Chamber and committees

Under agenda item 3, we are considering six instruments, on which no points have been raised.

Is the committee content with the instruments?

Members indicated agreement.

Under agenda item 4, we are considering three instruments, on which ??no points have been raised.

Under agenda item 5, we are considering one instrument, on which no points have been raised

Perhaps a protocol is not the right avenue to go down, but even guidelines of some type might help to speed the process up. From memory, I think that it was put to the committee that it can potentially take well over a year—perhaps a year and a half—for a section 104 order to be dealt with. That does not have a negative impact on practitioners as such, but it is still the case that older legislation is used for specific elements, rather than the new legislation that people very much welcome.

Thank you very much, minister. Nice try.

You will be aware that the committee does a very good job—I say that on behalf of all colleagues—with regard to scrutiny of Scottish statutory instruments. The Scottish Government has certainly improved the quality of the drafting of SSIs. As you are aware, we do not identify many issues with them. It is clear that a lot of hard work has been undertaken there. However, we still find some errors in the drafting of SSIs. What work are you and your colleagues doing to ensure that drafting errors are reduced?

Is the committee content with the instruments?

Members indicated agreement.

Do you have training every two or three years? New people will come in and others will move on.

Okay. Thank you.

Does the committee also wish to draw the instrument to the attention of the Parliament on the general reporting ground, in that, in the preamble, the reference to paragraph 7(a) of schedule 2 to the 2013 act should be to paragraph 7(b), and in respect of incorrect references in regulations 18(2) and 24(1)(b)(i) and in paragraph 1(1) of the schedule?

Members indicated agreement.