Chamber and committees

That is helpful. It is great to hear about the work that you have been doing with the Scottish Community Alliance to analyse the food growing strategies.

The committee will, in the coming days, publish a report setting out its recommendations on the instrument.

The final item on our agenda is consideration of a negative instrument. There is no requirement for the committee to make any recommendation on such instruments. As no member wishes to comment, does the committee agree that it does not wish to make any recommendation on the instrument?

Members indicated agreement.

The next item is to take evidence on the draft Non-Domestic Rates (Valuation Notices) (Scotland) Regulations 2022 from Tom Arthur, the Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth. I welcome Mr Arthur and his Scottish Government officials. Anouk Berthier is from non-domestic rates policy, and Susan Robb is a solicitor. Before I open up to questions from the committee, I ask Mr Arthur to make a short opening statement.

I thank the minister and his officials for their evidence.

We turn to agenda item 3, which is consideration of the motion on the instrument. I invite the minister to move motion S6M-04283.

Motion moved,

That the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee recommends that the Non-Domestic Rates (Valuation Notices) (Scotland) Regulations 2022 be approved.—[Tom Arthur]

Motion agreed to.

Thanks very much for that opening statement. I open up the session to questions from members. I will begin.

In your opening statement, you touched on the 32 specific property classes for which additional information will need to be provided in respect of the valuation. Can you explain the rationale for the selection of those 32 property classes?

Amendment 2, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendment 3.

That ends consideration of the bill at stage 2. I thank the minister and his officials. Mr Arthur will remain at the table for our next item of business.

I suspend the meeting to allow for a change of witnesses.

Good morning and welcome to the 16th meeting in 2022 of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee.

Annie Wells, Marie McNair and Mark Griffin will be joining us remotely. I ask all members and witnesses to ensure that their mobile phones are set to silent and that all notifications are turned off during the meeting.

Agenda item 1 is stage 2 consideration of the Non-Domestic Rates (Coronavirus) (Scotland) Bill. I welcome to the meeting Tom Arthur, the Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, who is accompanied by Scottish Government officials Sandra Reid, who is the bill team leader; David Smith, who is a lawyer; and Gavin Sellar, who is parliamentary counsel.

Members should refer to the marshalled list and the groupings for stage 2 of the bill, which were circulated last Thursday.

Section 1—Effect of coronavirus on net annual values and rateable values of lands and heritages

Amendment 1, in the name of the minister, is in a group on its own.