Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested, however, my letter to the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee of 28 June 2023 provided an update on the health of the tourism sector drawn from indications taken from a number of reliable sources. This points to the outlook for Scotland’s tourism sector continuing to improve, with overseas visitor numbers almost recovering to pre-pandemic levels and accommodation occupancy rates increasing over the last year. While the macroeconomic environment is challenging, with the tourism sector being more greatly impacted than other sectors by staff shortages and the cost crisis that is reducing business confidence, there are also promising indications for recovery.

We want to see a thriving short-term let and self-catering sector in Scotland. I am therefore sorry to note that 766 self-catering businesses (around 4% of those registered to pay non-domestic rates) responded to the ASSC 48-hour poll in June indicating they were considering whether to leave the sector rather than apply for a short-term let licence. This regulation is leading the way in the UK, providing assurance to guests and visitors coming to Scotland that all short-term lets must now meet safety standards to operate. Responsible businesses are likely to already comply with the licensing conditions, many of which are existing legal requirements, and therefore a combination of wider factors are probably influencing numbers deciding to leave as well as invest in this sector. We will continue to work with stakeholders and monitor trends, as part of actions linked to our Scotland’s Outlook 2030 Strategy. We’ve also separately committed to provide implementation updates on licensing and, in 2024, will update the short-term let regulation business regulatory impact assessment.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19963 on 7 August 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19984 on 7 August 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19985 on 7 August 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

It is not possible to compare the current proposal with the previous one at this point. The Full Business Case is still under development and project timetable will be revised to reflect the impact of inflation, net zero carbon targets, plot change and updated clinical brief to align with national treatment targets.

National Treatment Centres (NTCs) require an appropriate mix of new and experienced staff to operate safely and efficiently. While initial modelling of projected workforce requirements was undertaken to inform earlier phases of our planning for the National Treatment Centre programme, detailed plans relating to the size and composition of the workforce for NTC Lothian will be developed by the Board and submitted to the Scottish Government as part of the wider planning and approval process for the site in operation.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19965 on 7 August 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19965 on 7 August 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19963 on 7 August 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19984 on 7 August 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers