Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government published a consultation paper "Supporting Business, Promoting Growth" on non-domestic rates on 27 November 2012. This paper poses questions about all current rate reliefs funded by the Scottish Government, which includes charitable relief awarded to independent schools. The consultation closes on 22 February 2013, and its findings will inform future rating policy.

As I indicated to the Parliament on 16 January 2013, an update for MSPs on the audit has been placed in Scottish Parliaments Information Centre (SPICe). (Bib number 54653) The update makes clear that the report will be published in February.

There are currently no district heating systems in the areas neighbouring biomass plants.

The station at Lockerbie provides heat to a local timber and saw mill business, while the station at Invergordon uses the heat produced to dry wood pellets at the site. The station at Irvine uses the heat for the operation of the paper mill and other onsite operations.

The industrial dispute between the RMT union and Serco NorthLink Ferries was rightly a matter to be resolved through negotiation between the two parties. However, from 31 October 2012 - the point at which the RMT announced their intention to ballot members – Transport Scotland officials were in regular contact with the ferry operator in order to ensure that a resolution was being actively sought.

Following the announcement on 3 December 2012 of the RMT’s intention to hold a strike, officials kept up daily contact with the Serco NorthLink Managing Director, Stuart Garrett. In addition, on 7 December 2012 I spoke by phone on a number of occasions with both Mr Garrett and with the RMT’s Secretary General, Bob Crow. I urged both parties to continue to work towards a solution which would avoid any disruption to these lifeline services, particularly given the approaching Christmas and New Year holidays. I also spoke to other trade union interests during that time. I updated parliament on the background to the dispute in my Ministerial Statement on 13 December 2012.

I welcome the news that the planned strike action has been suspended following positive discussions between the parties and hope that the ongoing dialogue will bring this dispute to a successful conclusion with no further impact on the communities served by Serco NorthLink Ferries.

There are a number of variables that could affect the annual running costs for operating a new tax system in an independent Scotland. The Scottish Government will publish estimates in due course.

We will always seek to maximise efficiency, reducing the costs of tax collection to both taxpayers and the Government through modernising and streamlining tax legislation and administration. Under the new powers given in the Scotland Act 2012, we have proposed the introduction of the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and a new Scottish Landfill Tax. As announced in June 2012, our estimate is that the administrative cost of collecting these taxes through Revenue Scotland will be at least 25 per cent less than the cost of asking HMRC to continue to collect Stamp Duty Land Tax and the current Landfill Tax in Scotland after April 2015.

My contribution at the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council on 27 November 2012 focused on structured arrangements in the UK and in Scotland for supporting and enabling representative groups of young people to have their say in decisions. I highlighted that the British Youth Council has been awarded funding by the Department for Education to promote the voice of young people, and that the Scottish Government is funding national youth organisations, including the Scottish Youth Parliament and Young Scot, to enable young people to make informed choices and decisions about issues affecting them.

I stressed my commitment that young people in Scotland from every background should have a voice in policy debates about their future and that I have engaged with diverse groups of young people on how to tackle youth unemployment. Specifically, I referred to the national youth summit on 5 December 2012 at which I and five other Scottish Government Ministers were joined by over 100 young people at different stages of unemployment and training to discuss what more they think needs to be done to support youth employment.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-04170 on 7 December 2011. 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 is committed to improving the environmental performance of its estate and this is reflected in its success in achieving the Carbon Trust Standard award during 2012.

Decisions on ministerial attendance and representation at council meetings are taken on a case-by-case basis by the lead UK Government Minister. Rt Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education wrote to me to confirm that I would represent the UK at the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council meeting on 27 November 2012.The Department for Education officials then held discussions with Scottish Government officials about my contribution at the Council meeting.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-04170 on 7 December 2011. 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 three buildings on the Scottish Government estate that have microgeneration technologies (solar water heating) represent 4.8% of the 63 buildings where the Scottish Government is the sole or major occupier.

We will continue to keep under review opportunities for further use of micro generation technologies where environmental and cost benefits would result.