Plenary, 03 Nov 2004

Meeting date: Wednesday, November 3, 2004

Official Report 437KB pdf

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Parliamentary Bureau Motions

The next item of business is consideration of 10 Parliamentary Bureau motions. I ask Margaret Curran to move motion S2M-1928, on the approval of a Scottish statutory instrument.

Motion moved,

That the Parliament agrees that the draft Maximum Number of Judges (Scotland) Order 2004 be approved.—[Ms Margaret Curran.]

I ask Margaret Curran to move motions S2M-1929 to S2M-1933, on the approval of Scottish statutory instruments.

Motions moved,

That the Parliament agrees that the Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) (East Coast) (Scotland) Order 2004 (SSI 2004/435) be approved.

That the Parliament agrees that the Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning) (East Coast) (No.3) (Scotland) Order 2004 (SSI 2004/436) be approved.

That the Parliament agrees that the Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) (Orkney) (No.4) (Scotland) Order 2004 (SSI 2004/417) be approved.

That the Parliament agrees that the Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) (West Coast) (No.11) (Scotland) Order 2004 (SSI 2004/418) be approved.

That the Parliament agrees that the Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) (West Coast) (No.12) (Scotland) Order 2004 (SSI 2004/447) be approved.—[Ms Margaret Curran.]

I remind members of our consistent approach on the matter. We oppose the five SSIs relating to amnesic shellfish poisoning for reasons that we have already stated. I ask any minister who responds—although I do not see a health minister present—to confirm what I was told by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care at the Health Committee around two weeks ago about a move by the Executive to end-product testing, which was confirmed by the Food Standards Agency at its open evening the other night. In confirming that, the minister should say when that will be implemented.

The Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care, Rhona Brankin, is present.

I am delighted to be able to give that information. I do not for one moment underestimate the effect of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 orders on the livelihoods of fishermen in Scotland but, as we all know, they are a requirement under current European Community legislation and are, of course, necessary to protect public health.

Members should be aware that the food safety authority in the Republic of Ireland does not rely entirely on end-product testing. In fact, it carries out a sampling and monitoring programme that is similar to that which is operated in Scotland. It is important to put that in the Official Report. The sampling and monitoring programme that results in the imposition of these orders will continue until 1 January 2006, at which time the emphasis for official controls will move to a system of checks on land, as required by Community legislation.

I say to Mr Davidson that it is important that industry will always have a duty—as it has now—to carry out its own end-product testing in order to ensure the safety of its products. The Food Standards Agency carries out the sampling at the moment because there is currently not the capacity to do that adequately. To be sure that we are protecting people, the Food Standards Agency currently undertakes sampling and monitoring. Our priority is always public health.

I ask Margaret Curran to move motion S2M-1934, on a committee substitution, and motions S2M-1935 to S2M-1937, on the designation of lead committees.

Motions moved,

That the Parliament agrees that Eleanor Scott be appointed to replace Mr Mark Ruskell as the Green Party substitute on the Environment and Rural Development Committee.

That the Parliament agrees that the Local Government and Transport Committee be designated as lead committee and the Enterprise and Culture Committee be designated as secondary committee in consideration of the Transport (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1.

That the Parliament agrees that the Equal Opportunities Committee be designated as lead committee in consideration of the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1.

That the Parliament agrees that the Justice 1 Committee be designated as lead committee in consideration of the Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1.—[Ms Margaret Curran.]

The questions on the motions will be put at decision time.