DACC joined a number of other Scottish chambers for a meeting with Michael Moore, the Secretary of State for Scotland. Amongst the issues discussed was the recent proposal by Business secretary Vince Cable for a 'one in-one out' approach to regulation. In other words, any Minister/Government department putting forward a new regulation would have to identify an existing regulation that would be scrapped, so that the overall regulatory burden on business does not increase. The Secretary of State confirmed that the Coalition Government was still committed to addressing the burdens of regulation but stressed that the UK Government has no power to scrap regulations originating from the European Union. Given that at least half, probably more, of all the regulations that impact on business are from the EU, this casts doubts on how effective 'one in-one out' will actually be.
Other issues discussed at the meeting were rail and air links between Scotland and London, rising fuel duty, the Scotland Bill (which if implemented will transfer significant tax raising powers to the Scottish Parliament) and the future of military bases in Scotland, including RAF Leuchars, which may be under threat of closure as part of the recent strategic defence review. Michael Moore spoke at DACC's High Noon lunch last October and we are currently arranging a date for him to return for another meeting with members.
Lobbying and campaigning is an important service that DACC provides for its members, so if you have any 'burning issues' that you would like us to raise on your behalf, let us know by contacting alanmitchell@dundeeandanguschamber.co.uk and we will do our very best to assist.
