, Hugh R. McMahon and Alex Smith in Strasbourg 01.jpg|thumb|right|Dewar (centre) in [[Strasbourg]], February 1999]] 

Ahead of forming the coalition with the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Dewar was urged not to succumb to pressure to scrap tuition fees in Scotland, mostly by the then [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]] [[Gordon Brown]] and education secretary [[David Blunkett]] of the UK Government. The Scottish Liberal Democrats claimed that any agreement to form a coalition administration with the Scottish Labour Party would require a commitment for tuition fees to be scrapped, and that the party would "not compromise" on the issue.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Seenan |first1=Gerard |last2=MacAskill |first2=Ewen |last3=Carvel |first3=John |last4=Seenan |first4=Gerard |title=Fees headache for Dewar |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/1999/may/10/scotlanddevolution.devolution |website=The Guardian |access-date=5 November 2024 |date=10 May 1999}}</ref> 

On 16 June, Dewar set out the legislative programme for the Executive which included: an Education bill to improve standards in Scottish schools; land reform to give right of access to the countryside, [[Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000|a bill]] to abolish the feudal system of land tenure; and [[National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000|a bill]] to establish [[National parks of Scotland|national parks in Scotland]].<ref name=":0">''BBC News'', 1999b</ref>

On 23 March 2000, Dewar presided over the launch of a consultation paper by his Minister for Justice, Jim Wallace, on stalking and harassment in Scotland. The Scottish Executive intended for the consultation paper to be used as an exercise to consult with the public to determine whether existing [[Scots law]] was sufficient to protect victims of stalking and harassment or whether to determine that new laws should be introduced. Wallace claimed that the "Scottish Executive was well aware of the devastating consequences stalking can have".<ref>{{cite web |title=BBC News {{!}} SCOTLAND {{!}} Stalking law inquiry begins |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/687316.stm |website=news.bbc.co.uk |access-date=5 November 2024}}</ref>