Health, Social Care and Sport Committee [Draft]

Meeting date: Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Official Report 864KB pdf

European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018

Food Supplements and Food for Specific Groups (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2022 (SI 2022/377)

Agenda item 3 is consideration of a notification from the Scottish ministers for consent to a statutory instrument. The purpose of the statutory instrument is to make provisions for minor technical amendments to units and forms of nutrients in various pieces of nutrition legislation in order to ensure uniform and coherent interpretation of regulations, as well as alignment with the European Union, of which Northern Ireland remains a part.

Under the protocol between the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government, the consent notification has been categorised as type 1, which means that the Scottish Parliament’s agreement is sought before the Scottish Government gives consent to the United Kingdom Government to make secondary legislation in an area of devolved competence.

Do members have any comments on the instrument?

I have no problems with minor technical amendments to the units and the forms of nutrients in various pieces of legislation. I just want to highlight the issue of pesticide residues. Any time that that kind of language is flagged, it reminds me of work that I did previously, when I was a member of the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee, on food safety, food standards, imports, trade, trade deals and things like that.

Without going into detail about the US Food and Drug Administration’s “Food Defect Levels Handbook” on approved defects, I basically just want to state that I am happy with proceeding with the instrument, because the information that we have on pesticide residues refers to widening the definition, or

“expanding on the potential sources, to include veterinary and biocides.”

On further reading of the information, I am satisfied that it is okay to proceed with the instrument.

As members have no further comments, is the committee content that the provisions that are set out in the notification should be included in the proposed UK SI?

Members indicated agreement.

Is the committee content to delegate authority to me to sign off on a letter to the Scottish Government informing it of our decision today?

Members indicated agreement.