Official Report 109KB pdf
The sixth item on the agenda is our inquiry into the regulatory framework in Scotland. Members have received a copy of our submission to the Conveners Group in relation to our sending representatives to a delegated legislation conference in Canberra. I have received an invitation for us to deliver a paper at that conference, which will outline what we are doing as part of our review. Do members have any comments on the paper that is to be submitted to the Conveners Group?
No, the paper is fine. I understand, convener, that you had a discussion on the matter with members of the Welsh Assembly. Apparently, some of them are going too—is that right?
Yes. Welsh Assembly representatives will go for almost exactly the same period of time for which we will go. I met the Local Government and Public Services Committee of the Welsh Assembly, on which there are two or three members of the Welsh equivalent to the Subordinate Legislation Committee. They were very interested in the modifications that we are thinking of making, and it will be interesting to work with them, not only here, but out there. We will listen with interest to their paper.
If the Welsh Assembly is going to the conference, there should be no doubt that the Scottish Parliament should send a delegation, as we are the more important legislative body. It seems to me that people are nitpicking about the costs. I hope that the Conveners Group agrees to our attending the conference, especially in view of the fact that other devolved legislatures are going.
We certainly hope that that will be the case. We have tried. We recognise this as an important piece of work, and Australia and New Zealand are at the forefront of what is going on. As well as attending the conference—which will be interesting in itself—and hearing from the delegates there, we will meet various representatives from different legislatures and academics with whom we wanted to make contact when we made our previous submission to the Conveners Group. Although the visit will be cramped and not as good as what we had planned before, I hope that we will get a lot of valuable information from it. Our legal adviser will be going with us.
I thank colleagues for attending the meeting today. We will see you again next week.
Meeting closed at 10:55.