Agenda item 3 is consideration of a response from the Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs on our European Union priorities for 2015-16. Roderick, that is your cue to say a few words about the minister’s response—if you want to, that is.
I do not have very much to add to what is in the minister’s letter. We do not have the updated action plan on European engagement, and the other matters have been fairly well set out.
The only thing that I would mention is the European agenda on migration. I think that, in Iight of recent events, the European Commission might well be looking at the issue further. We specifically asked about the agenda’s correlation implications for the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Bill, and I do not demur from the Government’s comments on the matter.
Other than that, I suggest that the committee simply notes the minister’s response.
I agree with Rod Campbell. After what has happened this week, a lot of the European agenda on migration will be rewritten, and a different tone might well be taken with regard to the EU’s engagement, particularly with what is happening in the Mediterranean.
Given the recent horrendous events, the committee might want to have a more robust focus on the European agenda on migration. When I look at the four main areas identified in the minister’s letter for “possible future action”, which include
“a Common Asylum system ... a new policy on legal migration ... fighting irregular migration and human trafficking more robustly”
and
“securing Europe’s external borders”,
I think that Scotland’s Justice Committee should begin to put its weight on such matters. Is there any way we can do that? Can we communicate back in those terms?
I think that it is a moveable feast, convener. We should probably pay attention to the matter in our work programme, although we should also consider the work that other committees in the Parliament might want to do on it.
Do we want to ask the European and External Relations Committee about that?
That was the committee that I was thinking of.
Are you on that committee?
I am.
Apart from sending you as our messenger, then, we will formally write to the European and External Relations Committee on the issue. After all, it is not simply a case of putting a human trafficking and exploitation bill in place; much more requires to be done of a practical and pragmatic nature. People who are desperate will not pay any attention to any bill that might be passed.
We will therefore write to the European and External Relations Committee, asking whether it is addressing the issue, and we, too, will keep our eye on it. I also note that Alison Johnstone has a topical question on the matter this afternoon. I lodged a question to the First Minister on the same subject, but it was not selected—there we are.
So did I.
Roddy and I were obviously in competition.
Thank you very much. We now move into private session.
10:14 Meeting continued in private until 11:15.Previous
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