Chamber and committees

Good morning and welcome to the fourth meeting in 2022 of the Economy and Fair Work Committee. Our first item of business is to decide whether to take items 3 to 6 in private, and whether to have next week’s meeting in private. Are members content to take that business in private?

Members indicated agreement.

We lost the minister’s connection there for a moment but, if he is finished, you can continue your questions, Jamie.

I appreciate that you are not the lead minister for the skills portfolio, and that the report talks more to that agenda.

There were some concerns about the sector’s ability to deliver for people who need it and to co-ordinate that with what businesses need. There is a need for an improved working relationship between Skills Development Scotland and Colleges Scotland.

The committee is looking forward to the publication of the 10-year strategy. We had hoped to see it before Christmas, but I appreciate that it has been delayed. You are suggesting that the Logan review will be integral to the new strategy once it arrives, which is welcome.

I will hand over to Maggie Chapman, who has questions on a similar topic.

The committee will now take evidence on the Registers of Scotland (Digital Registration, etc) Regulations 2022. I welcome Tom Arthur, who is the Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth. He is joined by Graham Fisher, who is deputy director of the Scottish Government legal directorate, and Harry Murray, who is policy lead at Registers of Scotland.

I invite the minister to make a short opening statement.

Good morning, and welcome to the third meeting in 2022 of the Economy and Fair Work Committee. Today’s meeting is being held virtually.

Our first item of business is a decision on whether to take items 6 and 7 in private. Are members content to do so?

Members indicated agreement.

We also took evidence on the Logan review on the digital skills gap. As you are speaking to businesses, you will know that that is one of the big issues. It is not just about those people who are far away from the labour market and need the skills to enter it; there are also those who are in the labour market and need to improve their skills and access the digital skills that we need in the modern age. Is there a timeline for the implementation of the Logan review’s recommendations?

Thank you. I remind members that the subject of the session is supply chains, which is the inquiry that we have been working on for the past few months. The minister is here to answer questions on that. I appreciate that members might want to extend the debate to other areas, but we have limited time, so I ask you to focus on the issue at hand.

Minister, I thank you and your officials for your time this morning, and I briefly suspend the meeting to bring in the next set of witnesses.

Thank you, minister.

Why have the regulations been drafted in such a way that they will come into force, in respect of the presumption, only if new primary legislation successfully replaces the emergency coronavirus acts? Could Harry Murray explain that?