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Gillian McNaught, do you have any comments from the Glasgow perspective regarding any concerns about the application process?

The committee has received written evidence that includes concerns that the licence application process can be unduly complex. Some people have talked about poorly designed online application processes, although I know that Ailsa Raeburn said that she is aware of people who have found the process fairly simple to complete.

Gary Somers, how do you respond to concerns that the application process is unduly complex? How do you view the process in comparison with other application processes relating to other licensing functions?

I want to direct a question to Fiona Campbell. You spoke earlier about the need for the Government to carry out a review. You have called, if the Government does not agree to that early review, for an urgent rewrite of the guidance. Would you like the opportunity to put on the record what you feel the reasons are for a rewrite, and what you would like to see in revised guidance?

My second question is about the concerns that we have heard from local authorities and public sector partners—such as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service—that are involved in the application process. They do not have the necessary resources to process applications quickly. Gary Somers touched on the issue of profiling and the fact that spending on staff might now be out of sync with the possible six-month delay to the deadline for getting a licence.

My question is for Gillian McNaught and then Gary Somers. How are your authorities covering their costs at the moment? Should the Government look at that if it plans to implement a six-month delay that will have a knock-on impact on the income that you would expect to receive to cover those costs?

Thank you. I hand back to the convener.

Thank you.

I want to talk about how in-year transfers from other Government portfolios are viewed and treated by local government. Central Government contends that in-year transfers are part of the general revenue grants that councils have full discretion over and autonomy to spend as they see fit. What is your view on in-year transfers from other portfolios? What reporting mechanisms are attached to those and what restrictions are there on how you can use them?

I will ask an academic question. Directors of finance have been clear about the gap in the budget in relation to the demands that they are facing and what central Government is providing. What figure can you put on what you would need to increase council tax by in each of your authorities in order to make up that shortfall?

I know that it would never be imposed, which is why I said that the question was academic, but I am still interested to know what the increase would need to be to cover it.

My question is about future savings targets. We have seen some local authorities producing plans showing where they expect to make savings. They are coming to pretty tough decisions: one example would be Glasgow, which proposed making savings on teacher numbers. Then there was a Government intervention that essentially said that that would be blocked. How can local authorities plan for achievable savings targets if there is the potential for Government to step in and say that it does not like that and will not let councils do that?