Chamber and committees

Officials use a wide range of economic forecasts by independent organisations to advise on developments in the global, UK and Scottish economies. Updates are reported as advice to Ministers.

The Office of the Chief Economic Adviser uses the full range of official statistics to measure the performance of the Scottish economy. An assessment, the State of the Economy report, is published on the Scottish Government website on a regular basis.

Official government statistics produced by the Scottish Government are subject to a continuing program of methodological development. Methodology is regularly peer reviewed by the Scottish Economic Statistics Consultants Group (SESCG) and a range of other stakeholders including industry bodies, academics and other UK Government Departments such as the Office for National Statistics.

The number of meetings of the Nations and Regions Group for Members and Co-ordinators are listed below. The Scottish Government has a representative on each and the number of meetings attended by those officials is shown in the following table.

Notes:

1. Scottish Government co-ordinator representative not appointed at time of meeting.

2. No information available to confirm attendance at one meeting.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-001043 on 18 July 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-001043 on 18 July 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-00824 on 18 July 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/Apps2/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The scheduling of valuation appeal hearings is a matter for each local independent Valuation Appeal Committee (VAC). However, it is a statutory requirement that all valuation appeals against the 2010 revaluation must be disposed of by the Committees before 30 December 2013.

The majority of outstanding appeals are anticipated to be resolved during 2011-12.

The Scottish Government has an obligation under community and national legislation to undertake inspections of holdings which maintain livestock. The inspections are carried out by Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate staff who ensure compliance with the keeper requirements.

In relation to sheep this includes a sample of individual sheep to ensure compliance with tagging requirements. This can include sheep born or identified after 31 December 2009 which require to be either fully electronically identified, or identified with a single electronic tag (known as a slaughter tag and applicable for sheep intended for slaughter within 12 months of birth).

The inspection procedure also includes a full head count of all sheep on a keepers holding to validate the keepers records and accuracy of movements being reported to the national database. The record check confirms that the sheep keeper is maintaining a holding register containing all the legislative information required.

Errors or omissions discovered at a sheep inspection require the Scottish Government to assess the level of non compliance and take the necessary measures to ensure that the regulations applicable are implemented.

The Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate aim to take a pragmatic approach to findings of non compliance, while ensuring that the penalties provided for are effective, proportionate and persuasive. The inspection of livestock records and animal ear tags form a part of all livestock inspections.

The penalty regime which applies to farmers and crofters covering breaches of sheep identification and traceability is unchanged. Payment reductions under the cross compliance regime are applicable for holding register discrepancies and tagging errors. Payment reductions will not be applied where discrepancies are as a result of technical limitations, which includes electronic identification equipment

The introduction of the requirement for sheep keepers to include individual EID information in the flock registers has initiated discussions with Commission officials. The discussions will clarify what possibilities exist for leniency within the cross compliance penalty framework for farmers and crofters that are identified at inspection as have missing individual identifier details in their on farm holding registers. Scottish Government is pushing the Commission very hard on this issue with frequent communications taking place with the aim being to ensure a fair and proportionate penalty for keepers who flout the sheep legislation, but does not penalise the sheep keeper who is attempting to adhere to the rules.

Farmers and crofters selected for inspection, with livestock maintained on a common grazing land, are subject to the same inspection procedure regarding verification of livestock records and animal ear tags as keepers that do not maintain livestock on common grazing land. Scottish Government has not plans to change this position.

Cattle inspections are carried out by Rural Payments and Inspectorate staff who always take the welfare of cattle into account while conducting the physical inspection. In the situation where cows are at the point of calving, the inspector has the discretion to postpone the physical inspection, therefore avoiding a potential animal welfare situation.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-00824 on 18 July 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/Apps2/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx.