Chamber and committees

Immigration is currently a reserved issue and as such the Scottish Government has no estimates of the likely impact of the change to the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme. The scheme has enabled over 8,400 international graduates to remain in Scotland and work after study and although the scheme has been widened out to the rest of the UK, international graduates from a Scottish university will still have the opportunity to work in Scotland after they graduate, as will graduates from the rest of the UK.

We received representations from the Asian restaurant industry about its ability to recruit skilled chefs from the subcontinent. As immigration is currently reserved to the UK Government, these were conveyed to the Home Secretary. We also encouraged representatives to engage with the Migration Advisory Committee, which they did. Skilled chefs were included on the Shortage Occupation list produced last month.

Immigration is currently reserved to the UK Government and as such appointment to the Migration Advisory Committee is a matter for them.

We are advised that members of the Migration Advisory Committee are independent experts who have been appointed by merit through open competition and as such there is no representation on the basis of geography. The current members are; Professor David Metcalf CBE, Chair, Dr Martin Ruhs, Professor Jonathan Wadsworth, Dr Diane Coyle and Professor Robert Wilson. Mike Campbell of the Commission for Employment and Skills is an ex officio member of the committee.

The previous administration wrote to the Home Secretary asking to ensure appropriate Scottish representation on the MAC. This was declined on the grounds that the appointments would be open competition based on the Nolan principles.

This is an issue for the forthcoming review of the National Waste Plan. In particular, we will consider what more can be done to provide advice to business on minimising waste and improvements to data on commercial and industrial waste to encourage investment in recycling plants. Also whether any further voluntary or legislative steps can be taken to increase recycling of business waste.

In the meantime, I have issued a consultation on potential waste legislation, for inclusion in the Climate Change Bill, which includes a number of innovative proposals on how to increase recycling rates in Scotland including the provision of more recycling facilities at work and in public places.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-16326 on 24 September 2008. For estimating purposes, it can be assumed that a four pence reduction in the basic rate of income tax in Scotland would reduce receipts by about £1.6 billion. The maximum change in the rate of income tax in Scotland permitted within current legislation is three pence in the pound. As I indicated in Draft Budget 2009-10, published on 16 September 2008, the Scottish Government currently have no plans to invoke the powers in the Scotland Act to vary the rate of income tax in Scotland and has made no representations to Her Majesty''s Government on this matter.

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/webapp/wa.search.

An estimate of the impact of taxation changes in Scotland is published by HM Treasury in the annual economic and fiscal strategy report. The most recent estimate, published on 12 March 2008, indicates that a one penny reduction in the Scottish variable rate of income tax in 2009-10 would reduce receipts by approximately £400 million.

For estimating purposes it can be assumed that a two pence reduction in the Scottish variable rate would reduce receipts by £800 million.

Following an initial scoping seminar held in Edinburgh, the Scottish Government has held four regional consultation seminars in Paisley, Galashiels, Fort William and Aberdeen. A Scottish Government online consultation exercise has been launched and will run until 8 September 2008. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is running a parallel consultation exercise on its website over the same period, which will complement the Scottish Government process.

A report on the findings of the consultation will form the basis of a draft order which will be debated in the Parliament early in 2009.

The passage of the UK Bill through the UK Parliament has been delayed and is unlikely to be complete before November 2008. A reclaim fund will then be established and it is anticipated that monies will be available to the third sector early in 2010.

Scotland''s Population 2007: the Registrar General''s Annual Review of Demographic Trends is published today. The report contains information about births, deaths and marriages during the year, together with other demographic information. A copy of the report is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 46111), or from the Registrar General''s website at www.gro-scotland.gov.uk.

Information from energy performance certificates for new, non-domestic buildings is currently placed on the building standards register maintained by local authorities. We are endeavouring to identify an appropriate register for existing non-domestic buildings.

Responsibility for ensuring compliance for all buildings lies with the local authority. Where cases of non-compliance occur, the local authority will be in a position to serve a notice in order to address contraventions.