Formal minutes
Tuesday 23 July 2019
Members present:
Pete Wishart, in the Chair
|
Deidre Brock |
John Lamont |
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David Duguid |
Paul Masterton |
|
Hugh Gaffney |
Danielle Rowley |
|
Christine Jardine |
Tommy Shepphard |
|
Ged Killen |
Draft Report, (The Future of Scottish Agriculture Post-Brexit) proposed by the Chair, brought up and read.
Ordered, That the draft Report be read a second time, paragraph by paragraph.
Paragraphs 1 to 44 read and agreed to.
Paragraph 45 read.
Amendment proposed, to leave out paragraph and insert:
“The uncertainty about the legal basis for continuing to make agricultural support payments to Scottish farmers after Brexit has been a cause of great concern. This has not been helped by the lack of clarity from both the UK and Scottish Government on when their respective Agriculture Bills will be passed nor the confused accounts we heard on the legal basis for continuing farm payments post-2020. We were particularly concerned by the Scottish Government’s account as, at the beginning of this inquiry, the Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy repeatedly told us that “existing powers under the devolution settlement” provided the legal mechanism for farmers in Scotland to receive payments from 2020. He was however unable to point to any specific provision which provided this legal mechanism. Given that these regulations that allowed for payment under the current legal framework were not passed until several months after this evidence session, we are concerned about the consistency of the evidence from the Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy. We recommend that the UK and Scottish Governments work together to agree a joint statement on the future of these payments to provide clarity about the future of these payments and announce timetables for the passage of their respective pieces of agricultural legislation.”—(John Lamont.)
Question put, That the Amendment be made.
The Committee divided.
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Ayes, 2 |
Noes, 7 |
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John Lamont |
Deidre Brock |
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Paul Masterton |
David Duguid |
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Hugh Gaffney |
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Christine Jardine |
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Danielle Rowley |
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Tommy Shepphard |
Question accordingly negatived.
Paragraph 45 agreed to.
Paragraph 46 to 111 read and agreed to.
Resolved, That the Report be the Ninth Report of the Committee to the House.
Ordered, That the Chair make the Report to the House.
Ordered, That embargoed copies of the Report be made available (Standing Order No. 134).
[Adjourned till Wednesday 3 September at 10:00am.
Published: 31 July 2019