Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee

Meeting date: Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Official Report 636KB pdf

European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018

European Rail Network for Competitive Freight and Trans-European Transport Network (Amendment and Revocation) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019

Item 4 relates to a consent notification that we have received in relation to a United Kingdom statutory instrument, which is being laid in the UK Parliament under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

We deferred our consideration of the instrument from last week, as we needed more clarification on the procedure. We have received that and it is among the documents that were prepared for the committee.

I do not think that the instrument is being laid in the UK Parliament, because it is not functioning at the moment.

On Thursday, as a member of the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee, I had the opportunity to speak to the Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations. He was quite sympathetic to what I said, but he made the point, which was backed up by the civil servants who were with him, that the Scottish Government wants to proceed with all the regulations under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 as per normal. However, he agreed that a political dimension overlays the situation and that, as the UK Parliament is no longer sitting because of the election on 12 December, there might be a case for not putting so many regulations before Scottish Parliament committees, including this one in particular. He said that he would look at that.

On that basis, I am quite happy to agree that we give consent to the set of regulations that we are considering today.

As you know, it is appropriate for the Scottish Government to liaise with UK Government ministers during dissolution. We have taken into account the Scottish Government’s advice.

On that basis, bearing in mind Mike Rumbles’s comments, does the committee agree to write to the Scottish Government to confirm that we are content for consent to be given for the UK statutory instrument that is referred to in the notification?

Members indicated agreement.

That concludes today’s committee business.