Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee

Meeting date: Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Official Report 595KB pdf

European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018

Recognition of Professional Qualifications (Miscellaneous Provisions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019

Recognition of Professional Qualifications (EFTA States) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019

Item 2 is consideration of two proposals by the Scottish Government to consent to the United Kingdom Government legislating using the powers under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 in relation to proposed UK statutory instruments. The first is the Recognition of Professional Qualifications (Miscellaneous Provisions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, which relate to the reciprocal framework of rules for the recognition of professional qualifications enabling European Economic Area and Swiss nationals to gain access to the regulated profession in which they are qualified in another EEA state or Switzerland.

The second is the Recognition of Professional Qualifications (EFTA States) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. The purpose of the instrument is to transpose the provisions of the EEA EFTA no deal citizens’ rights agreement and Swiss citizens’ rights agreement, to make minor changes to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Department of Health and Social Care regulations and to address infractions identified in normal business by the European Commission.

Both regulations relate to regulations that were made on 19 February 2019, which amended existing legislation to ensure that a system of recognition of qualifications will continue to operate effectively if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal. Although the legislation is UK-wide, it applies to all regulated professions and intersects devolved matters relating to the regulation of teachers, lawyers, social workers, healthcare practitioners and others. The proposal will ensure that current recognition arrangements for those professions are maintained.

The notifications for the regulations suggest that they are all category A proposals; that is to say, they are technical with minimum policy choice or only one obvious policy solution. Is the committee content for those matters to be dealt with by statutory instruments laid at Westminster?

Members indicated agreement.

As the committee is content, I will write to the cabinet secretary to notify him of the committee’s decision.