Chamber and committees

Is the committee content with the instruments?

Members indicated agreement.

On funding, Pam Duncan-Glancy highlighted the financial situation that colleges have faced for the past 10-plus years. It is fair to say that we have also had 14-plus years of austerity, which has hit the Scottish Government’s budget.

Notwithstanding the dialogue that you have with your colleagues in the Scottish Government about getting additional finance into the sector, have you been given any reassurances by the new Labour Government in Westminster about additional funding coming to Scotland in the upcoming autumn budget, so that you could put additional resource into the college sector?

Does the committee welcome that the Scottish Government intends to address the problem by bringing forward amending regulations at the next suitable opportunity?

Members indicated agreement.

Also under this agenda item, no points have been raised on the following instruments.

Is the committee content with the instruments?

Members indicated agreement.

I welcome back colleagues after the summer recess—I hope that you had a lovely time. Welcome to the 23rd meeting in 2024 of the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee. We have received apologies from Foysol Choudhury MSP.

I remind everyone to switch off, or put to silent, their mobile phones and other electronic devices.

The first item of business is to decide whether to take items 4 and 5 in private. Is the committee content to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Is the committee content with the instruments?

Members indicated agreement.

Under agenda item 3, we are considering four instruments, on which no points have been raised.

The instrument deals with the procedures that apply to proposals to alter entries in the valuation roll. Regulation 2(9), which inserts new regulation 17ZA

, is intended to set a deadline for making a proposal to amend an entry in the valuation roll on the basis that there is an error in that entry.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that the provision does not operate as intended, because it contains a circular reference, with the effect that it fails to set a deadline. The Scottish Government has confirmed that it will bring forward an amending instrument to address the issue at the next suitable opportunity.

Does the committee wish to draw the instrument to the attention of the Parliament on reporting ground (i), in that the instrument’s drafting appears to be defective on account that regulation 2(9) does not operate as intended?

Members indicated agreement.

Under agenda item 2, we are considering four instruments. An issue has been raised on one of the instruments.