Seòmar agus comataidhean

Please can we have order in the committee and let the cabinet secretary speak?

I will bring in Professor Barnard on Alexander Stewart’s original question.

Professor Hall, have you any final thoughts?

It is worth pointing out my previous experience as a member of the European and External Relations Committee, which received information in previous sessions when we were part of the EU. Of course, the information still has to be sifted through by the UK Government to ensure dynamic alignment in Northern Ireland.

It will be a bit tricky to manage the meeting, given that all the witnesses are online, so I ask members to direct their questions to certain witnesses. If anyone wants to add anything to what has been said, they should say so in the chat, and the clerks will let me know that they want to come in.

Mr Kerr, can you let the cabinet secretary respond to the question?

Thank you very much, and thank you for acknowledging the committee-commissioned EU tracker and the work of Dr Whitten, which has been very helpful to this committee and to other parliamentary committees too.

The committee visited Brussels recently to present our TCA report. As we approach the review of that, the EU institutions that we spoke with were very happy to consider proposals for a UK veterinary agreement, but on the basis of full regulatory alignment in the areas covered by the agreement. What is the Scottish Government’s view on how that might work, including the role of this Parliament in scrutinising the necessary legislation to comply with regulatory alignment and the full agreement?

Thank you. We move to questions, starting with Mr Stewart.

A warm welcome back to everyone. Our third agenda item is to take evidence on a series of reports regarding the Scottish Government’s commitment to align with the European Union where appropriate. The reports include a draft of the Scottish Government’s 2024 annual report on the use of the keeping pace power within the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021.

We are joined by Angus Robertson MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture. With him from the Scottish Government are George Macpherson, who is the head of EU policy and alignment, and Lorraine Walkinshaw, who is from the legal directorate. I invite the cabinet secretary to make an opening statement.

Yes, because we have a second evidence session today. I move to questions from Patrick Harvie.