Committee
Rural Affairs and Environment Committee, 04 Mar 2009
04 Mar 2009 · S3 · Rural Affairs and Environment Committee
Item of business
Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
Speaker
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Amendment 66 disagreed to.
In the same item of business
The Convener:
SNP
Agenda item 2 is consideration of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill at stage 2. Members should have in front of them their copy of the bill and a cop...
Section 1—General duty
The Convener:
SNP
Group 1 is on general duty: objectives and measures. Amendment 79, in the name of Rhoda Grant, is grouped with amendments 66 and 1.
Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
The amendments in the group take the same direction. The bill as it stands does not contain a provision to implement the flood risk management plans. When we...
Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
As Rhoda Grant said, all three amendments in the group seek to strengthen responsibility for implementing flood risk management plans. Each seeks to do so in...
The Minister for Environment (Roseanna Cunningham):
SNP
Good morning, everybody.I agree with Rhoda Grant and Peter Peacock that it is important that the objectives and measures that are set out in flood risk manag...
Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
If I understood Mr Peacock correctly, he said that all three amendments could be agreed to. I was surprised by that suggestion. The bill is a bit opaque at t...
Bill Wilson (West of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
Local democracy is an important issue in this context. Councils must be able to say what their priorities are at a particular time. I do not want us to be in...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con):
Con
I note the intentions behind the three amendments. Having listened to the arguments for each amendment and the minister's detailed explanation, I think that ...
Rhoda Grant:
Lab
I will not withdraw amendment 79, because it does not interfere with what the minister is trying to do; indeed, I think that it strengthens it. I press amend...
The Convener:
SNP
The question is, that amendment 79 be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Members:
No.
The Convener:
SNP
There will be a division.
ForGrant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)McArthur, Liam (Orkney) (LD)Murray, Elaine (Dumfries) (Lab)Peacock, Peter (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)AgainstMo...
The Convener:
SNP
The result of the division is: For 4, Against 4, Abstentions 0.There is a tie, so I use my casting vote against the amendment.
Amendment 79 disagreed to.
Amendment 66 moved—Peter Peacock.
The Convener:
SNP
The question is, that amendment 66 be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Members:
No.
The Convener:
SNP
There will be a division.
ForGrant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)McArthur, Liam (Orkney) (LD)Murray, Elaine (Dumfries) (Lab)Peacock, Peter (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) AgainstM...
The Convener:
SNP
The result of the division is: For 4, Against 4, Abstentions 0.Again, there is a tie. I use my casting vote against the amendment.
Amendment 66 disagreed to.
Amendment 1 moved—Roseanna Cunningham—and agreed to.
The Convener:
SNP
Group 2 is on general duty: environmental, economic and social impact. Amendment 2, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendment 82.
Roseanna Cunningham:
SNP
Members will be relieved to hear that I will not speak at the same length as I spoke on the previous group of amendments.The bill places a duty on the Scotti...
John Scott:
Con
As the minister noted, amendment 82 would implement recommendation 6 in the committee's stage 1 report, which was"that the Scottish Government produces a tim...
Roseanna Cunningham:
SNP
I thank John Scott for reconsidering the need for his amendment and I reiterate the commitment to lodge a suitable amendment at stage 3 in the terms that I d...
Amendment 2 agreed to.
The Convener:
SNP
Group 3 is on consistency between purposes of flood risk-related functions and other duties. Amendment 80, in the name of Liam McArthur, is the only amendmen...