Seòmar agus comataidhean

I am aware that we have limited time with you, minister, so I ask members to be concise with their questions and ask you and your officials to be concise with your answers, to help us get through all the committee’s questions.

I am conscious that we have got to the end of our allocated time. Would you be willing to stay with us for slightly longer? Hopefully, that will mean that the committee can get through all of its questions.

Thank you, Mr FitzPatrick.

The next item on our agenda is an evidence session with the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport. This session will conclude the committee’s oral evidence gathering as part of phase 2 of our post-legislative scrutiny of the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013.

I welcome to the committee Maree Todd, who is the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport. She is accompanied by two officials from the Scottish Government: Joanne Finlay is policy lead in the self-directed support improvement team, and Rachael McGruer is deputy director in the adult social care, local improvement and transformation division.

I invite the minister to give a brief opening statement.

Good morning, and welcome to the 21st meeting in 2024 of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. I have received apologies from David Torrance.

Our first item of business is to welcome Joe FitzPatrick to the committee and ask him to declare any interests that are relevant to the committee’s remit.

The next item on our agenda is consideration of one negative instrument, which is the Food Additives and Novel Foods (Authorisations and Miscellaneous Amendments) and Food Flavourings (Removal of Authorisations) (Scotland) Regulations 2024. The purpose of the regulations is to implement the decision that was made by the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health on eight regulated food product applications. It authorises the placing on the market in Scotland of four new novel foods, authorises a new production method for two food additives and a new use for one other food additive, and authorises the removal of 22 food-flavouring substances.

The regulations also set a maximum limit for residues of ethylene oxide in all food additives, and they correct minor technical errors and omissions in two existing novel foods authorisations and two existing food additive authorisations.

The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee considered the regulations at its meeting on 11 June 2024 and made no recommendations. No motion to annul has been lodged.

I believe that Emma Harper has a comment.

Would you be content for the committee to write to the minister and ask about the concerns that you have raised?

Good morning and welcome to the 20th meeting of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee in 2024. I have received apologies from Paul Sweeney.

The first item on our agenda is to decide whether to take item 4 in private. Do members agree to do so?

Members indicated agreement.

I am sorry, James, but I think that both Des McCart and Richard Brunner wish to respond to that last question.

Okay. Tess White has a supplementary.