Chamber and committees

The UK immigration system should meet the needs of the whole of the UK and we are pressing the Home Office to ensure that the distinct needs of Scotland are taken into account. We are also working with colleagues at the UK Border Agency to ensure more is done to inform Scottish-based organisers and promoters about immigration systems and regulations, and to provide support and advice where possible.

Our Relocation Advisory Service (RAS) aims to assist and advise those who wish to live and work in Scotland, including those from the cultural sector. They seek to create a seamless service that streamlines UK, Scotland and local public services to make things easier for people to move to this country to live and work. The welcoming package includes information on living and working in Scotland, cultural networks, information on diversity and equality issues, where to seek employment, accommodation and healthcare and provides information on immigration issues such as work permits and visas. People are able to contact RAS via the website at www.scotlandistheplace.com, by telephone or, if they are in Glasgow, through a face-to-face meeting.

The Scottish Government has today published a consultation document to help inform the development of a prospective Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill.

This will contribute to securing sustainable economic activity, especially in the countryside, by ensuring that wildlife and natural environment legislation is efficient, effective and proportionate.

The consultation seeks views on options to modernise legislation which deals with a range of wildlife and natural environment policy areas including deer management, invasive non-native species, game law and muirburn. The broad purpose of the consultation is to develop proposals which will modernise outdated statute, address anomalies and weaknesses in current provision, thereby making it more efficient and effective, and enhance the sustainable management of the natural environment for the public interest.

The deadline for responses to the consultation is Friday 4 September 2009. Once the views expressed in consultation have been assessed, the Scottish Government''s current intention is to introduce a Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill to the Parliament at a suitable opportunity.

Further information about the consultation, and a link to the consultation document, can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Consultations/Current

Copies of the consultation document have also been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 48318).

Highlands and Islands Enterprise, our key economic development agency, has been in recent discussion with RBG Ltd and has arranged further meetings to review the company''s current trading position and to offer any assistance that might be possible.

Skills Development Scotland, in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, have contacted RBG Fabricators Ltd to offer advice and support through Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE).

We have continued to invest in PACE to maximise the work the partners can do with employers and employee representatives to minimise job losses but where redundancies do occur partners take action to co-ordinate activities to support people back into employment or training as quickly as possible.

We are not aware of any grounds for such a review.

We have no plans to review the operations of the Cromarty Firth Port Authority, which has confirmed that it is not experiencing any job losses at present.

We have no plans to intervene in the Port Authority''s decision not to renew a one year licence to Port Services (Invergordon) Ltd, for a site adjacent to the port entrance.

Trust ports are independent statutory bodies established under their own local legislation and responsible for their own activity and operations. Existing trust port guidelines encourage consultation and engagement with local communities and stakeholders, reflecting the important contribution that trust ports make to local and regional economies. Although the Scottish Government has no plans to review the working of the trust port sector, the guidelines for trust ports are kept under continual review.

I acknowledge the Callander report as a useful and learned examination of the constitutional position of the Crown Estate. As the Member is aware we are carrying forward the National Conversation on Scotland''s constitutional position. Until this wider debate concludes, I am happy to support increased accountability by the Crown Estate to the Scottish Parliament.

Non-domestic rates are a property based tax calculated using the rateable value of a property, which is set by the Scottish Assessors, who are independent of the Scottish Government, and a poundage rate which is set annually by Scottish ministers. There are no current plans to change this system.

Non-domestic rates could, in principle be determined in a range of different ways. The current system is a property-based tax which takes into account various factors, including land rental values where appropriate. The Scottish Government has no plans to reform the current system.