Chamber and committees

I just wanted to know whether you have a proposal.

Tourism is one of Scotland’s most important sectors. It employs hundreds of thousands of Scots up and down the country. I firmly believe in Scotland’s tourism sector and want to see it flourish. Although I can understand local authorities in places that are popular with tourists seeking to generate additional revenue to support local infrastructure and mitigate the impact of tourism on public services, the majority of the Scottish tourism and hospitality sector is financially fragile and still in survival mode. We should look to maximise opportunities for growth rather than creating additional regulatory, administrative or financial burdens.

I am disappointed that the minister has chosen to reject some sensible amendments. I am also disappointed that, instead of making decisions as a member of the Scottish Government, which he has the power to do, he has decided to pass on the VAT situation and say that it is to do with the UK Government and nothing to do with us pushing businesses over the threshold. He looks at exemptions and passes it on to local authorities to consider whether to apply any.

Good morning, minister and officials.

COSLA has raised concerns that creating additional administrative burdens on local authorities and their auditors is an unnecessary risk and an unnecessary additional burden. Have you discussed how that might impact on local authorities, and the best way in which to support it to deal with any additional administrative burdens?

Thank you.

Good morning. Callum Chomczuk, from the Chartered Institute of Housing said:

“if we have a system that comes into place in Scotland, we need to have at its heart data on and evidence of genuine rents. We do not have those, and it will require some time to build them up.”—[Official Report, Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee, 20 February 2024; c 47.]

Rent service Scotland and the First-tier Tribunal will consider comparable open-market data before decisions on the rent increase can be made. How reliable is that data in allowing rent officers and the tribunal to make informed decisions?

Thank you, minister. The absence of data was brought up last week in our evidence sessions on the housing bill. Data is key when decisions such as this are being made. Do you have any examples that you can share with us from elsewhere—if not around the country, around the world—that, in the absence of data and evidence, we can rely on the areas that you have mentioned?

Given that COSLA has raised that concern, are you doing any work to help councils with that additional administrative burden?

Does the Scottish Government believe that it would be worth its while to clarify the rules that relate to council capital loans and the economic assessments of the value and sustainability of such loans?

I am an MSP for the West Scotland region.

Thank you for that information. Last week, our witnesses highlighted that there would be an issue here, and there is an issue with people moving out of the market. You have referred to some stats, so I will go back and check them to see what has happened.