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Showing 60 of 2,096,228 contributions. Latest 30 days: 3,758. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 11 Jun 2026.
Iain Smith LD Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
Will the member take an intervention?
Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD) LD Chamber
17 Mar 2011
Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
I have some concerns about amendment 15, on which I seek clarification from the minister and from Ted Brocklebank. They relate, in particular, to subsection (4)(b) of proposed new section 131A of the 2006 act.Ted Brocklebank has rightly highlighted the concerns that the indige...
Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD) LD Chamber
16 Mar 2011
“Low Carbon Scotland: Meeting the Emissions Reductions Targets 2010-2022—Report on Proposals and Policies”
The minister made a great deal of there being no proposed amendments or recommendations for additional policies and proposals. However, the problem is not a shortage of policies, proposals, plans or strategies, but a lack of clear identification of how we will implement any of...
Iain Smith LD Chamber
03 Mar 2011
First Minister’s Question Time · Enterprise Network
The Government’s reforms of the enterprise and skills agencies were meant to declutter the landscape. However, the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee’s inquiry found that, since the reforms, there is a more complex set of governance arrangements and that a lack of clarity a...
Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD) LD Chamber
03 Mar 2011
First Minister’s Question Time · Enterprise Network
6. To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government considers that Scotland’s enterprise network is meeting its economic growth objectives and represents value for public money. (S3F-2943)
Iain Smith LD Chamber
03 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · Fisheries (Firth of Forth)
I am sure that the cabinet secretary will be aware that a clear, dedicated quota for the hand-line mackerel fishery in the east neuk of Fife would assist in ensuring the economic sustainability of that community without impacting significantly on the overall mackerel quota tha...
Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD) LD Chamber
03 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · Fisheries (Firth of Forth)
10. To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to support the development of the hand-line mackerel and sprat fisheries in the Firth of Forth. (S3O-13191)
Iain Smith LD Chamber
03 Mar 2011
“Session 3 reports of the Public Audit Committee—key themes”
Let me finish my sentence, Presiding Officer. It is usually years before such debts are written off by a public body; that does not happen immediately. The Government must explain why the loans were written off so rapidly. It seems to have got its priorities wrong.10:51
Iain Smith LD Chamber
03 Mar 2011
“Session 3 reports of the Public Audit Committee—key themes”
I think that the member misses my point, which is that the awards have come to the committee because attention was drawn to it through its persistence in prising out information that it should have got right away. It should not have to prise out such information and should not...
Iain Smith LD Chamber
03 Mar 2011
“Session 3 reports of the Public Audit Committee—key themes”
I will just finish this point, then I will let the member in.I was particularly concerned that in the report on the First ScotRail passenger rail franchise the committee had to make fairly strong recommendations and express its concern about being“given incomplete or incorrect...
Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD) LD Chamber
03 Mar 2011
“Session 3 reports of the Public Audit Committee—key themes”
I apologise to those who will speak in the closing part of the debate because I, too, have a prior engagement and will not be here. School pupils from my constituency are visiting the Parliament and I am hosting a meeting with them.This will probably be the last opportunity fo...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
That concludes the final meeting of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee 2007 to 2011.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
This was the minister’s last appearance before this committee—and, possibly, any committee of the Parliament—before his retiral. I wish him the best of health and a long and happy retirement.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
We move on to consideration of motion S3M-7872, on the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) Amendment Order 2011.Motion moved,That the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee recommends that the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) Amendment Order 2011 be approved.—Jim Mather.Motion agr...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
I am not sure whether the Adam Smith quotation was a condemnation of businessmen or a condemnation of the game of golf.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
There seems to be a difference between the evidence base suggested by Renewables UK and that suggested in the Ernst & Young report. What assessment has the Government made of those two evidence bases to determine whether either or both are right—or wrong?
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
Thank you for your opening remarks. The committee has received a written response from Scottish Renewables on the order. It generally welcomes the order, but it raises concerns, stating that“the Scottish Government has not acted upon our suggestion to increase tidal stream sup...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
Item 7 is another affirmative order. I invite the minister to introduce his new team and to make opening remarks.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
The clerks and I will prepare a short factual report to submit to the Parliament, indicating our approval of the motion.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
There being no further questions, we move on to the next item, which is formal consideration of motion S3M-7800, in the minister’s name.Motion moved,That the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee recommends that the Energy Act 2008 (Storage of Carbon Dioxide) (Scotland) Regula...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
I am not sure that anyone would want to be steeped in CO2.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
So in your view, there is no risk that someone may apply for a licence to store onshore and be able to appeal a refusal successfully on the ground that the licence application was predetermined.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
Thank you for your opening remarks. I will begin with an obvious question. Why do you require a licensing regime for an activity that you say that you will not permit to happen?
