Subordinate Legislation Committee, 28 Mar 2000

Meeting date: Tuesday, March 28, 2000

Official Report 122KB pdf

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Non-Domestic Rating (Unoccupied Property) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2000 (SSI 2000/55)

I believe that Fergus Ewing raised concerns about this instrument. Have you been satisfied by the Executive's response?

I would like to have been satisfied by the response; unfortunately, I am not. The Executive stated that its estimate of £1.5 billion from non-domestic rates is a projection; however, although I accept the Executive's point that projections cannot be absolutely precise, there still seems to be a surprising lack of precision about this figure.

I invite the Executive to consider the relevant pages in the two most recent versions of "Serving Scotland's Needs", both of which predict the rating revenue to the nearest million pounds. In this instrument, the Executive has predicted the revenue only to the nearest £500 million. Given the extraordinary importance and political sensitivity of the matter, such a discrepancy requires further explanation. I remain unsatisfied about why the Executive has departed from the methodology of projection used in "Serving Scotland's Needs" and would be grateful for further comment on the matter.

I agree with Fergus that we should ask about the methodology. Given that one group can produce more detailed projections, perhaps one method is right and the other wrong. Do we have time to do that?

The short answer is no.

So we draw the matter to the attention of the lead committee and the Parliament instead.

Although I accept Fergus Ewing's point that more accurate figures are available, we should not delay the instrument because of the explanatory note. The note provides only a context for the amount of non-domestic rates. I would have far preferred the figures to be more accurate; however, we could draw that point to the Executive's attention without delaying the orders.

Are members agreed to let the instrument proceed to the lead committee, while drawing due attention to the points that members have raised?

Members indicated agreement.