Committee
Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee 16 December 2015
16 Dec 2015 · S4 · Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee
Item of business
Subordinate Legislation
Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Consequential Modifications and Savings) Order 2016 [Draft]
Agenda item 2 is subordinate legislation. The first instruments that we will consider are the Community Right to Buy (Scotland) Regulations 2015 and the draft Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Consequential Modifications and Savings) Order 2016. We are joined by the Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, Dr Aileen McLeod, and her officials David Thomson, the head of the community land team, and Angela Lawson, a solicitor. I welcome them all to the meeting. I wonder whether the minister would care to speak to the instrument.
In the same item of business
The Convener
SNP
Agenda item 2 is subordinate legislation. The first instruments that we will consider are the Community Right to Buy (Scotland) Regulations 2015 and the draf...
The Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform (Aileen McLeod)
SNP
Good morning. I am pleased to be here this morning to support the committee’s consideration of the draft Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Consequen...
The Convener
SNP
Thank you. Do any members wish to make comments?
Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP)
SNP
I have one question to ask in passing. The Government accepts that there has been a drafting error in the order and that there could be an opportunity to pro...
Aileen McLeod
SNP
I understand that the drafting error to which the member refers is in the negative instrument rather than in the affirmative instrument.
The Convener
SNP
In that case, do any other members have comments to make?
Alex Fergusson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con)
Con
Further to Graeme Dey’s point, it strikes me that, even if we are not talking about errors, how the instrument has been drafted means that at least two other...
Aileen McLeod
SNP
I am happy to pass that question over to Angela Lawson.
Angela Lawson (Scottish Government)
We note your concerns; we noted the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee’s concerns, too. We will lay one short amending instrument to take into account...
Alex Fergusson
Con
Thank you. I absolutely acknowledge that the instrument that will be laid to change the date from 20 April 2015 to 20 April 2016 will be very simple, but am ...
Angela Lawson
We can do everything in one instrument rather than taking up more committee and parliamentary time by laying more instruments. It will all be wrapped up in o...
Alex Fergusson
Con
The only reason I raise the issue is that we have all become aware of the number of instruments that we will have to deal with between now and the end of the...
Angela Lawson
We tried to push this package of community empowerment instruments through early. We are working quickly to do so, to try to avoid the glut of instruments th...
Alex Fergusson
Con
I think we will. Thank you very much.
The Convener
SNP
Minister, can I press you to make sure that we get the instruments in the first week of January?
Aileen McLeod
SNP
I am happy to do that.
The Convener
SNP
It would help us enormously—if it is at all possible.
Aileen McLeod
SNP
Absolutely.
The Convener
SNP
Do you wish to wind up?
Aileen McLeod
SNP
I am happy to leave it there.
The Convener
SNP
In that case, we move to item 3, which is to consider motion S4M-15152, which asks the committee to recommend approval of the draft Community Empowerment (Sc...
The Convener
SNP
I thank Aileen McLeod and her officials.