Seòmar agus comataidhean

Blyth Deans mentioned ring fencing, so I will bring in Miles Briggs on partnership between local government and the Scottish Government.

That is quite an important point. Willie, you wanted to come in with a question.

Carol Calder, I noticed that you wanted to come in a few minutes ago. Do you want to pick up on a theme that we were talking about earlier?

I have another quick question about ring fencing and drip-feed funding. I am keen to hear your views on lump-sum funding versus drip-feed funding. The issue is coming up again. I am aware that some smaller local authorities in particular feel the burden on officers’ time of continuous funding allocations throughout the year from the Scottish Government, and feel the burden in areas that involve significant statutory duties and ring fencing, such as education. What impact could larger start-of-year lump-sum funding have on local authorities’ ability to plan effectively?

The first item on our agenda today is to decide whether to take item 3 in private. Item 3 is an opportunity for us to consider the evidence we have heard from the Accounts Commission. Are we all agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

Thank you, Antony. That is really helpful and I am sure, as you have said, that more will come out with other questions that we are going to ask you. I want to ask a bit about the Accounts Commission and its relationship with the new cohort of councillors, so I will come back to Bill Moyes initially.

I am curious to know what engagement the Accounts Commission has had so far with the new cohort. For example, are training or seminars provided for new councillors, particularly those who have specific finance remits?

Thanks, convener. Good morning, Lord Bonomy. It is good to meet you.

In an Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee evidence session in 2017, you stated that, in general, 20 per cent or more of foxes that are disturbed by hunts through flushing are actually killed by hounds, and you expressed your opinion that

“reducing”

the number of hounds

“to two would ... bring the practice of flushing to guns to an end. That change would, I think, mean the end of hunting as we see it at the moment.”—[Official Report, Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee, 28 March 2017; c 12.]

Will you explain why you believe that to be true?

Can you clarify what you mean when you say that two hounds would be “a step too far for the body”?

Thank you.

How does the proposed SI relate to the common framework on plant health? For example, are the decision-making fora and processes established by the common framework being used for import checks on plant products, and will they be used for the annual review of the frequency of checks?