Seòmar agus comataidhean

Under item 4, we are considering two instruments on which no points have been raised.

Under item 5, we are considering three instruments on which no points have been raised.

Is the committee content with the instruments?

Members indicated agreement.

As agreed earlier, I move the meeting into private.

Both of your answers were very helpful indeed.

It sounds as though there have not been very many previous attempts to reform the law in this area. Why do you think that the proposals in the bill are more likely to work than any of the previous attempts in Scotland?

Welcome to the 24th meeting in 2022 of the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee. We have received apologies from Stuart McMillan MSP. I welcome Jenni Minto MSP as a substitute. Thank you very much for being here and contributing, Jenni.

The first item of business is a declaration of interests. In accordance with section 3 of the “Code of Conduct for Members of the Scottish Parliament”, I invite Oliver Mundell MSP to declare any interests that are relevant to the remit of the committee.

Thank you, Mr Mundell, and welcome to the committee. It is good to have you here.

On behalf of the committee, I thank Graham Simpson MSP for his time with us. As both a member and convener of the committee over a number of years, Graham recognised the importance of delegated powers, and he was passionate about the need for their proper scrutiny. We all wish him well in his new role.

The committee’s next meeting will take place on Tuesday 26 April.

As noted under item 1, the regulations make exemptions from some official controls for certain animal and plant products being imported into Scotland from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The intended effect of regulation 2 is to exempt imports of certain animal-origin goods that are produced in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland from a pre-notification requirement to the border control authority.

In correspondence with the Scottish Government, the committee asked whether the absence of a reference in regulation 2 to the Republic of Ireland was intentional, given that related provisions refer to both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The Scottish Government confirmed that that is a drafting error and that reference to the Republic of Ireland should have been included. The Scottish Government has committed to rectifying the error by making a further amendment in a Scottish statutory instrument that will be laid in the Scottish Parliament at the next available opportunity.

Does the committee wish to draw the instrument to the Parliament’s attention on reporting ground (i), as its drafting appears to be defective due to the error in regulation 2?

Members indicated agreement.

Issues have also been raised on the following two instruments, which are made under the Local Government Finance Act 1992.