Transport and the Environment Committee, 26 Sep 2001

Meeting date: Wednesday, September 26, 2001

Official Report 207KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

I welcome the minister and his officials to discuss agenda item 2, which is to consider a draft affirmative instrument—Special Grant Report (No 4) and Guidance for Local Authorities: The Domestic Water and Sewerage Charges (Reduction) (Scotland) Regulations 2001 (SE 2001/132). We have with us Ross Finnie, who is the Minister for Environment and Rural Development, and Mike Neilson and Paul Neison. Members have received a cover note on the instrument.

The report was laid on 31 August 2001 under the affirmative procedure, which means that the Parliament must approve the report before its provisions may come into force. The Minister for Environment and Rural Development has accordingly lodged a motion—S1M-2192—that the Transport and the Environment Committee recommends approval of the report to Parliament. The Subordinate Legislation Committee considered the instrument at its meeting on 11 September and agreed that no points arose. The committee's 31st report of 2001 indicated that the committee did not wish to draw the attention of Parliament to the instrument. The Transport and the Environment Committee is required to report on the instrument by 1 October 2001.

We will follow our standard procedure for handling affirmative Scottish statutory instruments. Members will have time to ask questions of the minister and his officials; the minister will then formally move motion S1M-2192, which may be debated prior to a decision. The Executive officials may not contribute to any formal debate after the minister has moved the motion—although, of course, MSPs may do so. I caution members that the debate on the instrument must last no longer than 90 minutes—I hope that I am not tempting fate. I invite the minister to make any opening remarks that he wishes to.

Thank you, convener, but I think that I would have to speak very, very slowly if we were to take up the whole of the 90 minutes. However, I will not do that; I will simply thank you for the opportunity to present the special grant report which, as you indicated, is subject to the affirmative procedure and is being brought to the committee for its approval.

The report was prepared by officials following discussions with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. Put simply, it provides a method of reimbursing local councils for costs incurred in implementing the domestic water and sewerage charges reduction scheme, which was, of course, approved by the committee in spring 2001. The domestic water and sewerage charges reduction scheme utilises information that local councils maintain and update while administering council tax benefit. The link to council tax benefit places local councils in an ideal position to adjust existing procedures to implement the scheme at minimal additional cost. Such an approach ensures that the costs incurred in introducing and administering the scheme will be less than 6 per cent of the £24 million that is available to the scheme.

I am happy to answer any questions.

The grant deals with the present transition scheme; at present, we have three water authorities and billing is done through the 32 local authorities. Will a similar grant be available to the single authority, Scottish Water, should it be offered and decide to take on the ability to bill its customers directly?

We are talking about two separate schemes. We have to be careful and keep the Presiding Officer in mind: I would not wish to presume even the introduction of a bill, far less its passage through Parliament. I hope that the Official Report will note that comment, because I know that the Presiding Officer is prickly about such matters.

I should have said "if".

The first thing to acknowledge is that the bill will simply provide for appropriate charging mechanisms. I do not think that anyone would expect, in the initial stages of bringing the three water authorities together, any immediate change in those mechanisms. That is not to say that the matter will not have to be addressed by the new authority. However, it is a matter for a later stage, given the complexity of bringing the industry together first.

Whether there will be relief of any type will be a matter for legislation, and it will be for the Executive to introduce such legislation. As ever, it will be for Parliament and this committee to consider those matters and to make recommendations. However, nothing in the present bill rules out such future legislation.

In the interim, will the minister consider imposing uniform charging on the three water authorities? They are to be amalgamated but, at the moment, they have different charges for different charitable functions. That seems anomalous.

That will be wrapped up with the charges procedures. We are taking instruction from the water industry commissioner about the level and nature of charging. One of the instructions that we have passed on to the commissioner is that he should seek to harmonise charging across Scotland over the charging period 2002-06.

I thank the minister for his comments and invite him to move the motion.

Motion moved,

That the Transport and the Environment Committee recommends that the Special Grant Report (No.4) and Guidance for Local Authorities: The Domestic Water and Sewerage Charges (Reduction) (Scotland) Regulations 2001 be approved.—[Ross Finnie.]

Motion agreed to.

As there are no further questions, I thank the minister and his officials. You were not too taxed this morning, but we will get you next time.

We are obliged.

I now crave the committee's indulgence in the interests of good time management. We cannot take the motion to annul the other statutory instrument before 10.30 am. However, we could deal with items 4 and 5 on the agenda if we brought those forward. That would save us holding back for 20 minutes. Is that agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

Item 4 is consideration of the Public Service Vehicles (Registration of Local Services) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2001 (SSI 2001/251). The appropriate covering note on the instrument has been circulated. The instrument was laid on 29 June 2001 and the regulations came into force on 1 July 2001. The order was laid under a negative procedure. The time limit for parliamentary action expires on 7 October 2001. The committee is required to report on the instrument by 1 October 2001.

SSI 2001/251 corrects an error to the principal regulations, SSI 2001/219. The committee considered those regulations on 5 September. Details are contained in the covering note.

Are all members agreed on the contents of the committee's report on the instrument?

Members indicated agreement.