Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee

Meeting date: Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Official Report 495KB pdf

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European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018

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Common Fisheries Policy (Amendment etc) (EU Exit) (No 2) Regulations 2019

Item 9 is on an instrument that has been laid in the United Kingdom Parliament under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. We have received a consent notification on this UK statutory instrument, which covers the common fisheries policy, fishing opportunities and discard plans. Are there any comments?

Fergus Ewing’s letter to you states:

“we are yet to have sight of the final version of the Regulations and it is not available in the public domain at this stage.”

Do we have an update? Perhaps the clerks know something.

I do not doubt anybody’s good faith. The two Governments are working closely together on this matter, so I am quite content at that level, but it is appropriate to put on the record my residual concern that part of what we are considering is not yet available to us. I hope that the final version of the regulations is available in the public domain very soon.

We could write to the Scottish Government to confirm that the committee is content for consent to be given for the instrument, but also to ask that the Scottish Government notifies us as soon as the missing piece of the jigsaw is received, so that we can look at it. Is that how the committee wishes to proceed? Do we agree to write to the Scottish Government to confirm that we are content, subject to our receiving the further information as requested—

Forgive me, convener—I was not suggesting that we make our consent subject to our receiving that further information, but that we should receive it for the purposes of clarity.

I was about to say that we could consent to the instrument but ask for the information to be provided. Is that agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

That concludes this morning’s business.

Meeting closed at 10:27.