Requirement for a statement
The Committee noted that section 11(4) of the Scotland Act 2016 inserts a new subsection (2A) into section 31 of the Scotland Act 1998, which states—
“(2A) The Presiding Officer shall, after the last time when a Bill may be amended but before the decision whether to pass or reject it, decide whether or not in his view any provision of the Bill relates to a protected subject-matter and state his decision.”