The Tory Government is attempting to hijack 111 different powers which are currently devolved to the Scottish Parliament, including vital areas such as railway ownership, GM foods, pesticides regulation, the sharing of criminal data, protected food names, state aid, EU citizens’ voting rights and fracking.
The EU Withdrawal Bill contains provisions for the wholesale transfer of powers from Brussels to London, even in policy areas which are currently devolved. This threatens to undermine the progressive policies put in place by the SNP Government over the past 10 years.
Kenneth Gibson commented:
“It is ironic that as we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the referendum on the creation of the Scottish Parliament, the UK Government is attempting to reclaim so many of the powers that were returned to the Scottish people in 1997.
“To fight back against this blatant power grab, the Scottish Government, together with the Welsh Government, have published 38 amendments which they believe are required to stop Westminster taking control of these devolved powers.
“Time will tell if the UK Government will act in the interests of all nations and find a Withdrawal Bill which respects the rights of the devolved Governments of Scotland and Wales.”
Please see below the full list of devolved powers to be absorbed by the UK Government if the EU Withdrawal Bill goes ahead in its current form:
1. Agricultural Support
2. Agriculture – Fertiliser Regulations
3. Agriculture – Genetically Modified Organisms Marketing & Cultivation
4. Agriculture – Organic Farming
5. Agriculture – Zootech
6. Animal Health and Traceability
7. Animal Welfare
8. Aviation Noise Management at Airports
9. Blood Safety and Quality
10. Carbon Capture & Storage
11. Chemicals regulation (including pesticides)
12. Civil judicial co-operation – jurisdiction and recognition & enforcement of judgments in civil & commercial matters (including B1 rules and related EU conventions)
13. Civil judicial co-operation – jurisdiction and recognition & enforcement of judgments instruments in family law (including B IIa, Maintenance and civil protection orders)
14. Civil judicial cooperation on service of documents and taking of evidence
15. Criminal offences minimum standards measures – Combating Child Sexual Exploitation Directive
16. Control of major accident hazards
17. Cross border mediation
18. Data sharing – EU fingerprint database
19. Data sharing – European Criminal Records Information System
20. Data sharing – False and Authentic Documents Online
21. Data sharing – passenger name records
22. Data sharing – Prüm framework
23. Data sharing – Schengen Information System (SIS II)
24. Efficiency in energy use
25. Elements of Reciprocal Healthcare
26. Elements of the Network and Information Security Directive
27. Elements of Tobacco Regulation
28. Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
29. Environmental Impact Assessment Directive
30. Environmental law concerning energy planning consents
31. Environmental law concerning offshore oil & gas installations within territorial waters
32. Environmental quality – Air Quality
33. Environmental quality – Chemicals
34. Environmental quality – Flood Risk Management
35. Environmental quality – International timber trade
36. Environmental quality – Marine environment
37. Environmental quality – Natural Environment and Biodiversity
38. Environmental quality – Ozone depleting substances and F-gases
39. Environmental quality – Pesticides
40. Environmental quality – Spatial Data Infrastructure Standards
41. Environmental quality – Waste Packaging & Product Regulations
42. Environmental quality – Waste Producer Responsibility Regulations
43. Environmental quality – Water Quality
44. Environmental quality – Water Resources
45. Environmental quality – Biodiversity – access and benefit sharing of genetic resources
46. Equal Treatment Legislation
47. EU agencies – EU – large-scale IT systems
48. EU agencies – Eurojust
49. EU agencies – Europol
50. EU Social Security Coordination
51. Fisheries Management & Support
52. Food and Feed Law
53. Food Compositional Standards
54. Food Geographical Indications (Protected Food Names)
55. Food Labelling
56. Forestry (domestic)
57. Free movement of healthcare (the right for EEA citizens to have their elective procedure in another member state)
58. Genetically modified micro-organisms contained use
59. Good laboratory practice
60. Harbours
61. Hazardous Substances Planning
62. Heat metering and billing information
63. High Efficiency Cogeneration
64. Implementation of EU Emissions Trading System
65. Ionising radiation
66. Land use
67. Late payment (commercial transactions)
68. Legal aid in cross-border cases
69. Migrant Access to benefits
70. Minimum standards housing & care: regulation of the use of animals
71. Minimum standards legislation – child sexual exploitation
72. Minimum standards legislation – cybercrime
73. Minimum standards legislation – football disorder
74. Minimum standards legislation – human trafficking
75. Mutual recognition of professional qualifications
76. Mutual recognition of criminal court judgments measures & cross border cooperation – European Protection Order, Prisoner Transfer Framework Directive, European Supervision Directive, Compensation to Crime Victims Directive
77. Nutrition health claims, composition and labelling
78. Onshore hydrocarbons licensing
79. Organs
80. Plant Health, Seeds and Propagating Material
81. Practical cooperation in law enforcement – Asset Recovery Offices
82. Practical cooperation in law enforcement – European Investigation Order
83. Practical cooperation in law enforcement – Joint Action on Organised Crime
84. Practical cooperation in law enforcement – Joint investigation teams
85. Practical cooperation in law enforcement – mutual legal assistance
86. Practical cooperation in law enforcement – mutual recognition of asset freezing orders
87. Practical cooperation in law enforcement – mutual recognition of confiscation orders
88. Practical cooperation in law enforcement – Schengen Article 40
89. Practical cooperation in law enforcement – Swedish initiative
90. Practical cooperation in law enforcement – European judicial network
91. Practical cooperation in law enforcement – implementation of European Arrest Warrant
92. Procedural rights (criminal cases) – minimum standards measures
93. Provision of legal services
94. Provision in the 1995 Data Protection Directive (soon to be replaced by the General Data Protection Regulation) allowing for more than one supervisory authority in each member state
95. Public sector procurement
96. Public health (serious cross-border threats to health)
97. Radioactive Source Notifications – Trans-frontier shipments
98. Radioactive waste treatment and disposal
99. Rail franchising rules
100. Rail markets and operator licensing
101. Recognition of insolvency proceedings in EU Member States
102. Renewable Energy Directive
103. Rules on applicable law in civil & commercial cross border claims
104. Sentencing – taking convictions into account
105. State Aid
106. Statistics
107. Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive
108. Tissues and cells
109. Uniform fast-track procedures for certain civil and commercial claims (uncontested debts, small claims)
110. Victims’ rights measures (criminal cases)
111. Voting rights and candidacy rules for EU citizens in local government elections
ENDS
