Environment and Rural Development Committee, 21 Feb 2007

Meeting date: Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Official Report 81KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

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Sulphur Content of Liquid Fuels (Scotland) Regulations 2007 (SSI 2007/27)<br />Sea Fishing (Prohibition on the Removal<br />of Shark Fins) (Scotland) Order 2007<br />(SSI 2007/39)

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Sea Fishing (Restriction on Days at Sea) (Scotland) Order 2007 (SSI 2007/40)<br />Smoke Control Areas (Exempt Fireplaces) (Scotland) Order 2007 (SSI 2007/55)

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Smoke Control Areas (Authorised Fuels) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2007 (SSI 2007/56)

Good morning members, press and visitors to the committee. We have received an apology from Alasdair Morrison because he has to leave the meeting shortly to meet some constituents who are visiting the Parliament. I remind everyone to switch off their mobile phones so that there is no interference with the sound system.

There are five negative instruments to be considered under agenda item 1: the Sulphur Content of Liquid Fuels (Scotland) Regulations 2007 (SSI 2007/27); the Sea Fishing (Prohibition on the Removal of Shark Fins) (Scotland) Order 2007 (SSI 2007/39); the Sea Fishing (Restriction on Days at Sea) (Scotland) Order 2007 (SSI 2007/40); the Smoke Control Areas (Exempt Fireplaces) (Scotland) Order 2007 (SSI 2007/55); and the Smoke Control Areas (Authorised Fuels) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2007 (SSI 2007/56).

The Subordinate Legislation Committee has commented on the first instrument only. An extract of its report is included in the meeting papers. If any member wants to ask the minister for further information, our reporting deadlines would allow us to consider the instruments next week. Do members have any comments on the instruments?

Instruments such as these sometimes introduce us to a world of which we previously knew nothing. I felt a bit like that when I was reading about shark finning. I had a horrible vision of sharks being finned before they were properly dead. It is one of those issues on which one would quite like to have a conversation with the minister about the background to the instrument.

I have no comment to make on the instrument itself. That was just a general comment—when negative instruments deal with something that is completely new, there is often frustration because one would like to ask a few background questions.

Okay. If no member has any further comments to make on the instruments, is it agreed that we make no recommendation on them to the Parliament?

Members indicated agreement.

Meeting continued in private until 12:01.