Official Report 241KB pdf
Sheep and Goats<br />(Identification and Traceability) (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (SSI 2006/73)<br />Older Cattle (Disposal) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2006<br />(SSI 2006/82)
Beef Carcase (Classification) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2006<br />(SSI 2006/118)<br />Dairy Produce Quotas (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2006<br />(SSI 2006/119)
Agenda item 2 is consideration of subordinate legislation. We have nine instruments to consider under the negative procedure today. The first four—Scottish statutory instrument 2006/73, SSI 2006/82, SSI 2006/118 and SSI 2006/119—relate to agriculture. The Subordinate Legislation Committee has considered the instruments and has commented on the sheep and goats regulations and the dairy produce quotas regulations. Members have extracts from that committee's 13th and 14th reports. If colleagues have no comments on the regulations, are they content to make no recommendation to the Parliament?
Members indicated agreement.
Provision of Water and Sewerage Services (Reasonable Cost) (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (SSI 2006/120)<br />Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003<br />(Designation of Responsible Authorities and Functions) Order 2006 (SSI 2006/126)
Water Environment<br />(Consequential Provisions) (Scotland) Order 2006 (SSI 2006/127)<br />Waste Management Licensing<br />(Water Environment) (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (SSI 2006/128)
Water Environment (Oil Storage) (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (SSI 2006/133)
SSI 2006/120, SSI 2006/126, SSI 2006/127, SSI 2006/128 and SSI 2006/133 all relate to water. SSI 2006/120 concerns the connection of developments to water infrastructure, which the committee considered recently, and the other instruments relate to the water environment.
I will comment on SSI 2006/126. It is welcome that Scottish Water has been designated a responsible authority, which will cement its responsibility to deliver sustainable development. However, an outstanding issue is the Water Industry Commission for Scotland's role in sustainable development. The commission should not have a duty to deliver sustainable development and it should not be a responsible authority, but its ability to have regard to such matters is an outstanding issue. That relates to the Water Services etc (Scotland) Act 2005, which we considered, but it is also pertinent to the debate that we had last week with the Minister for Environment and Rural Development and to the on-going question of Scottish Water's ability to deliver sustainable development.
Do members agree to ask the minister for clarification?
Members indicated agreement.
Do other members have comments? I welcome the fact that progress has been made.
I have a comment on the SSI 2006/120. Will the minister tell us what effect the regulations will have on single-house developments in rural areas? Who would be thought of as the developer and what costs might be incurred?
We can ask for that information. The significance of the regulations is that they will replace the previous calculations with the new regime that we debated when we dealt with what became the Water Services etc (Scotland) Act 2005.
Members indicated agreement.
Finally, I have a brief comment to make on the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Bill, which we have just dealt with at stage 2. Members may now lodge stage 3 amendments with the committee clerks. We do not yet have a date for stage 3, but the clerks are open for business to receive amendments or provide advice.
Meeting closed at 12:08.