 Rhaid chyfnodd, unwysig, i chi dweud â'r awgach, ysgolwau, ysgolwau a'r byd, wnaith gyda'r cyfweld trwy'r cyfweld ymlaen i'r cyfweld yn y cyfweld, maen nhw'n fynd eich cyfweld ar y cyfweld ag y mae'r iawn. Mae'r first concept ymlaen, mae'r cyfweld ymlaen i'r cyfweld i'r cyfweld gyda'r ysgolwau eich cyfweld ar y cyfweld, mae rhaid pwysig i'r cyfweld i'r cyfweld i'r cyfweld I welcome Lorna Slater, Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity Committee. It's not the first time we shall meet you, I'm sure, minister, and with you as your officials, Clarenda Burrell, Rachel Coutts and James Knott, join us remotely. Minister, would you like to make an opening statement? Thank you, convener. Thank you very much. Thank you for making the time today to consider draft SSI, the Plant Health EU Exit Scotland amendment number 2, regulations of 2021. The regulations are being made to amend Scottish legislation in the field of plant health, in particular in relation to fees payable to Scottish ministers associated with plant passports and phytosanitary certification for forestry products. Provision is introduced to facilitate an exemption from the requirement to pay fees for phytosanitary certificates for forestry exports from Scotland to Northern Ireland in certain circumstances under the UK Government's movement assistance scheme. That will serve to support Scottish exporters post-transition period. As Northern Ireland remains part of the EU plant health system, exports from Scotland to Northern Ireland are required to fulfil EU entry requirements, including phytosanitary certificates. The movement assistance scheme, funded by the UK Government, temporarily removes the requirement on exporters to pay fees associated with obtaining a phytosanitary certificate for exports of plants and plant products to Northern Ireland. Provision is also introduced to increase the fees charged for export certification services for forestry products and inspections in connection with a plant passport authority for forestry professional operators, reflecting an inflationary rise in the cost of providing those services. Fees for those services have not been increased since 2004 and 2006 respectively. That will allow Scottish ministers to recover more of their plant health costs through fees for services with the aim of minimising the potential spread of damaging plant pests and diseases and enabling Scotland to continue to meet international plant health requirements and standards. The regulations also correct a minor typographical error in the plant health import inspection fees Scotland regulations of 2014 and make amendments to the plant health official controls and miscellaneous provisions Scotland regulations of 2019 to deficiency fix EU law to make it operable. I consider that these regulations are therefore necessary and appropriate. My officials and I would be happy to take any questions from the committee. Thank you minister. Do committee members have any questions? Rachel Hamilton. Good morning. Can I ask if the amendment expires on the 31st of December 2022, what happens after that? We will need to bring it back again to extend. The UK Government has agreed to extend the scheme to 2023 and so this SSI will need to be brought again and re-amended. I have another question. The consultation was done informally with sector representatives. Who were those sector representatives? Discussions took place in Scotland with the Scottish Tree Health advisory group. This group is the core stakeholder advisory group for tree health matters in Scotland. Its membership includes senior expert representatives from across the tree and forest sector who act to facilitate knowledge exchange between Scottish Government and stakeholders. Those discussions indicated that the fee increases outlined in the regulations 3 and 4 were considered necessary and reasonable and would not have any significant negative effect on the forestry sector. It is also worth noting that those increases have already been implemented in other countries within the UK, so we are bringing Scotland into line. That is helpful. Lastly, where the exportation certification will be used by the UK Government, where does that specifically come from for this? Is it any EU transition fund? I do not know the answer to that. Maybe my officials can help me with that one. Okay, that is fine. That is my question. Are the officials able to answer with a helpless answer? Where in the UK budget does money come from? Or is that one where we will need to get back to you on? We are not going to have an answer straight away. We make a note of that and we will certainly get back to you on that. We will write to the minister on that. Any further questions? We now move to agenda item 2, which is consideration of formal consideration of motion S6M-02211, and I invite Ms Slater to move the motion. I move that draft SSI, the Plant Health, EU Exits Scotland amendment 2, regulations of 2021, be approved by the committee. Does any member wish to debate the motion? No. Is the committee content to recommend approval of this instrument? We are agreed. Finally, is the committee content to delegate authority to me to sign off our report on our deliberations on this affirmative SSI? That completes consideration of the affirmative instrument, and I thank the minister and our officials for attending today. We will briefly suspend until item 3. Thank you very much. Our third item of business today is consideration of a notification from the Scottish ministers for consent to the ivory prohibitions exemptions process and procedures regulations 2021, and I refer members to paper 3 on page 15. Under the protocol between the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government, this consent notification has been categorised as type 1, meaning that the Scottish Parliament agreement is sought before the Scottish Government gives consent to the UK Government making secondary legislation in devolved competence. Does any member have any comments on this consent notification? No. Is the committee content that the provision set out and the notification should be included in the proposed UKSI? Agreed, thank you. Finally, is the committee content to delegate authority to me to sign off a letter to the Scottish Government in forming it off our decision today? We are now going to a slight change to the agenda. We are now going to move into private session and we will resume with agenda item 4 at 9.30. We are now going to private session.