Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee
Meeting date: Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Official Report 731KB pdf
Contents
- Attendance
- South of Scotland Enterprise Bill: Stage 1
- European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018
Aquatic Animal Health and Plant Health (Transfer of Functions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
Plant Breeders’ Rights (Amendment etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018
Marketing of Seeds and Plant Propagating Material (Amendment etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018
Item 2 is on European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 consent notifications, which concern one statutory instrument on aquatic animal health and plant health and two SIs on plant breeding and propagating. The three instruments will be laid in the United Kingdom Parliament in relation to the 2018 act.
The Scottish Government has categorised the two proposed SIs on plant breeding and propagating as category A, which means that they would make minor or technical amendments. The SI on aquatic animal health and plant health is categorised as category B, to the extent that the transition from an EU to a UK framework would be a major and significant development. Do members have comments?
I have no issue with the instruments and I support the proposal for us to seek further information. The instruments are some of the latest—I have no doubt that more are to come—on important issues.
Our papers say that there is
“an established, functioning joint legal framework. Paragraph 14 goes on to say that”
there is
“‘provision for the Ministers to act jointly and this forms the basis for the governance framework’.”
Given what we are dealing with, it is vital for such co-operation to continue—the subject lends itself to that.
When we write to the Scottish Government, could we ask for confirmation that the framework is robust and will be honoured? The process so far has not been fully courteous to the devolved Administrations, so I would like an assurance that the existing arrangements—as we have not heard to the contrary, I presume that they have worked satisfactorily—will continue.
The suggestion in our papers is that we write to the Scottish Government to confirm that it is content for consent to be given for the UK SIs that are referred to in the notifications and that we note and request a response from the Scottish Government on wider policy matters that have been identified in the papers. We can also include John Finnie’s question about the process. Is that agreed?
Members indicated agreement.
I note that one of the committee’s clerks is to leave the Parliament after seven years of service and having worked hard for the committee. I record our thanks to Heather Lyall for all her work in the Parliament.
Hear, hear.
11:38 Meeting continued in private until 11:53.