Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-08506 on 11 July 2012. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government has had no discussions with the administration of Dundee City Council, regarding the recent visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Scotland.

The Scottish Ministers and officials meet regularly with the British Transport Police to discuss a range of issues, including metal theft and how the BTP will work alongside the new Police Service of Scotland to tackle crime. There are already close working arrangements between the BTP and the Scottish police, and these will continue after April 2013 when the single service begins its work.

The Scottish Government believes that part of the solution to the rising incidence of metal theft is to tighten regulation of the licensing scheme for metal dealers. For that reason we have announced that the exemption limit should be removed entirely, thus ensuring that all metal dealers are subject to licensing. Before we do this we will also review the licensing conditions in place and in particular look at ‘retention of metal’ requirements that have the potential to prevent the safe and effective operation of some larger businesses that handle significant numbers of transactions and substantial amounts of metal.

This will require further consultation so as a first step we have announced that we will raise the limit from £100,000 to £1million. This will ensure that more dealers are licensed without adversely impacting on the legitimate businesses of the many larger dealers who raised concerns about the operation of the licensing scheme as currently constructed.

We have liaised closely with the police as we work to update the licensing scheme.

The additional £32 million allocation announced on 8 June 2012 by the UK Government will be added to the Scottish Government’s central funding pot for broadband delivery across Scotland, which is now £244.5 million. This comprises £143.7 million from the Scottish Budget and £100.8 million from the UK Government. In addition to this, around £40 million, to date, has also been secured in local authority contributions.

This funding will be used to invest in infrastructure that will have the capacity to deliver broadband at a speed of 40-80 Megabits per second (Mbps) to 85-90% of premises by 2015, as set out in Scotland’s Digital Future: Infrastructure Action Plan, published on 31 January 2012. This commitment will be delivered in two parallel procurements: the current Highlands and Islands project, and a forthcoming one covering the rest of Scotland.

<>The Taking forward a Scottish Land and Buildings Transaction Tax consultation paper http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/06/1301 runs until 30 August. The consultation seeks views on the structure of the proposed tax, and provides scenarios showing how a progressive structure could work. These scenarios include illustrations of raising the lowest tax threshold to take many more house purchases out of the tax net than at present. However as the consultation paper explains, we are not consulting actively on tax rates and thresholds because it is too soon to set rates now for a tax that will first take effect in April 2015. The consultation responses, further analytical work, and developments in the residential and non-residential property markets in Scotland over the next two years will inform eventual decisions about tax rates and thresholds.

We propose to establish Revenue Scotland to administer the replacement taxes that will be set by the Scottish Parliament. We would expect Revenue Scotland and HM Revenue and Customs to work together to tackle tax evasion.

We expect that by 1 April 2015 Revenue Scotland will have a staff of approximately 20 to administer the replacements for the UK Stamp Duty Land Tax and Landfill Tax, assuming current constitutional arrangements. It is not currently anticipated that any staff will transfer on Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) terms from HMRC. Staffing arrangements will be kept under review.

No services are expected to transfer from HM Revenue and Customs to Revenue Scotland as a result of Stamp Duty Land Tax and Landfill Tax ceasing in Scotland and being replaced by devolved taxes administered by Revenue Scotland. We are not aware that HMRC expects any change in the number of staff it employs in Scotland as a result.

Tackling metal theft is a priority for the Scottish Government. A range of measures are being employed to bring about a reduction in levels of this type of crime.

We are strengthening the licensing regime for metal dealers and considering a ban on cash transactions involving metal. In addition we are supporting the police and others in raising public awareness, highlighting the importance of prevention and ensuring effective enforcement against thieves and unscrupulous dealers.