Committee
Rural Affairs and Environment Committee, 01 Oct 2008
01 Oct 2008 · S3 · Rural Affairs and Environment Committee
Item of business
Budget Process 2009-10
My understanding is that Scotland has signed up to meeting the 2010 and 2013 targets, so responsibility lies with Parliament for ensuring that the targets are met. There are clear penalties if we do not meet them. Given that local authorities are the prime agencies for doing that, we have to scrutinise the Government's actions and make sure that there is a lock-safe system for meeting the targets effectively. In that context, saying that you are having discussions with local authorities is probably not sufficient from the committee's point of view. We want to see the outcomes of those discussions and to compare them with what Audit Scotland has identified as problems.Audit Scotland's report highlighted that, as we moved up the percentages and the targets got tighter, they got significantly more difficult and expensive to achieve, and that different local authorities were at different stages of implementation. I am keen to hear from you not just an assurance that the discussions are taking place with local authorities, and not just statements of good intent in the single outcome agreements, but clear plans of action from each local authority showing the actions that they will use to achieve not just the 2010 target but the more stringent 2013 target, which seems to be more urgent.Just meeting the 2010 target is insufficient. By 2010, we will require a clear indication that the Government is in a good place to meet the 2013 target. I want you to provide information on how your budget allocations are going to achieve the pragmatic outcomes by 2010 that will leave us in a good place to meet the 2013 target.
In the same item of business
The Convener:
SNP
Agenda item 3 is the budget process 2009-10. I welcome the Scottish Government officials and again welcome Jan Polley. Peter Russell is the Scottish Governme...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con):
Con
Good morning, everyone.The first thing that struck me about the draft budget and the Scottish Parliament information centre briefing note on it that we recei...
Peter Russell (Scottish Government Rural Directorate):
There is provision for the new entrants scheme in the rural development contracts element of the Scottish rural development programme budget. I understand th...
John Scott:
Con
What will the funding level be?
Peter Russell:
The indicative funding is £10 million over the seven-year period of the SRDP.
John Scott:
Con
How much a year does that equate to?
Peter Russell:
Around £1.5 million, if the funding is averaged over seven years.
John Scott:
Con
Okay.A reduction of £4.7 million in European Union support and related services is mentioned on page 15 of the SPICe briefing. What will that reduction impac...
Peter Russell:
We know in advance what the European funding will be, but I am not clear what the reduction will be.
John Scott:
Con
The SPICe paper says that there will be a reduction of £4.7 million in EU support and related services and that the largest reduction in the rural affairs an...
The Convener:
SNP
The member is referring to the SPICe briefing on the 2009-10 draft budget, which was published on 18 September.
John Scott:
Con
I am sorry that I cannot refer to the budget line.
Peter Russell:
I may need to come back to the committee on that matter.
John Scott:
Con
On a point of information, at what rate was the pound fixed against the euro? Am I correct that that was to be done on 29 September? I declare an interest as...
Peter Russell:
It was done on 29 or 30 September, so the rate is fresh. I do not have the figure in my head, but we calculated all the figures on the basis of 1.46. We will...
John Scott:
Con
Will the figure be published soon?
Peter Russell:
Yes.
John Scott:
Con
The paragraph second from the bottom of page 86 of the draft budget document says that it will be"impossible to establish a full flow of grant applications a...
Peter Russell:
The European financial period started on 1 January 2007, and the plan was for the European Union to have everything approved and in place for then. However, ...
John Scott:
Con
Are our farmers, crofters and food producers disadvantaged by that lateness in payment?
Peter Russell:
Yes.
John Scott:
Con
Can anything be done to make the payments available earlier?
Peter Russell:
Yes. The funding is expressed as £1.6 billion over seven years. It is not essential that the money be spent in equal tranches in each of the seven years, and...
John Scott:
Con
Thank you. Convener, I have a lot more questions, but I had better let somebody else have a shot.
Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
I will start on marine management, so my questions are probably for Mike Neilson. Last year, the provision in the budget for the marine bill and all that flo...
Mike Neilson (Scottish Government Marine Directorate):
The committee's report on last year's budget placed a question mark about how much of that money could be spent and what it could be spent on. The report als...
Peter Peacock:
Lab
Thank you—that was very helpful. You have characterised what is going on this year, and you suggest that, because of flexibility in the budget, you have been...
Mike Neilson:
I think that we will be able to maintain that. Some pieces of expenditure are one-offs: for example, supporting e-log books will be a one-off expenditure. Fo...
Peter Peacock:
Lab
I want to move on to other questions, but I think that Liam McArthur wants to come in.
Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD):
LD
Some of my questions, especially in relation to fuel, have been anticipated in the responses, but another marine issue that has been grabbing the headlines o...