Seòmar agus comataidhean

Thank you.

The second instrument for the committee to consider is the Feed Additives (Authorisations) (Scotland) Regulations 2023. The purpose of the instrument is to implement the decision made by the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health on 13 feed additive applications. It authorises the placing on the market and use in Scotland of 10 new feed additives, renews two authorisations with modifications and renews, modifies and authorises a new use for one other additive. The instrument also includes a transitional provision concerning an existing authorisation for one feed additive, which is renewed subject to a modification by the instrument.

The policy note states that the instrument

“aligns Scotland with England and Wales and with similar EU legislation for these feed additives.”

It also states that Foods Standards Scotland and the Food Standards Agency have concluded that the feed additives

“as described in the applications are safe for the target species, users, consumers and the environment.”

The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee considered the regulations at its meeting on 21 November 2023 and made no recommendations. No motion to annul has been lodged.

As there are no further comments, I propose that the committee does not make any recommendation in relation to the negative instrument.

Members indicated agreement.

Good morning and welcome to the 36th meeting in 2023 of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. I have received apologies from Tess White.

The first item on our agenda is to decide whether to take items 4, 5 and 6 in private. Are members agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

I have a brief supplementary question. Dr Makin, you spoke about co-production, community engagement and redesign of services, but this question is not just for you specifically. What is the difference between redesigning services in a remote rural setting and doing that in an urban setting?

The committee has seen other submissions and heard from other panels about workforce shortages and difficulties in recruiting in remote and rural areas, so I am not going to ask you specifically about recruitment. However, I am keen to hear from you, as academics, about how you see training and learning opportunities for staff in remote and rural settings. Are those areas attracting people to come to, and live and work in, those communities?

Professor Smith may want to start on that.

Our next item is consideration of two negative instruments.

The first is the Food (Scotland) Act 2015 (Compliance Notices) Amendment Regulations 2023. The purpose of the regulations is to correct an error in the Food (Scotland) Act 2015 (Compliance Notices) Regulations 2023, specifically to substitute an incorrect reference to regulation 6(2) of the Novel Foods (Scotland) Regulations 2017 with a reference to regulation 4 of those regulations.

The policy note states that the correction

“will allow Authorised Officers (AOs) to use compliance notices to deal with breaches of the requirements in the Novel Foods (Scotland) Regulations 2017.”

The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee considered the instrument at its meeting on 21 November 2023 and made no recommendations in relation to it. No motion to annul has been lodged.

Do members have any comments?

Does anyone want to add to what Professor Smith has said on the subject?

I thank the witnesses for their additional service to the committee in remaining online for 15 minutes. We are grateful for the evidence that you have given us today.

Thank you.

At our next meeting, we will continue our inquiry into healthcare in remote and rural areas, hearing from a panel of representatives of healthcare professionals operating in remote and rural areas. That concludes the public part of our meeting.