Chamber and committees

Will the process have to restart because that one candidate did not want to take the job, regardless of the reasons?

Do you have an estimate of when there might be an appointment?

Are you not at all concerned that a country that we compete with for tourism on the global stage is increasing its tourism budget? Do you not think that that has an impact?

Yes—it relates to my earlier question about the NSET delivery board. I checked the Scottish Government website, because I am always conscious that these things could be my issue rather than anyone else’s, but I could not see any minutes on it or a date for the next meeting. Can we make sure that that is updated?

I also have a question about the investor panel, which I think was meant to meet on 12 December. Did that meeting take place? If so, when will minutes be available for it? When will the panel next meet?

I have a couple of quick questions about tourism and hospitality.

As was said earlier, Scotland’s tourism budget has been cut, while the Irish tourism budget for next year has gone up by €30 million. What impact do you think that that has on our ability to compete with a country that has a similar sort of tourism?

Thank you.

There is a future media opportunity for you there.

I do not think anybody wants to see that. I will move quickly to wider issues for tourism and hospitality. Colin Smyth talked about the business rates relief package that is available in England. There was a lot of disappointment from the tourism and hospitality sector that that is not available here. I think that there was around £200 million of Barnett consequentials, but you have decided—as is your right—to put that money elsewhere.

You may dispute this, but we are seeing less money for tourism funding and for some of the enterprise bodies but are seeing more regulations for the sector, including the deposit return scheme and short-term licensing.

The Scottish Beer and Pub Association said that the budget

“puts Scotland’s pubs at a significant disadvantage in their recovery given the challenges they are facing”

The Scottish Hospitality Group welcomed the freeze on business rates but said that the budget was

“simply nowhere near enough to see the sector through. There is now a clear differential between England, Wales and hospitality businesses in Scotland. It is a fact that many small businesses will not survive.”

The Scottish Tourism Alliance again welcomed the freeze but said that 23 per cent of Scottish tourism businesses are in “survival mode”.

Do you recognise those pressures on the sector and do you think that you are providing enough support?

When will the minutes of that meeting be available, or are they available already? There does not seem to be anything about them on the Scottish Government website.

I could not see anything about the minutes on there.