Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee

Meeting date: Monday, June 15, 2020

Official Report 566KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

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Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (Scottish Public Authorities) Amendment Order 2020 (SSI 2020/146)

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Marine Works and Marine Licensing (Miscellaneous Temporary Modifications) (Coronavirus) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 (SSI 2020/157)

Agenda item 4 is consideration of two negative instruments. If members have any comments that they want to make in relation to the instruments, they should put an R in the chat box. I am seeing a few of those arrive. I will go to members in turn, starting with Stewart Stevenson.

There is a very simple thing to have a look at. According to the briefing, one of the things that the Marine Works and Marine Licensing (Miscellaneous Temporary Modifications) (Coronavirus) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 will do is remove the need

“to hold a pre-application consultation event at a suitably accessible venue.”

I absolutely understand why that should happen. However, I would like to know that such opportunities as exist for using online consultations and events will be taken to the extent that that is possible. I recognise that not everyone has the equipment at home to enable them to participate as they might do if they went out to a meeting, but I would hate this to simply remove in totality the proper process for engaging with local communities. It might be useful for us to write to the Government in that regard. Nonetheless, I support the regulations.

My points are similar. Pre-application consultations and exhibitions in communities are really important. I would like to think that, as we move out of the lockdown and go through the different stages, it will be possible to hold an exhibition. It might need to be done in a socially distanced way, but it makes sense to have physical exhibitions, particularly for communities that are connected to projects.

The regulations were perhaps written at a time when we were very much in lockdown. As we come out of it, I would like developers to try to hold exhibitions. If they cannot hold them, the information will have to go online. In any case, it makes sense to have information online alongside physical exhibitions, but I would like the exhibition option to be taken up where that is possible. It would be helpful to get some clarity from the Government on the industry’s intentions.

I echo the concerns that my colleagues have expressed. Marine engineering projects such as wind farms and fish farms have a major impact on nearby communities, and I would be concerned about any reduction in the public’s ability to engage with the planning process. Like Mark Ruskell, I would like to hear more about what the Government can do to ensure that, where work could have a long-term effect on communities, the information is out there and there is no less scrutiny or ability for the public to engage.

Thank you, colleagues. I share your concerns.

I ask members to confirm that they would like the committee to write to the Government, putting forward our concerns and asking for clarity on what public engagement will happen in the physical sphere and whether the matter will be reconsidered as we move through the phases. We can discuss that in private session, but are members content for me and the clerks to draft something and sign it off?

Members indicated agreement.

Thank you, colleagues. At our next meeting, which will be on 23 June, we will discuss our work programme in private.

As today’s meeting is our last public meeting before the recess, I extend a hearty thank you to all those who have given evidence and helped the committee with its scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s work throughout the year, both before the lockdown and during it. On behalf of my committee colleagues, I especially thank both those who have given evidence during this particularly challenging time and our colleagues across the Parliament who have enabled us to hold committee meetings—and rather successfully, I would say, given that we have managed to hold stage 2 proceedings and consider a number of other pieces of legislation. It has worked very well.

I particularly thank our committee clerks, who have worked extraordinarily hard, and the Parliament’s broadcasting team, which has worked very hard to ensure that we can continue to work efficiently, albeit remotely.

That concludes our business in public for today. We will now move into private session.

11:29 Meeting continued in private until 12:21.