Wednesday, April 19: Today's political diary

Scottish Parliament

Today’s business includes:

• Portfolio Questions: Rural Affairs and Islands; Health and Social Care
• Ministerial Statement: Challenge to the UK Government’s Section 35 Order on the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill
• Scottish Government Debate: Managing Scotland’s Finances and Working with Business to Drive our Wellbeing Economy
• Decision Time
• Members’ Business: S6M-07967 Healthy Ageing in Scotland (in the name of Alexander Stewart)

The following Committees are meeting this morning:

• Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
• Economy and Fair Work Committee
• Criminal Justice Committee
• Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

UK Parliament

Today’s business includes:

• Prime Minister’s Question Time
• Legislation: Finance (No.2) Bill: Consideration In Committee (Day 2)
• Westminster Hall debate: Food security and farming
• Westminster Hall debate: Asbestos in workplaces
• Oral Questions (Lords): Assessments for applying the same rate of VAT to building repairs and maintenance as to the construction of new homes
• Oral Questions (Lords): Increase in arms supplies to Ukraine in view of the possible Ukrainian offensive
• Legislation (Lords): Carer’s Leave Bill – committee stage
• Legislation (Lords): Online Safety Bill – committee stage (day 1)
• Grand Committee Orders and regulations: Amendments of the Law (Resolution of Silicon Valley Bank UK Limited) Order 2023
• Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee – Private meeting
• Work and Pensions Committee – Oral evidence, private discussion on the Plan for Jobs and employment support
• Home Affairs Committee – Oral evidence session on Human Trafficking
• International Trade Committee – Oral evidence session on The work of the Department for International Trade
• European Scrutiny Committee – Private meeting
• Environmental Audit Committee – Oral evidence session on Environmental change and food security

Aberdeenshire Council

No scheduled business

Aberdeen City Council

Today’s business includes:

