Question reference: S5W-26966
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 14 January 2020
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Current status: Answered by Michael Russell on 21 January 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the report by the Institute for Government, Getting Brexit Done, which argues that the UK Government must involve the Scottish Government in its Brexit negotiations to “properly reflect” Scotland's interests.
Answer
In its recent report, the Institute for Government argued that the UK Government must engage the devolved administrations ” meaningfully and systematically ” and set out detailed plans on how it intends to do so. The Scottish Government have argued this very same point for the past three years. As reported by the Institute for Government, the next phase of negotiations will significantly impinge on areas of devolved competence and any deal will have substantial ramifications for the devolved administrations. I have consistently raised this point with the UK Government and reiterated it during a recent meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations), highlighting that current UK Government arrangements are unsatisfactory and that the role of the devolved administrations in the future relationship negotiations must be clarified as soon as possible. With the UK’s departure from the EU imminent, this question must be resolved urgently.