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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 18 August 2025
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Displaying 2161 contributions

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Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Common Frameworks

Meeting date: 2 November 2022

Jim Fairlie

How do the common frameworks protect your ability to put in place a policy that ensures that the policies that we want to implement in Scotland to support agriculture are as the Scottish Government intends? How do the common frameworks protect that?

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Common Frameworks

Meeting date: 2 November 2022

Jim Fairlie

Ultimately, then, the 2022 act could overrule the common frameworks that you are working with. Are you telling us that, if you were to put forward a negotiating position through the common frameworks, saying, “This is the problem that we want to address,” but the UK Government had a completely different and diverging policy, that piece of legislation could overrule the work of the common frameworks?

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Common Frameworks

Meeting date: 2 November 2022

Jim Fairlie

I am going to refer back to the question that the convener asked about challenges with the frameworks, given that they appear to be agreed between Governments, although stakeholder evidence provides the view that provisions of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 render them kind of useless.

I note that the Law Society of Scotland said:

“We note that there are no domestic legal constraints on the powers of the UK Parliament or UK Government concerning common frameworks.”

It added, conversely:

“we note that the devolved governments will be bound to such common frameworks either because they have agreed to them or because they are bound by law.”

Does that give you concern about how the common frameworks will work for the Scottish Government?

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Common Frameworks

Meeting date: 2 November 2022

Jim Fairlie

My understanding is that, despite all the rhetoric around common frameworks and how we will work together, it is ultimately the UK minister who will make the overruling decision on whether a common framework is within exclusions that the Scottish Government might wish to apply. Is that correct, or is it your understanding?

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Common Frameworks

Meeting date: 2 November 2022

Jim Fairlie

Convener, the witnesses have just raised a point that is really important to farming in Scotland. I have a question that follows on from the one that Rachael Hamilton asked.

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Common Frameworks

Meeting date: 2 November 2022

Jim Fairlie

Do you have a concern that the potential for you to implement a similar scheme will be impacted?

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Common Frameworks

Meeting date: 2 November 2022

Jim Fairlie

I know—I am just highlighting that fact.

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Common Frameworks

Meeting date: 2 November 2022

Jim Fairlie

Okay, George—bamboozle us with the science of how that is going to work.

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Common Frameworks

Meeting date: 2 November 2022

Jim Fairlie

On the issue of divergence between Scotland and other areas of the UK, am I correct in thinking that, right now, there is an avian flu policy for the housing of birds in England but not in Scotland? There are about 80 cases in England and only four in Scotland. During the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the 2000s, we, in Scotland, took the decision to close immediately when we found a case, whereas it took a week to make such a decision south of the border, as a result of which the spread down south was much greater. Surely, we would want to retain our ability to make our own decisions on animal health and welfare in Scotland.

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Common Frameworks

Meeting date: 2 November 2022

Jim Fairlie

I just want to come back in quickly, before George bamboozles me with the science of it.

I do not know whether the UK Government’s policy has changed, what with the turbulence over the past couple of weeks and the fact that I have not been home yet, but my understanding of the UK Government’s position is that, by 2027, all direct support will be taken away and the process down south will be based entirely around environmental controls and access to land. On the other hand, the Scottish Government’s preferred option is still to retain 50 per cent of direct payments—that is the quoted figure, and you can clarify for me whether it is correct—to continue to allow support for food production. Is that the kind of area that might cause concern? Will common frameworks allow you to protect that position?