Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee
Meeting date: Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Official Report 790KB pdf
Contents
- Attendance
- Decision on Taking Business in Private
- Transport (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
- European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018
Plant Protection Products (Miscellaneous Amendments) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
Pesticides (Maximum Residue Levels) etc (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
Pesticides (Miscellaneous Amendments) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
Fertilisers and Ammonium Nitrate Material (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018
Animal By-Products and Control and Eradication of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (UK) (EU Exit) (Miscellaneous Amendments) 2018
Livestock (Records, Identification and Movement) (EU Exit) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2018
Animal Welfare (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018
Organic Products (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018
Intelligent Transport Systems (EU) Exit Regulations 2018
Item 3 is consideration of European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 legislation. We have received consent notifications in relation to nine UK statutory instruments covering the following policy areas: pesticides and fertilisers, animal health, organic products and intelligent transport.
All nine instruments are being laid in the UK Parliament in relation to the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, and they have been categorised by the Scottish Government as making minor or technical amendments. Two of the proposed SIs—on pesticides and fertilisers—also contain provisions to create or amend powers to make regulations, including transferring current EU legislative powers to ministers. The committee paper sets out some broader related policy issues that might arise in future, and the committee might wish to note them and request a response from the Scottish Government.
Before I invite comments, does any committee member wish to make a declaration in relation to the instruments and the committee’s consideration of them? I will start by saying that as my entry in the register of members’ interests shows, I have a recorded farming interest. Given that the instruments cover that area, I ask the committee to note my interest.
Does anyone else wish to make a declaration?
Given that the instruments concern agriculture, I declare that I, too, have an agricultural interest.
Do members have any comments on the instruments?
The recommendation that we write to the Scottish Government to confirm that we are content is the one that I wish us to adopt.
Agreed.
Agreed.
Before we all agree, let me put the question formally. Is the committee agreed that it should write to the Scottish Government to confirm that it is content for consent to be given to the UK SIs referred to in the notifications?
Members indicated agreement.
Some additional points were raised that I think are important, but we could ask the Government to consider them in our correspondence. That would be a sensible approach. Is everyone happy to do that?
Which matters are you talking about?
They are detailed in our papers at paragraphs 16 and 20. We are just asking the Government to note those points as part of the consent process. I do not think that there is anything complicated in there. Are you happy with that, Maureen?
Yes.
We agree, then, to ask the Government to note those points. Thank you.
We now move into private session.
12:08 Meeting continued in private until 12:34.Previous
Transport (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1