Contents
- Attendance
- Liability for NHS Charges (Treatment of Industrial Disease) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
- Subordinate Legislation
- European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018
Alien Species in Aquaculture, Animals, Aquatic Animal Health, Seeds and Planting Material (Legislative Functions and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020
Food and Feed Safety and Hygiene (Miscellaneous Amendments)(EU Exit) Regulations 2020
We move on to item 5, which is consideration of two consent notifications proposing that the Scottish Government gives consent to the UK Government legislating using the powers in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 in relation to two UK statutory Instruments.
The first instrument that we will consider is the Alien Species in Aquaculture, Animals, Aquatic Animal Health, Seeds and Planting Material (Legislative Functions and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. We will consider the zoonotic diseases part only.
Do members have any comments on the instrument? Members will have observed that the supporting paper suggests that we make a point about the protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland as part of our response to the Scottish Government, namely that we ask that it keeps us up to date on its engagement with UK Government ministers on the protocol. Is that agreed? Are we content for the Scottish Government to give its consent for UK ministers on this statutory instrument?
As no member objects, that is agreed.
The second instrument to consider is the Food and Feed Safety and Hygiene (Miscellaneous Amendments) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, which we also considered at last week’s meeting. Members will recall that we put a number of questions to the Government. We have received a letter in response to those questions from Joe FitzPatrick, which members will have seen. Do members have questions?
I draw members’ attention to annexe B in our papers, which includes a letter to the convener from the Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing, Joe FitzPatrick.
I am pleased with the letter. As we can see, he has replied in great detail and mentioned the fact that the Government is “extremely disappointed” that proposed amendments to the Agriculture Bill and The Trade Bill were not agreed to. He explains that in more detail, which I am sure members will have read. I am very content with the fact that he has confirmed
“that the UK Government will not schedule a debate for this affirmative SI until the Scottish Parliament has given a view”
on it and that the Government’s position on genetically modified organisms
“remains the same in that GMOs for cultivation are permitted in Scotland.”
I thank the clerks for helping me to write the letter to the minister, and I thank the minister for the reply. I am quite pleased with it. It goes into more detail on his disappointment that the SIs are still not there.
Are there any other comments from committee members? As there are not, are we content for the Scottish Government to give its consent for UK ministers to lay a statutory instrument in the UK Parliament on this subject?
Members indicated agreement.
That concludes the public part of the meeting.
11:37 Meeting continued in private until 12:20.Previous
Subordinate Legislation