Chamber and committees

—the Scotland Act 1998 (Specification of Functions and Transfer of Property etc) Order 2019. Will you provide the committee with an update on where things are with that?

Thank you.

Is the committee content with the instruments?

Members indicated agreement.

Thank you—that is on the record.

Is the committee content with the instruments?

Members indicated agreement.

Under agenda item 4, we are considering one instrument, on which no points have been raised.

I suspend the meeting until 10.30.

I am sure that our colleagues from the committee would welcome that further engagement.

I also have a question in relation to the Building (Scotland) Amendment (Amendment) (No 2) Regulations 2022 (SSI 2022/340). The regulations amended SSI 2022/136 by amending the date on which new mandatory energy and environmental standards for buildings and building work are introduced from 1 December 2022 to 1 February 2023. The committee asked the Scottish Government for an explanation for the 28-day breach, given that the laying requirements were complied with the last time the deadline was postponed. The Scottish Government advised that the breach had occurred due to delay in the last engagement with providers.

What processes does the Scottish Government have in place to manage the planning and timescales for delaying planned implementation of legislation, and what is done to ensure that reviews of any delayed implementations are regularly carried out?

Did that happen even during the worst of the Covid period? Not to have any engagement until the bill is published seems remarkable. I generally do not recall that type of thing happening even during the worst of Covid.

I will come in with a supplementary question. Are you also engaging on that issue with officials and relevant Government ministers in the other devolved Administrations?