Seòmar agus comataidhean

The next group is on relaxation of application deadlines. Amendment 24, in the name of the cabinet secretary, is grouped with amendments 105 and 28.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the 24th meeting in 2024 of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. We have received apologies from Collette Stevenson, and I welcome David Torrance, who is attending as a substitute.

Under agenda item 1, I invite David Torrance to declare any relevant interests.

I gave you a bit of latitude, Mr Stewart, because this is quite an emotive issue, but that was more of a speech than an intervention. However, your points are now on the record.

Mr Balfour, please bring your remarks to a close.

I call Mr Balfour to wind up and to press or seek to withdraw amendment 106.

I understand that Jeremy Balfour also wishes to make a comment at this point.

Okay. I call amendment 109—

Okay—that is certainly on the record.

The question is, that amendment 3 be agreed to. Are we agreed?

Members: No.

We move to a new section, on appeals to the First-tier Tribunal against process decisions. I call amendment 116, in the name of Jeremy Balfour, which is grouped with amendments 117 to 125.

Those things could be picked up in the secondary legislation.

I have a follow-up line of questioning on the framework nature of the bill and the setting of five-year carbon budgets by statutory instrument. I understand that the Government has landed roughly on the affirmative procedure, but I have been asking questions about whether the super-affirmative procedure would be appropriate because it would allow draft regulations to be lodged and considered by the Parliament and wider civic Scotland such as NGOs. It would also allow the Government to take a final position and lodge that with the Parliament. I am sympathetic to that, but it would take a one-and-a-half-month parliamentary timescale to around five months. When it arrived at the level of parliamentary scrutiny, was that timescale an issue for the Government? Five months rather than one and a half months to pass a statutory instrument, when we want the climate change plan to be published as quickly as possible, might be a barrier. What are your thoughts on that?