Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 12 June 2024.
Rachael Hamilton
Conservative
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any implications for its budget and public sector finances, what assessment the finance secretary has made of how much revenue the visitor levy could generate for local authorities. (S6O-03560)
Shona Robison
Scottish National Party
As a visitor levy is a local tax, the level of revenue that it raises will depend, first, on whether a local authority decides to introduce a visitor levy and, secondly, on what percentage rate the local authority sets.
In the business and regulatory impact assessment that accompanied the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, the Scottish Government analysed a range of visitor levy percentage rates and what would be raised with them. As just one example, analysis indicates that if every local authority in Scotland were to introduce a visitor levy at 2 per cent, that would raise around £33.7 million.
Rachael Hamilton
Conservative
Some local authorities have, justifiably, chosen not to implement a visitor levy, due to the administrative costs that they would incur versus the income that they would generate. Can the Cabinet secretary confirm whether the Scottish Government has considered what would be the likely impact on a local council’s future funding settlement if it chose not to implement the visitor levy, in order to protect its financial situation?
Shona Robison
Scottish National Party
As I said at the start of my answer, as it is a local tax, the level of revenue from the levy will depend, first, on whether a local authority decides to introduce a visitor levy. There is no requirement on local authorities to do so. The bill is about our empowerment of local government with a range of fiscal levers, which I would have thought Rachael Hamilton would welcome.
If a local authority decides that it wishes to proceed with a levy, it is for that authority to decide the rate, and it has to carry out the assessment and consultation with local businesses and other stakeholders before proceeding, as is set out in the bill. Any revenue that is raised by the council through the levy will not impact on any of the local government funding that it otherwise receives—it will be additional revenue. I would have thought that Rachael Hamilton would welcome that, too.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
