Subordinate Legislation

Remit and Membership

Remit:

To consider and report on the Scottish economy, enterprise, energy, tourism and all other matters falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth apart from those covered by the remits of the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change and the Local Government and Communities Committees.

Membership:

Tavish Scott (Convener)
Brian Adam (Deputy Convener)
Gavin Brown
Christopher Harvie
Marilyn Livingstone
Lewis Macdonald
Dave Thompson
David Whitton

Committee Clerking Team:

Clerk to the Committee
Stephen Imrie

Senior Assistant Clerk
Katy Orr

Assistant Clerk
Gail Grant

Subordinate Legislation

The Committee reports to the Parliament as follows—

1. At its meeting on 5 March 2008, the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee considered the following affirmative instruments—

• the draft Renewables Obligation (Scotland) Amendment Order 2008;
• and the draft Official Statistics (Scotland) Order 2008.

2. The Committee’s deliberations and recommendations on each of these are as follows.

The draft Official Statistics (Scotland) Order 2008

3. Jim Mather MSP (Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism) moved motion S3M-01275—

that the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee recommends that the draft Renewables Obligation (Scotland) Amendment Order 2008 be approved.

4. During the debate, the Committee sought clarification from the Minister on the amendments to Schedule 1 (amount of the renewables obligation) introduced by this Order, particularly as to what changes have been made to the percentages of tidal and wave requirement as a proportion of the total obligation compared with the Renewable Obligation (Scotland) Order 2007. The Committee encourages the Minister to provide this information during any debate in the Chamber on this Order.

5. After debate, the motion was agreed to (by division: For 6, Against 1, Abstentions 0). Accordingly, the Committee recommends that the draft Renewables Obligation (Scotland) Amendment Order 2008 be approved.

The draft Official Statistics (Scotland) Order 2008

6. Jim Mather MSP (Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism) moved motion S3M-01375—

that the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee recommends that the draft Official Statistics (Scotland) Order 2008 be approved.

7. Members of the Committee raised points and questions in relation to notification periods for the provision of statistics to the Scottish ministers before their public release and the proposed future developments in the Scottish Government in relation to national statistics.