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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 19 March 2025
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Displaying 2095 contributions

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Public Audit Committee

“Scotland’s colleges 2023”

Meeting date: 26 October 2023

Willie Coffey

Thanks for that. What I am trying to get at, I suppose, is whether Ayrshire College is a bit more pessimistic about the future or whether the other colleges would have come up with similar forecasts and projections if they had embraced similar scenarios. I am trying to burrow in to find the answer to that. You said that Ayrshire College and Glasgow Kelvin College did this work but none of the others did. If the others did a similar level of forecasting, do you think that they would arrive at a similar picture?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 24 October 2023

Willie Coffey

The public would see the evidence of how their money is being spent, or will be spent in the coming years—is that what you are saying?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 24 October 2023

Willie Coffey

Thank you for your responses.

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 24 October 2023

Willie Coffey

Okay. That is clear.

Does Ben Edgar-Spier want to come in, convener?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 24 October 2023

Willie Coffey

Thank you. The second part of the question is this: how do we demonstrate the benefit? Fiona Campbell said that the levy has to be ring fenced so that it is clearly seen to be beneficial.

Stacey, do you want to come in, or do you want to respond to the previous question?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 24 October 2023

Willie Coffey

Good morning to everybody on the panel.

I want to look at the funds that could be raised through the scheme. Stacey Dingwall’s response to an earlier question touched on that. The bill makes it clear that the net proceeds of the scheme should be used for

“developing, supporting or sustaining facilities or services which are substantially for or used by persons visiting the scheme area for leisure purposes.”

Is that the correct approach? It does not specifically mention our business visitors to Scotland. Are they all correctly lumped into the same category? What are the potential on-going benefits that we should expect to see from the levy being deployed locally to develop those services? I will start with Stacey.

10:45  

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 24 October 2023

Willie Coffey

Frank, you also said in your earlier answer to one of the committee members that there needs to be more of a long-term plan, rather than an annual budgetary cycle. Will you expand on what you mean by that and on what the benefits of that would be?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 24 October 2023

Willie Coffey

Okay. Thanks very much, everybody, for those responses. Back to you, convener.

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 24 October 2023

Willie Coffey

Okay. Should the record-keeping, reporting and reviewing arrangements that are in the bill assist us by making it clear that the net revenues gained from the levy deliver the services that you are talking about? Stephen Young said that we might never see the benefit. Should it be clearer that the levy and the revenue that is gained from it by an authority is clearly being spent on delivering those services? Fiona Campbell said that we should ring fence it. Is it the view of the witnesses that we should be clearer about how we do that?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee [Draft]

Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 24 October 2023

Willie Coffey

Okay. David Weston, did you want to come back in?