 Welcome to the first meeting of 2023 in session 6 of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee. We have no apologies this morning. Our first agenda item is consideration of three affirmative instruments, the draft first-year tribunal for Scotland local taxation chamber and upper tribunal for Scotland composition regulations 2023, the draft upper tribunal for Scotland transfer of valuation for rating appeal functions of the land tribunal for Scotland regulations 2023 and the draft first-year tribunal for Scotland transfer of functions of valuation appeals committees regulations 2023. I welcome to the meeting Elena Witham, minister for community safety and her officials Lisa Davidson, civil justice senior policy officer and Martin Brown, solicitor, legal director in the Scottish government. You are all very welcome. I refer members to paper 1 and invite the minister to speak to the draft instruments. Thank you, convener and good morning members. This suite of three regulations will transfer the functions of the valuation appeals committee and certain functions of the land's tribunal for Scotland into the Scottish tribunals and set out the composition of those tribunals when exercising the transferred functions. The 2014 act created a new simplified statutory framework for tribunals in Scotland by establishing the Scottish tribunals consisting of the first-year tribunal and the upper tribunal. That framework brings the range of existing tribunal jurisdictions together into one system and provides a structure for new jurisdictions coming. The valuation appeals committee and some limited functions of the land's tribunal for Scotland are due to be transferred into the Scottish tribunals on 1 April 2023. That first instrument before you is the first-year tribunal for Scotland transfer of functions of the valuation appeals committee regulations 2023. Those regulations provide for the transfer of the existing functions of the valuation appeals committees to the first-year tribunal for Scotland local taxation chamber. Existing members will not transfer to the Scottish tribunals. Instead, members have been appointed through a fair and open recruitment process undertaken by the judicial appointments board for Scotland. In addition, the regulations make provision for cases that are in progress on the date of transfer and make amendments to primary and secondary legislation that are necessary as a consequence of the transfer of the functions. The second of those regulations is the upper tribunal for Scotland transfer valuation for ratings appeal functions of the land's tribunal for Scotland regulations 2023. Currently, appeals in relation to non-domestic rates cases can, in certain circumstances, be referred from evaluation appeal committee to the land's tribunal for Scotland. Such circumstances would include where the facts of the case were particularly complex, the law was particularly difficult to apply or the property in relation to the valuation that was being appealed straddled to valuation areas. A decision by evaluation appeals committee not to refer a case to the land's tribunal for Scotland can itself also be appealed to the land's tribunal for Scotland. Upon transfer of those matters to the Scottish tribunals, a similar referral system will be retained but with qualifying cases being referred instead to the upper tribunal. That will ensure that complex or significant cases can be considered by a body with additional expertise while ensuring that those matters are dealt with entirely within the Scottish tribunal system. Parties will also be able to pursue an appeal to the upper tribunal if they disagree with the decision of the first-tier tribunal not to refer such a case. The final set of regulations is the first-tier tribunal for Scotland local taxation chamber and upper tribunal for Scotland composition regulations 2023. Those regulations specify the number and types of members of the local taxation chamber of the first-tier tribunal, for example judicial, legal or ordinary. Those are required in relation to the different appeals before that body and likewise set down the membership of the upper tribunal when it is considering appeals or referrals from the first-tier tribunal. I understand that the DPLR committee has considered those regulations on the 20 December 2022 and that no points were raised. The functions of another body, the council tax reduction review panel, are also due to be transferred to the first-tier tribunal to take effect at the same time. That transfer is provided for in a separate set of regulations, which I know will be considered at a later meeting of this committee. I would be happy to answer any questions and have my officials here as well for help. Thank you minister. Are there any questions? No, okay. That being the case, we will move straight to item 2, which is the formal business in relation to the instruments. I invite the minister to move the motions. Thank you to any members who have any final comments. That being the case, are we all agreed? Okay. On that basis, I invite the committee to agree to delegate to me the publication of a short factual report on our deliberations on the affirmative SSIs that we have considered today. Is that also agreed? That is agreed, so that therefore completes consideration of the affirmative instruments. I thank the minister and her officials for attending. That also concludes our formal business for this morning, so we now move into private to consider the other items on our agenda.