Past experience
Director Ian Shearer has had broad experience during his career to date in a number of specialised policy areas, including:
General business, industrial and economic policy
Better regulation
Business rating - how non-domestic rates are assessed in Scotland.
Food & drink policy - including food safety/hygiene, labelling etc
Policy & legislation on alcohol, at local (eg licensing), Scottish, UK & EU levels
Tobacco sales/controls
Tax - specifically excise - policy
Policies on the environment, energy & climate change
Supply of water & sewerage services - policy & regulatory framework
Cereals/agricultural policy
Industry training
Policies on planning, town centres & Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in Scotland
Business crime - particularly in retail
Case studies
Excise policy - the holding & movement of excisable products
Handling operational Customs & Excise matters for the Scotch whisky industry from the opening of the European Single Market at the end of 1992, until 2005. Leading contributor to HM Revenue & Customs' Joint Alcohol & Tobacco Consultation Group from its inception in 1994, as well as to trade consultation groups in Brussels examining reform of the associated EU policy framework.
With problems during this period with large-scale duty evasion, helping to establish with the UK Government the Joint Spirits Fraud Task Force and negotiating under its auspices the first joint Memorandum of Understanding on spirits fraud. A leading role in the opposition to the Government's controversial scheme to require duty stamps on all UK spirits bottles, and in the industry's innovative – and much less burdensome – alternative proposals which were eventually adopted. Part of the SWA's sustained campaigning against duty stamps won the CBI's Business of Representation award in 2003.
Energy and climate change
Dealing with the industry's response to major UK and EU regulatory initiatives requiring businesses to cut energy consumption and help mitigate climate change. Doing most of the detailed work associated with setting up the Spirits Energy Efficiency Company to manage the Climate Change Agreement with the UK Government. This involved setting long-term energy efficiency targets for over 70 distilleries throughout the UK, then annually collecting and accurately processing complex energy statistics from all these sites to monitor performance against targets and maintain eligibility for an 80% rebate on the Climate Change Levy. The requirements of new UK and EU emissions trading schemes also had to be managed.
Environmental affairs
Involvement over several years with the implications for Scotland of the EU Water Framework Directive, including participation in the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's Regulatory Stakeholders Group for this legislation. Knowledge of other areas of environmental policy affecting industry, including Integrated Pollution Prevention & Control, and Control of Major Accident Hazards regimes, and strategies on waste and recycling, including in the retail sector - contributing to the development of the Scottish Zero Waste Plan and the establishment of Zero Waste Scotland, and to relevant consumer information campaigns (eg on carrier bags, Love Food Hate Waste etc). Board member of SNIFFER (Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research).
Health and safety
Experience over 13 years of successful partnership working with the Health & Safety Executive, acknowledged by them as a model to other sectors and as having reduced accidents. Editing of various codes of practice and guidance materials. Broad understanding of policies on control of major accidents, fire prevention, transport of dangerous goods, explosive atmospheres etc.
Food safety & hygiene
Knowledge of the importance of scientific research and advice in food law and policy, and of regulatory processes for reviewing compounds of potential concern, dealing with counterfeit goods, contamination emergencies etc.
Industry training
Acquaintance with the UK/Scottish qualifications frameworks and national/sectoral skills policy, and past involvement in the development and implementation of vocational standards/qualifications for the distilling industry.
Cereals/agricultural policy
Working within the Common Agricultural Policy framework and its EU cereals regime, including the export refund scheme for processed agricultural products. General knowledge of quality assurance schemes for cereals and of the processes for developing and approving new varieties.
Tagging of items
Systems and standards for anti-theft tagging and for automatic identification of stock items and consumer goods.
Many different areas of policy impinge in some way upon major industries.