Scotland Act 1998 (Modification of Schedule 5) Order 2014 [Draft]
Agenda item 3 is consideration of an affirmative instrument. As usual with such instruments, we will have an evidence-taking session. Once our questions, if there are any, have been answered, we will have a formal debate on the motion.
I welcome to the meeting the Minister for Public Health, Michael Matheson, and the following Scottish Government officials: Morris Fraser, bill team leader for the Food (Scotland) Bill, and Lindsay Anderson, solicitor. I invite the minister to make a brief statement.
Thank you, convener, and good afternoon.
Since the Scotland Act 1998 was passed, the European Union definition of food has changed, and certain animal feeding stuffs are no longer considered medicinal. The Scottish ministers were given executive competence in line with that decision, allowing, amongst other things, secondary legislation to be made to give effect to EU law in this area. However, the Scottish Parliament’s legislative competence was not updated, which means that, by comparison, an act of the Scottish Parliament is limited in so far as it can make provision in respect of food and animal feeding stuffs. This section 30 order will ensure that the Scottish Parliament's competence to legislate on food and animal feeding stuffs is better aligned with the Scottish ministers’ executive competence to ensure that legislative competence rests on the EU definition of food and what now constitutes non-medicinal animal feeding stuffs.
I am happy to answer the committee’s questions.
Members appear to have no questions, minister. We will therefore move to the formal debate on the instrument on which we have just heard evidence. I remind members that, as this is the formal debate, questions cannot be put to the minister and officials may not speak.
Motion moved,
That the Health and Sport Committee recommends that the Scotland Act 1998 (Modification of Schedule 5) Order 2014 [draft] be approved.—[Michael Matheson.]
Motion agreed to.
Thank you, minister, for that brief visit.
That concludes today’s meeting. I thank everyone for their patience and participation.
Meeting closed at 12:42.Previous
Pharmaceutical Care Action Plan