This search includes all content on the Scottish Parliament website, except for Votes and Motions. All Official Reports (what has been said in Parliament) and Questions and Answers are available from 1999. You can refine your search by adding and removing filters.
If the amendment is intended to give the courts new powers of interpretation, which could result in the courts looking behind the terms of the power, we would oppose it on policy grounds.
It is difficult to say at the moment. The new regulations must be given a few months to bed in but, in any case, I cannot possibly set out a timescale at the end of which we will be ready to look again at the matter or to make changes.
It would be wrong for us to give the impression that we can do that. It is fair to say that this is new territory for everybody, including the committee and the minister.
We should put a star on this objection and say, "Okay, we're into new territory, but don't think that this is going to be the shape of things to come for other bills."
A number of live issues are on the legislative agenda. We are working on the new European chemicals strategy, which we discussed comparatively recently.