Chamber and committees

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

The instrument amends the Council Tax Reduction (Scotland) Regulations 2021 to increase the maximum amount that may be disregarded in respect of childcare costs for recipients of universal credit when calculating their income for the purposes of the council tax reduction scheme.

Under section 28(2) of the Interpretation and Legislative Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, instruments subject to the negative procedure must be laid at least 28 days before they come into force, not counting recess periods of more than four days.?The instrument breaches that requirement, as it was laid on 27 June 2023 and came into force on 28 June 2023.

In correspondence with the Presiding Officer, the Scottish Government stated that the United Kingdom Government laid UK-wide regulations increasing the amounts that may be paid as part of universal credit in respect of childcare costs, which came into force on 28 June 2023. The Scottish Government stated that it was not made aware of this until 21 June 2023. Without those regulations, affected households could have seen an unintended consequential rise in their council tax payments, unless the 2021 regulations were amended.

The instrument was therefore made, laid and brought into force to coincide with the UK instrument as a matter of urgency. The instrument has not been laid at least 28 days before it came into force, as required by section 28(2) of the Interpretation and Legislative Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.

Does the committee wish to draw the instrument to the attention of the Parliament on reporting ground (j), for failure to comply with laying requirements?

Members indicated agreement.

I move on to the second instrument on which issues have been raised. The instrument amends the Valuation (Proposals Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 2022. It extended the deadline by which a non-domestic rate payer may make proposals for alteration of the valuation roll to a rates assessor from 31 July 2023 to 31 August 2023, or four months after the receipt of the valuation notice.

Under section 28(2) of the Interpretation and Legislative Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, instruments subject to the negative procedure must be laid at least 28 days before they come into force, not counting recess periods of more than four days. The instrument breaches that requirement, as it was laid on 19 July 2023 and came into force on 20 July 2023.

In correspondence with the Presiding Officer, the Scottish Government stated that it had accepted the recommendation made in the new deal for business group progress report and decided that the deadline for revaluation proposals should be extended. The Scottish Government stated that it was not possible to meet the parliamentary laying requirements, because an extension had to be introduced before the existing 31 July deadline.

The instrument has not been laid at least 28 days before it came into force, as required by section 28(2) of the Interpretation and Legislative Reform (Scotland) Act 2010. Does the committee wish to draw the instrument to the attention of the Parliament on reporting ground (j), for failure to comply with laying requirements?

Members indicated agreement.

One hundred and sixty. Does the Scottish Government have any plans to increase that number?

I will come back to the 5,700 dentists—it is interesting and helpful to know about that.

I asked the question because we have heard evidence on the number of dentists and practices that have become solely private. Even if the outcome of the discussions is regarded as successful on all sides, I fear that the majority of those dentists will not go back into the NHS but will remain private, which means that there will continue to be a shortfall in NHS dentistry provision across parts of the country. It is hugely important to increase the number of dentists coming into the scheme who will provide those services.

Minister, you mentioned that there were 130 dental students.

Could that tie-in be increased?

I know that my dental practice has someone from the EU who came in and who is still there—and it is greatly appreciated.

On the 5,700 dentists, what other aspects have you considered to entice people to Scotland?

Those generally sound like useful tools in the armoury to help to deal with the situation that we face. However, to go back to a point that the minister, quite rightly, raised earlier, the financial situation is tough, so how would those initiatives be paid for?

I asked a question last week on the issue of directors of dentistry, and John Mason touched on the situation in Shetland earlier. What exactly is their role and what do they contribute? Potentially, do they cost a lot of money for very little by way of return?