Chamber and committees

The issue of floating charges will come up in our questions shortly. I would like clarification on your final point about access to finance. With regard to invoice financing, does the bill present opportunities to open up new sources of funding for small businesses?

Before we move on, I invite Colin Borland to come in on any of the points that have just been raised.

It would be very helpful if Colin Borland could come back to the committee on Paul Sweeney’s question before next Tuesday, as that is when we will have the minister before us.

I have a couple of final questions. The financial memorandum suggests that the fees for using the registers will be in the range of £10 to £80. Will setting fees at that level encourage their usage?

It was £80—eight-zero.

My final question is for Mirka Skrzypczak. I do not expect an answer at this point and she might want to come back to the committee on it.

The bill is going through the parliamentary process. If it were to be passed and its provisions rolled out, would NatWest consider having, even for a short time, a favourable set of lending conditions and financial conditions for people and organisations in Scotland to assist with the roll-out?

I welcome our second panel of witnesses. Jennifer Henderson, the keeper of the registers of Scotland, is accompanied by Jon Hodge, the policy lead for the register of movable transactions—RMT—and Cat Haig, the product lead for the RMT at Registers of Scotland.

I remind the witnesses not to worry about switching on their microphones during the session, as they are controlled by broadcasting. If they would like to answer any of the questions, they should just raise their hand to indicate that.

The financial memorandum suggests that the registers established by the bill will be operational by mid-2024 at a cost of around £8.2 million. Is Registers of Scotland still on track to deliver that?

What consultation have you done with potential users to ensure that the registers will meet their needs?

You have had dialogue and consultations with a range of organisations and individuals. Have you been able to get a clearer picture of the likely demand for registering assignations and statutory pledges in the registers?

The committee has heard from the money advice sector that searches of the registers should be free. Is that feasible within the current budget, or could there be a two-tier system so that money advice experts could have free access while others might pay?