Chamber and committees

Is the committee content with the instrument?

Members indicated agreement.

At its introduction, the bill included boat moorings and berthings as types of accommodation that are to be covered by a visitor levy. That led to concern in the recreational boating community and a view that the visitor levy should not apply to people using berthings, as a berthing is primarily a safe haven for a vessel, which is a very different scenario from staying in a room or in a hotel. A number of folk said to me that marinas, berthings and moorings are really just car parks for vessels.

Many recreational boaters use their boat to travel to a mooring, then leave their boat and perhaps stay in a local bed and breakfast for the night. Applying a visitor levy to that berth does not seem to be the right approach. There are also many difficulties with collecting and remitting the levy, given that many moorings are run by small voluntary community groups and sometimes no formal record is made of who has used the berth.

I welcome the committee’s recommendation in the stage 1 report that boat moorings and berthings should not be covered by a visitor levy. In my role as the chair of the cross-party group on recreational boating and marine tourism, I arranged for the minister to meet members of the boating community here in the Parliament and in my constituency, to hear their concerns. I know that he has listened carefully to their perspective and is sympathetic to the purpose behind amendment 18, in my name. Therefore, I hope that the Government is able to support it.

What you have just said is extremely helpful, minister. You are aware of my interest in a cruise ship levy. I know that it is early in the process, but are you considering primary legislation or delegated powers to introduce any such change in the future?

First, convener, I apologise to you and to the committee for my tardiness earlier; it was my fault.

I have a quick question on the back of Bill Kidd’s questions that relates to Ruth Maguire’s question about socioeconomic characteristics. Notwithstanding the socioeconomic point or the issue of availability of staff in schools, in relation to the cost, have you found that there has been an improvement in outcomes in new schools or schools that have been revamped in recent years? Have you found that there are better outcomes in urban settings compared with rural settings?

Thank you. In a wide variety of policy areas, we regularly hear in the Parliament about the difference between urban and rural processes and outcomes, so I was keen to see whether there is anything to add in that regard.

Is the committee content with the instrument?

Members indicated agreement.

Under agenda item 3, we are considering seven instruments. Issues have been raised on the following instrument.

Under agenda item 4, we are considering three instruments, on which no points have been raised.

Good morning, and welcome to the eighth meeting in 2024 of the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee. I remind everyone to switch off, or put to silent, mobile phones and other electronic devices.

The first item of business is to decide whether to take items 5, 6 and 7 in private. Is the committee content to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Under agenda item 2, we are considering one instrument, on which no points have been raised.

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