European Committee, 19 Jun 2001

Meeting date: Tuesday, June 19, 2001

Official Report 165KB pdf

---

EC/EU Legislation (Implementation)

Item 3 concerns the implementation of European Community and European Union legislation in Scotland. Members will recall that, at a previous meeting, we asked the clerk to work with the Executive to produce revised procedures, under which the Executive would inform the committee of plans for the implementation of Community obligations. Our concern was that procedures should allow us to be notified well in advance of the Executive's implementation plans, particularly with respect to any proposed use of powers under section 57(1) of the Scotland Act 1998.

Members have before them the revised procedures. I hope that those address our concerns. We have secured the Executive's agreement to review the systems and procedures in the light of experience. Does the committee agree to the proposals?

Members indicated agreement.

I will ask the clerk to implement the new procedures with Executive officials.

Will the procedures inform your proposal that the committee should take on further responsibilities? If the committee expands its responsibilities, will it continue to operate under these procedures?

The procedures outlined here relate specifically to the Executive's plans for the implementation of Community obligations. Any extension of the committee's remit would not relate to Community obligations. I do not know whether some of the procedures will prove applicable in other areas, but I guess that we will need to deal elsewhere with issues arising from the extension of the minister's portfolio.