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We will finish off today’s business. Agenda item 2 is subordinate legislation: we have five Scottish statutory instruments before us. Dave Thompson is not back yet, and he may wish to comment on at least one of the instruments, so I do not want to make a mistake here.
Seed (Licensing and Enforcement etc) (Scotland) Regulations 2016 (SSI 2016/68)
Seed (Fees) (Scotland) Regulations 2016 (SSI 2016/69)
I refer members to the paper that is before us. Members have no comments on the Seed (Licensing and Enforcement etc) (Scotland) Regulations 2016 or the Seed (Fees) (Scotland) Regulations 2016.
Plant Health (Scotland) Amendment Order 2016 (SSI 2016/83)
Does any member wish to comment on the order?
I have a matter of process—rather than content—to raise regarding the order. I attempted to read the cover note. Referring to pages 23 and 24, I ask the authors of such papers to consider how they present them. It is one of the most difficult things that I have had to read. The explanation is one paragraph that runs for more than a page. It is almost impossible to read.
That is now a matter of record, and we will tell the authors.
Thank you, convener.
There are no further comments on the order.
Wester Ross Marine Conservation Order 2016 (SSI 2016/88)
Does any member wish to comment on the order?
I wish to note that there might be an error in the policy note regarding the business and regulatory impact assessment. Page 44 of the committee papers refers to the types of trawling and so on that can be carried out within the Wester Ross marine conservation area. The paper mentions
“vessels of <150 gross tonnage.”
Article 4 of the order, which is headed “Prohibited and regulated activities”, refers to the
“engine power not exceeding 500 kilowatts”.
That is a better way to deal with such matters. I merely point out that there appears to be a contradiction in that the limit of 150 tonnes is still mentioned in the note, while the order itself deals with engine size. That could be a crucial difference.
It could indeed. We will point that out to the Government. I think that it is correct to say, however, that the order itself is in order.
In relation to the Wester Ross MPA, along with the points that have been made about other MPAs, I highlight the importance of continuing scientific and socioeconomic research in ensuring that the measures are right for the protection of habitats and their recovery, and for our fragile communities.
That must be based, of course, on evidence. As we know, it is essential to have the information and the research.
I very much welcome the order, which I believe will work very well through integration between the different sectors. We will have to ensure that the situation is reviewed so that there are no unintended consequences.
Loch Sunart to the Sound of Jura Marine Conservation Order 2016 (SSI 2016/90)
Does any member wish to comment on the order?
I wish to put two points on record in relation to the order. First, this is the final order affecting the MPA in my constituency, at this stage. Although I think that everybody welcomes the measures, the process that was adopted by Marine Scotland in putting them together in my constituency was not acceptable. People found the process unacceptable because they believed that things were happening or being done that did not happen. That must be avoided.
Secondly, I hope that in the future the process of making changes to designations or creating new designations is a collaborative and participatory one for all those who will be affected—in particular, those who make their living in the area—rather than an imposition on them. If that can be achieved—and that is the right way—what we in my constituency have gone through might prove to be a useful learning experience, painful though it was. If that cannot be achieved, the type of thing that we have been through will be repeated again and again.
I thank members for their comments.
Does the committee agree that it does not wish to make any recommendations on the five instruments?
Members indicated agreement.
At the committee’s next meeting, we will consider several items of subordinate legislation, petitions on wild goose numbers and conserving wild salmon, and drafts of our annual report and legacy report.
I thank everybody for their participation.
Meeting closed at 12:35.Previous
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