Local Government and Transport Committee, 07 Dec 2004

Meeting date: Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Official Report 336KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

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Police Pensions Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (SSI 2004/486)

Agenda item 2 is consideration of a piece of subordinate legislation. No members have raised any points on the regulations and no motions to annul have been lodged, so I ask the committee to confirm that it has nothing to report on the regulations.

I received the papers only on Saturday. Can we clarify whether the regulations will prejudice the interests of any police officers in relation to their pensions or have any deleterious impact on any entitlement or provision? As far as I could see from reading the explanatory note and the Executive note, that will not be the case, but we are duty bound to be clear about that before we approve the regulations. I am sorry that I was not able to give earlier notice of that point, but I had a problem with getting the papers at the weekend, which I explained to the clerks.

I am not in the same position as the Scottish Executive is to respond to those points, but I see from the Executive note that

"The Regulations have been the subject of consultation with police authorities"

and police officers' representatives. I am sure that, if the police officers were concerned that the regulations would have a deleterious effect on their pensions, they would have made us aware of that, and that the Executive would have highlighted any such concerns, so I am fairly satisfied that that is not the case. Does the committee agree that there is nothing to report on the regulations?

Members indicated agreement.