Rural Affairs and Environment Committee,

Meeting date: Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Official Report 70KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

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Plant Health (Scotland) Amendment Order 2009 (SSI 2009/153)<br />Rural Development Contracts (Land Managers Options) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2009 (SSI 2009/155)

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Community Right to Buy (Prescribed Form of Application and Notices) (Scotland) Regulations 2009 (SSI 2009/156)

I welcome everybody to the committee's 14th meeting of the year. We have received apologies from John Scott and Liam McArthur. If anybody still has their mobile phone or pager switched on, can they please turn it off?

Agenda item 1 is consideration of three Scottish statutory instruments under the negative procedure. The Subordinate Legislation Committee has raised points on SSI 2009/153 and SSI 2009/155. The relevant extract from the Subordinate Legislation Committee's report has been circulated as paper RAE/S3/09/14/3. The Subordinate Legislation Committee did not make any comments on SSI 2009/156.

Last week, the committee took evidence from Government officials on SSI 2009/156, and additional information has been provided in members' papers. In addition, the Minister for Environment has written to the committee in response to issues that were raised by members last week on that SSI. The letter has been e-mailed to members and a hard copy has been circulated today.

Do members have any comments on the instruments, the supplementary information that the Government has provided, or the letter from the minister?

It was worth giving the issues relating to SSI 2009/156 an airing at last week's meeting. Having seen the additional paperwork, I recognise that re-registration is a complex process that can involve a lot of work. That said, the minister's letter completely squares the circle and is a reasonable compromise from where we got to last week. I note her offer to discuss with some key people the potential for a new renewal form, and I am happy to leave the matter on that basis. I welcome the fact that the issue has been aired and that the minister has moved to address some of the issues that we raised.

I concur. Having looked at the supplementary information, I find it difficult to see how the renewal form could be radically different from the original application form. Some of the concerns that have been raised are not hugely valid anyway but, if the minister is happy to reconsider the matter, that is fine.

I agree with both Peter Peacock and Alasdair Morgan. It was worth raising the concerns that had been brought to us. It was important that those things were discussed. However, I am content with the minister's response, which offers a good way forward.

Peter McGrath has received an e-mail from Liam McArthur that more or less agrees with what other members have said.

Are we agreed not to make any recommendations in relation to the three Scottish statutory instruments as detailed on the agenda?

Members indicated agreement.