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
The final items relate to two affirmative instruments. I will get my notes in the right order. First, we will take oral evidence from the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism on the draft Energy Act 2008 (Storage of Carbon Dioxide) (Scotland) Regulations. I ask him to i...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
I suspend the meeting until 12 o’clock, when we will have a discussion with the minister on a number of affirmative instruments.11:43 Meeting suspended. 12:00 On resuming—
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
We have a cover note from the clerks on these regulations, on which the Subordinate Legislation Committee has raised no points. If members have no comments, I propose that we make no recommendations. Are we agreed?Members indicated agreement.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
Again, we have a note from the clerks on these regulations. The Subordinate Legislation Committee considered them yesterday and had nothing to report. If members have no comments, do we agree that the committee has no recommendation to make on the regulations?Members indicated...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
As it is a negative SSI, we do not have to produce a report on it. It will simply be covered in the minutes.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
Point noted. Do members agree that the committee has no comments to make on the order?Members indicated agreement.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
Do members have any comments?
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
Item 4 is consideration of a number of negative Scottish statutory instruments. We have a cover note from the clerks on this revocation order, which the Subordinate Legislation Committee discussed yesterday. Did that committee have any issues that it wished to raise with us?
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
Thank you for your interesting contributions to the committee’s work over the past four years. I also thank Wendy Alexander, who is also stepping down. She has certainly had a major impact on the work of the committee.Whether the rest of us will be here is in the hands of othe...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
Given that this is, I hope, our last meeting, I want to take this opportunity to say a few brief words of thanks. I have thoroughly enjoyed my nearly three years as convener of what is a very hard-working committee. I appreciate the co-operation that I have received from all m...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
If there are no other comments, I ask the committee to agree that the final version of the legacy paper be circulated by correspondence for final agreement and that I have the ultimate responsibility of signing it off with the clerks.Members indicated agreement.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
Indeed.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
That would have to be clarified. Given, though, that the issue has important implications for the economy in general and tourism in particular, it is legitimate for this committee to examine it. I accept that certain infrastructure issues might fall within the remit of other c...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
That is another point. With regard to broadband, the whole issue of 3G—or even 4G—connectivity needs to be part of the overall review. Indeed, yesterday, people in the tourism businesses stressed to me the difficulties that are faced by travellers using iPhones, iPads and equi...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
I agree. I was going to suggest that we add renewable heat, combined heat and power and energy efficiency as things that the committee needs to keep an eye on. We have pressed the Government to act on those three issues, but we have not been satisfied by the Government’s speed...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
Slightly wider still would be the issue of social enterprises and how they are supported and developed.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
That is another issue.11:30
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
Another issue that has come up on a number of occasions is superfast broadband. We might want to highlight to our successor committee that it should look at how Scotland is preparing for superfast broadband—or not, as the case may be.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
Yes, that is probably worth putting in.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
Okay. Does anyone have any comments on the issues in the “Looking forward” section, which spans two pages? I suggest that we do not recommend that our successor committee carry out post-legislative scrutiny of the Arbitration (Scotland) Act 2010. I was not around for the commi...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
On the merits of post-inquiry review, I think that we should highlight in our legacy paper how valuable it is to make regular requests to the Government to update the responses that it has given to our committee reports. That practice has proved extremely valuable and has ensu...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
That may not be something that we will have to worry about in the next session, but it is certainly an issue for the one after.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
It is probably important to stress that we have found the fact-finding visits to be of extreme value to the committee’s work, because there might be a slight risk in the current economic climate that a hair-shirt approach will be taken, which would reduce the effectiveness of ...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
I understand the point that you are making. My point is that if we have such large ministerial remits, things will fall to the committees that consider anything under those remits. There has to be some reference to the subject matter of the committee, not just the minister’s r...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
That is a decision for the Parliament in the next session. We just need to highlight the matters that were referred to this committee. The census, which we do not mention specifically in the report, is probably better placed with something like the Equal Opportunities Committe...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
That is a fair point. I do not think that this committee has suffered from legislative overload, although it has suffered from getting legislation that is not relevant to our committee’s remit. That is another issue that we might want to talk about under the “Breadth of remit ...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
Yes. I think that we will go with chronological order. It might be worth putting in the dates on which they were considered, just for completeness.We turn to page 2. I do not think that there are any comments on “Lessons learned” or “Looking forward”. Do members want to cover ...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
There is some shorthand in the draft paper. I do not think that we put the full title of the inquiries in. The banking inquiry was not just about banking; it had a full title, which we can put in the paper, which explains a bit more what it was about.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
We are trying to be helpful, Chris.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
Lewis Macdonald looks delighted at the opportunity of making the point in the paper that the Scottish economy has fallen over a cliff in the past four years.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Legacy Paper
Item 3 is our legacy paper. The clerks have produced an outline paper that covers the key issues that we feel should be covered, along with extensive annexes that include the latest updates from the Government on our various reports during the past session. I propose that we a...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Annual Report
That will be added. As there are no further comments, do we agree to approve the draft report, subject to those changes?Members indicated agreement.
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Annual Report
I think that we can get those changes in and stay within the word limit. Are there any comments on page 3?
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
Annual Report
Item 2 is our draft annual report, which members have before them. It follows the required format. I believe that there is a limit to the size that it can be, so—a bit like the budget—if you want to put anything into it, you have to take something out as well.We shall go throu...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
International Trade (Scottish Development International)
That concludes our questions. I thank Ed Payne and Anne MacColl for coming along this morning. I am sure that our successor committee, whatever it might be, will keep a watching brief on the issue. As part of our legacy paper, we will recommend that it does so.11:10 Meeting su...
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
International Trade (Scottish Development International)
I will conclude by welcoming your report to the committee on increasing our overseas footprint. That report is clearly a direct result of the committee’s inquiry. How will it change the way in which we operate on the ground?
The Convener LD Committee
02 Mar 2011
International Trade (Scottish Development International)
One of the issues is that it is harder to get finance from the banks for such schemes than it might have been three or four years ago. Could the Scottish Investment Bank play a role in helping companies to develop internationally?
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Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 17 March 2011

17 Mar 2011 · S3 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
Smith, Iain LD North East Fife Watch on SPTV
Will the member take an intervention?

In the same item of business

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Trish Godman) Lab
The next item of business is stage 3 proceedings on the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Bill. In dealing with amendments, members should have the bill as a...
The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab
Group 1 is on minor and technical amendments. Amendment 3, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 4 to 6 and 11 to 14.
The Minister for Housing and Communities (Alex Neil) SNP
The amendments in this group are minor drafting amendments that make slight changes to the wording of a few sections in order to clarify some expressions, re...
The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab
I call Ted Brocklebank.
Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con
I am sorry, but I did not ask to speak on this group.
The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab
I am sorry about that. Your name came up on the screen.Amendment 3 agreed to.Section 8—Disqualification orders for unregistered landlordsAmendment 4 moved—Al...
The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab
Group 2 is on refusal to consider an application for a licence to operate a house in multiple occupation. Amendment 7, in the name of the minister, is groupe...
Alex Neil SNP
The amendments relate to the proposed power for a local authority to refuse to consider an application for an HMO licence when it considers that use of the p...
Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab) Lab
It is important to draw that distinction and clarify that a refusal to consider a licence application is not a refusal of the licence. Will the minister conf...
Alex Neil SNP
I confirm that landlords cannot operate an HMO until they receive a licence to do so.Amendments 9 and 10 are consequential and remove provisions that amendme...
The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab
Group 3 is on the suitability of living accommodation for an HMO licence. Amendment 1, in the name of Pauline McNeill, is the only amendment in the group.
Pauline McNeill Lab
Amendment 1 deals with a continuing issue about which the Local Government and Communities Committee heard evidence. It relates to HMOs in which rooms have b...
Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP) SNP
On amendment 1, I sympathise with Pauline McNeill’s views, as I did at stage 1. I also recognise the public nuisance provision in the 2006 act.I thank the mi...
Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD) LD
I very strongly support Pauline McNeill’s amendment 1. I understand the point about section 17, but I do not feel that it deals with the issue in a satisfact...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green) Green
I would like to support Pauline McNeill’s amendment 1, but I wonder whether she could address one or two issues in her closing speech. We all know that her c...
Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab) Lab
I, too, have been lobbied by many organisations, both within and outside my constituency. For the avoidance of doubt, I put my mind to the point that Patrick...
Alex Neil SNP
We are all trying to achieve the same objective. The issue is the best way to achieve it. As Pauline McNeill stated, her amendment 1 would introduce subdivis...
Pauline McNeill Lab
I recognise the work that Alex Neil has done to make the bill better, but if I had been given a penny every time I heard a minister say at the last minute at...
The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab
I take it that you wish to press amendment 1.
Pauline McNeill Lab
Yes, I am happy to press it.
The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab
The question is, that amendment 1 be agreed to. Are we agreed?Members: No.
The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab
There will be a five-minute suspension followed by the division.15:20 Meeting suspended. 15:25 On resuming—
The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP
We come to the division on amendment 1.ForAdam, Brian (Aberdeen North) (SNP) Aitken, Bill (Glasgow) (Con) Alexander, Ms Wendy (Paisley North) (Lab) Allan, Al...
The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP
The result of the division is: For 119, Against 0, Abstentions 0.Amendment 1 agreed to.
The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP
Group 4 is on refusal to grant an HMO licence: overprovision. Amendment 15, in the name of Ted Brocklebank, is the only amendment in the group.
Ted Brocklebank Con
In speaking to amendment 15, I pay tribute to Suscoms—Sustainable Communities (Scotland)—which first alerted the Public Petitions Committee to a variety of p...
Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind) Ind
I want to say how much I appreciate amendment 15; I congratulate Ted Brocklebank on lodging it. We will sorely miss him, but the amendment will be a good tes...
Ted Brocklebank Con
I am very grateful to Margo MacDonald for her kind words.I draw members’ attention to the situation in St Andrews, which I may have mentioned before. The cor...
Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD) LD
I have some concerns about amendment 15, on which I seek clarification from the minister and from Ted Brocklebank. They relate, in particular, to subsection ...
Patrick Harvie Green
I have more serious concerns about amendment 15 than I had about amendment 1. Perhaps it would be unfortunate to interpret what Ted Brocklebank said in this ...