Official Report 247KB pdf
Agenda item 3 concerns the Subordinate Legislation Committee's inquiry into the regulatory framework in Scotland. That committee has now published a draft report in which it makes a number of proposals, including a recommendation for a new system called the Scottish statutory instrument procedure. The committee has the opportunity to comment on those draft proposals. Do members wish to submit any comments? We have until 22 September to finalise any comments. If members want to make comments now, we can incorporate them in a letter from me to the convener of the Subordinate Legislation Committee. If members do not have any general points to make now but want to make detailed comments on the proposals, they can submit them by e-mail or in writing to the committee clerk. Provided that such comments do not conflict, we could set them out in a letter, which we would bring back to the committee before 22 September.
I have one fundamental point to make. Given my experience on other committees, it would be helpful if the committees had the authority to amend subordinate legislation.
I would want to look carefully at what the Subordinate Legislation Committee said in that regard. I understand that that recommendation is not being made at the moment. I do not know the reasoning for that, but I know that the issue has been considered. We will note your suggestion but, before committing myself to a position, I would like to consider the issue in more detail. I suggest that I bring a draft letter to the committee and that we can debate whether the committee as a whole feels that that would be an appropriate suggestion for us to make.