Chamber and committees

Item 7 is consideration of four negative instruments. There is no requirement for the committee to make any recommendations on negative instruments. Does the committee agree not to make any recommendations in relation to the instruments?

Members indicated agreement.

Thank you very much for outlining the purpose of the Scottish statutory instrument, minister.

As no one has any questions for the minister, I thank him and his officials for the evidence.

Item 4 is consideration of the motion on the instrument. I invite the minister to move motion S6M-02982.

Motion moved,

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

Motion agreed to.

Good morning and welcome to the ninth meeting in 2022 of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee. I ask all members and witnesses to ensure that their mobile phones are on silent and that all other notifications are turned off during the meeting. Graeme Dey joins us remotely this morning.

Agenda item 1 is a decision on taking business in private. Do members agree to take in private item 8, which is consideration of the evidence on the Non-Domestic Rates (Coronavirus) (Scotland) Bill?

Members indicated agreement.

Yes, that was helpful.

Is it the Scottish Government’s view that successful appeals would be unlikely to prove effective in targeting support at those businesses that have been affected by coronavirus?

I call Graeme Dey, who joins us online.

The committee will publish its report on the draft regulations after the meeting.

We agreed at the start of the meeting to take the next item in private. We have no more public business today. I thank everyone for joining us.

I bring in Paul McLennan for his questions.

Thank you very much, minister, and thank you for highlighting the parallel development and your intention to introduce legislation in that regard.

We now move to questions, and I will begin. What is the main driver for the bill? Is it the protection of the public finances, or is it the management of the volume of appeals relating to coronavirus?

Item 3 is to take evidence on the Non-Domestic Rates (Valuation Roll)—I am sorry. That is not the right agenda item. I am glad to see that Graeme Dey has managed to join us.

The committee will publish its report on the draft regulations after the meeting. I will now suspend the meeting to allow a changeover of supporting officials before we move to agenda item 5.