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Agenda item 5 is subordinate legislation.
The issue that I am about to highlight has been raised in the past—Peter Peacock has also raised it. The volume of paperwork that we have received today is simply obscene. Either we need to find a way round the problem or we should suggest to the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee that we do not need hard copies of every Scottish statutory instrument and accompanying document. We are the environment committee, after all—it is ridiculous. We can all go online and access the papers. We should not be sending them all out to people. We need to find a way round the matter—it is getting ridiculous.
There are two approaches. We can discuss at the away day in June how to deal with the voluminous quantities of paper. I entirely agree with your point, Karen. The alternative is simply to do without the papers covering the transposition of European legislation, which currently come to us automatically.
We need the front paper. We can then go online and get whatever else we need.
I do not want to go online.
If members want to, they can. We know what the instruments are and we know the details. Members can go and get the other paperwork if they want it.
Or go and ask for it.
Yes, they can ask for it—we can get it in the Scottish Parliament information centre. We do not need to have such a large volume of papers sent to us every day.
May I suggest a compromise? We could simply get the Executive summary and the instrument, which would cut down volumes of paper. If members go through the Executive summary, they can see whether they need to go online to check more.
In future, those who want hard copies can receive them; those who want shortened versions should make their position known to the clerks.
Thank you.
That will reduce some of the rainforest's deprivations, at any rate.
You do not want to finish them yourself, then?
No, no.
Sea Fishing (Enforcement of Community Quota and Third Country Fishing Measures and Restriction on Days at Sea) (Scotland) Order 2008 (SSI 2008/151)<br />Plant Health Fees (Scotland) Regulations 2008 (SSI 2008/153)
Smoke Control Areas (Authorised Fuels) (Scotland) Regulations 2008 (SSI 2008/154)<br />Animals and Animal Products (Import and Export) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2008 (SSI 2008/155)
Smoke Control Areas (Exempt Fireplaces) (Scotland) Order 2008 (SSI 2008/157)<br />Rural Development Contracts (Land Managers Options) (Scotland) Regulations 2008 (SSI 2008/159)
Land Managers Skills Development Grants (Scotland) Regulations 2008 (SSI 2008/162)<br />Bathing Waters (Scotland) Regulations 2008 (SSI 2008/170)
There are eight Scottish statutory instruments for consideration. No motions to annul have been lodged, and no members have raised any issues in advance on the instruments. A paper containing extracts from the reports of the Subordinate Legislation Committee that are relevant to these eight SSIs has been provided. I invite comments from members.
I have a comment about the Sea Fishing (Enforcement of Community Quota and Third Country Fishing Measures and Restriction on Days at Sea) (Scotland) Order 2008 (SSI 2008/151), which I think the Subordinate Legislation Committee is fairly concerned about. It states:
Unfortunately, there is no time for the committee to do anything in respect of the order, because the 40-day deadline falls before our next meeting on 28 May. The only appropriate action would be for an individual member to lodge a motion to annul the instrument in the chamber. We do not have the time within our committee business to do that.
In that case, I will simply leave my concerns on the record. I share the concerns of the Subordinate Legislation Committee.
You might wish to consider another course of action.
No—I will leave it at that.
Could I ask for clarification as to why this is the case? Is it simply due to when we received the Subordinate Legislation Committee's report on the order?
I am advised that it is basically because of the fortnightly timing of our meetings. We have received some SSIs quite early, and we have been able to pursue issues arising from them regardless of our having fortnightly meetings. However, having meetings fortnightly gives us a problem with instruments that come in later. There is nothing to stop us having a short meeting next Wednesday to deal with that item alone, if members wish, but that would allow only one week to explore the matter and get a response.
I have already made my point on the subject.
I am in the hands of John Scott and Karen Gillon.
I just wanted to know why there was such a constraint on our time.
It is a combination of when the order came in and our fortnightly meeting schedule. We could convene a brief meeting next Wednesday.
I do not think that we should convene a meeting next Wednesday but, in future, we should legitimately expect to receive papers in sufficient time to address any points that arise about the instruments concerned. Then, we would not have a gun held to our head in this way.
The clerk has noted the issue, and it will be communicated to those in charge.
Meeting suspended until 11:53 and thereafter continued in private until 12:23.
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