UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill

The Scottish Government introduced the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill (referred to as ‘the Bill’) on 18 June 2020.

The Scottish Government explains that the purpose of the Bill is to:

• a. enable the Scottish Ministers to make provision in secondary legislation to allow Scots law to be able to ‘keep pace’ with EU law in devolved areas, where appropriate;
• b. ensure that there continue to be guiding principles on the environment in Scotland;
• c. establish an environmental governance body, Environmental Standards Scotland;
  d. continue the role and functions of the European institutions in ensuring the complete and effective implementation of environmental law.

The Committee is the lead Committee and in order to inform its scrutiny it sought written views on all aspects of the Bill. The closing date for responses was Friday 7 August 2020. Read the call for evidence and all the responses.

The Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee is a secondary committee and will focus on the environmental policy aspects of the Bill.

Correspondence

Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Enviroment, Climate Change and Land Reform on the Bill, 19 August 2020 (179KB PDF)

Scottish Government response to the Committee's Stage 1 report on the Bill (493KB PDF)

Adviser Briefing

The Committee's Constitutional Issues Adviser, Professor Tom Mullen, has provided as briefing on the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continutity) (Scotland) Bill, 19 August 2020 (226KB PDF)

Oral Evidence

Wednesday 2 September 2020 - Jonathan Hall, NFU Scotland, Lloyd Austin, Scottish Enviroment LINK and then from Councillor Steven Heddle, COSLA; Mhairi Snowden, Human Rights Consortium Scotland.

Official Report of Meeting 2 September 2020