Seòmar agus comataidhean

Do you want to continue with your questions on housing, Ariane?

It would be appropriate now to move on to questions about young people from Ariane Burgess.

Your point is well made.

We move on to questions from Mercedes Villalba.

Jenny Milne has asked to come in; we will then go to Jane Craigie.

We move to agenda item 5. Before questions from members, I invite our panellists to make a brief presentation on the national islands plan survey and its findings. I also invite Philip Raines, who is interim deputy director of rural economy and communities in the Scottish Government, to make some opening remarks. I will then hand over to Dr Ruth Wilson.

09:40

We move to agenda item 2. I refer members to paper 2. The Official Controls (Transitional Staging Period) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 are made using powers under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. Under the protocol between the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government, the committee is required to consider whether the procedure attached to the Scottish statutory instrument is appropriate or should be changed.

The instrument is subject to the negative procedure and Scottish ministers have categorised the instrument as having “low” significance, as the amendments are solely to make relatively minor changes to the transitional arrangements that are in place. The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee considered the instrument at its meeting on 21 September and agreed that the negative procedure was appropriate.

Is the committee content that the negative procedure is appropriate for the instrument?

Members indicated agreement.

We move to agenda item 3. I refer members to papers 2, 3 and 4. As the committee agreed that the negative procedure was appropriate for the Official Controls (Transitional Staging Period) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2021, we now consider it and the Meat Preparations (Import Conditions) (Scotland) Amendment (No 2) Regulations 2021, which is also subject to the negative procedure.

Does any member wish to raise an issue regarding either of the instruments? I would like to write to the Scottish Government for clarification on a response that it made with regard to the positioning of checkpoints. It stated that they were

“no longer appropriate and insufficiently flexible”.

As no other member has any comments, is the committee content to note the instruments?

Members indicated agreement.

We are conscious of the shortage of time, so we will move on to questions from Ariane Burgess.

Does anyone have any opinions on the legislative consent motion that has been lodged in the Scottish Parliament regarding animal movements, particularly on the UK-wide ban on the export of live animals for slaughter?