• Local Review Body of Aberdeen City Council

News/Funding/Consultations

• NEW: Consultation: Council tax on second and empty homes/Non-domestic rates. The Scottish Government is consulting on proposals to assist councils in making the best use of existing housing in their areas. This includes managing the numbers of short-term lets, second and long-term empty homes, where these are causing issues. This consultation focuses on a number of potential changes to taxation policy in order to aid this management. For more information, or to respond to the consultation, please click here. The closing date for responses is 11^th July.
• Consultation: Aberdeen City Council Street Trader Policy Consultation 2023. The south end of Aberdeen Beach (Fittie) has become increasingly popular with food trucks with an eclectic range of food options currently available. In March, Aberdeen City Council deferred a number of applications for new food truck licences at the Beach as a result of concerns around overcrowding and litter. If all new (current) applications are approved, this will increase the number of food trucks to 26. Before a decision is made, Aberdeen City Council committed to holding a public consultation to gather a range of views from those potentially affected. For more information, or to respond to the consultation, please click here. The closing date for responses is 28 April.
• Consultation: National Event Strategy review and refresh – Scotland: the perfect stage. Scotland’s national events strategy was first published in 2008 in response to Scotland’ burgeoning potential as a global leader in the events industry. Although Scotland has had many successes under the current strategy the events sector has recently faced a period of unprecedented disruption and challenges and therefore it is being reviewed and updated. For more information, or to respond to the consultation, please click here. The closing date for responses is 30^th June.
• Consultation: Prescribing the minimum annual number of learning hours. Traditionally, Scottish primary schools provide around 25 learning hours per week, and Scottish secondary schools around 27.5 hours per week. However, while local authorities are required to have their schools open for 190 days each year, the number of learning hours is not prescribed. The Scottish Government is now consulting on whether there should be a legal minimum number of hours of school education that pupils should receive every year. For more information, or to respond to the consultation, please click here. The closing date for responses is 13^th June.
• Consultation: Amendments to the Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is consulting on proposals to amend the current payment practice legislation. A recent statutory review identified an ongoing need to ensure greater compliance in terms of prompt payment and to increase awareness of the performance of large businesses in this area. For more information, or to respond to the consultation, please click here. Closing date for responses is 28^th April.
• Consultation: Ending the sale of peat in Scotland. As part of the recently adopted National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), the Scottish Government have stated their intention to ban the sale of peat and related products as the first stage of their commitment to phase out its use in horticulture. They are now consulting on the proposed timetables and the impacts of doing this. For more information, or to respond to the consultation, please click here. The closing date for responses is 12^th May.
• DEADLINE APPROACHING: Consultation: International Culture Strategy: Survey. The Scottish Government has committed to developing a strategy to support the international aspirations and potential of Scotland’s culture sector. The Strategy will focus on the motivations of culture sector stakeholders in working internationally, while recognising that such work has wider impacts on Scotland’s international reputation and relationships. For more information or to respond to the consultation, please click here. The closing date for responses is 26^th April.
• Consultation: Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan. The draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan sets a vision for Scotland's energy system to 2045 and a route map of ambitions and actions that, coupled with detailed sectoral plans and the forthcoming Climate Change Plan, will guide decision-making and policy support over the course of this decade. For more information or to respond to the consultation, please click here. The closing date for responses is 9^th May.
• DEADLINE APPROACHING: Consultation: Community Wealth Building. Community Wealth Building (CWB) is an approach designed to tackle long-standing economic challenges and transform Scotland’s local and regional economies by considering the ways in which the public sector, in partnership with the private, third and community sectors, can ensure more wealth is generated, circulated and retained in communities and localities. In short, CWB is focused on growing the influence communities have on the economy and ensuring communities receive more of the benefits from the wealth they help to generate. The 2021-22 Programme for Government confirmed the Scottish Government’s intention to bring forward legislation on CWB during the current Parliamentary session. For more information, or to respond to the consultation, please click here. The closing date for responses is 25^th April.
• DEADLINE APPROACHING: Consultation: Amendments to the regulation on independent health care. The Scottish Government is consulting on proposed changes to the regulation of independent health care in Scotland. For more information, or to respond to the consultation, please click here. The closing date for responses is 26^th April.
• Support/Training: The Princes Trust Explore Enterprise Course. The Prince’s Trust Explore Enterprise Course consists of up to seven online sessions providing information and support on the basics of self-employment, HMRC and finance, pricing and sales, marketing, networking, cashflows, and business plans. These sessions are open to individuals aged between 18-30, who are resident in Scotland and been trading for less than 2 years. For more information, or to sign up, please click here.
• Support/Funding: UK Tradeshow Programme. The UK Tradeshow Programme offers government support to help UK businesses attend or exhibit at overseas trade shows more effectively. For more information, or to apply, please click here.
• NEW: Funding: ETZ Ltd Challenge Fund. The ETZ Ltd's Challenge Fund supports high-growth potential companies across North East Scotland's energy sector to enter the low-carbon industry, awarding grant funding between £50k and £250k to accelerate innovation and market entry, support business growth, and create new jobs in the energy transition into the low-carbon market. The fund will primarily support SMEs servicing the oil and gas market in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray to transition to new or existing opportunities in green energy. For more information or to apply, please click here. The closing date for applications is early June.
• Funding: Feasibility Funding (Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre). The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC)'s Feasibility projects provide members with the opportunity to tap into the expertise of Scotland’s academics to assist with a biotech-focused proof of concept study to support a future funding application for a larger scale research work programme. Feasibility projects should focus on innovative applications of industrial biotechnology and address a real market need or commercial opportunity through collaborative knowledge exchange and research between industry members and at least one of Scotland’s talented higher education institution (HEI) research teams. For more information, or to apply, please click here.
• Funding: Workforce Innovation Voucher. The Workforce Innovation Voucher scheme can be used to support innovation to develop a company’s workforce in partnership with a college or university – for example, a new or enhanced workplace business processes, workplace practice or innovative business expertise. Interface provides support with finding a suitable academic partner who has the right specialist expertise to progress your Research and Development project. For more information, or to apply, please click here.
• Funding: National Lottery Open Fund of Organisations – Creative Scotland. The National Lottery Open Fund for Organisations is a funding programme for artistic, creative and cultural organisations based in Scotland. Organisations can apply for between £1,000 and £100,000 to support creative activity that lasts up to 18 months. For more information, or to apply, please click here.
• Funding: National Lottery Extended Programme Fund – Creative Scotland. The National Lottery Extended Programme Fund is a time-limited funding programme for non-profit artistic, creative and cultural organisations based in Scotland. Organisations can apply for between £100,000 and £200,000 for programmes of creative activity that last between 18 and 24 months. For more information, or to apply, please click here. Deadline to apply is 14^th November.
• Funding: Flexible Workforce Development Fund. The Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF) helps employers in Scotland access workforce training opportunities to upskill or reskill their employees. Eligible employers can get up to £15,000 in funding for tailored training programmes. Applications will be accepted up until the 31^st July or whenever the fund has been fully allocated, if earlier. For more information, or to apply, please click here.
• Funding: Green Heat Innovation Support Programme. The Green Heat Innovation Support Programme provides grant funding, competitive procurement and other forms of support to help Scottish-based companies or companies looking to invest in Scotland develop innovative products, services or business models that address the challenges of green heating. For more information, or to apply, please click here.