Asked by: Gavin Newlands (Scottish National Party - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
What plans the Government has to seek the consent of the Scottish Parliament to the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK Government remains committed to the Sewel convention and the principle of legislative consent. The Secretary of State wrote to the Scottish Government on 18 December to seek their recommendation of consent for the Bill and has discussed this directly with Mike Russell.
I am disappointed that the Scottish Parliament voted against granting consent last week. We will continue to discuss the Bill with the Scottish Government.
Asked by: Gavin Newlands (Scottish National Party - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the Repeal Bill will require a legislative consent motion from the Scottish Parliament.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Repeal Bill is an essential Bill in the national interest – it will give powers to the devolved administrations that are necessary for preparing their statute books for our exit from the EU. As the Secretary of State has made clear, the Bill will ensure that the decisions that are currently made by the devolved administrations will continue to be made by the devolved administrations. It is the expectation of the Government that the process of repatriating powers from the EU will result in a significant increase in the decision making power of each devolved administration.
The Bill affects the powers of the devolved institutions and legislates in devolved areas, so we will seek the consent of the devolved legislatures, including the Scottish Parliament, for the Bill. We would like everyone to come together in support of this legislation, which is crucial to delivering the referendum outcome.