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The Direct Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) Bill was introduced on 9 January 2020 by Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Theresa Villiers.
Overview
The Bill has three main functions:
- To incorporate the EU legislation governing Common Agricultural Policy direct payments into UK domestic law for the claim year 2020.
- To confer powers on the Secretary of State and Devolved Administrations to make changes to direct payments legislation to ensure that the law works properly for the claim year 2020, and to make amendments to mirror changes made to EU law during 2020, should the need arise.
- To confer powers on the Secretary of State to be able to increase the direct payments ceilings for 2020.
SPICe briefing
A full SPICe briefing on the Bill is available.
Legislative Consent Memorandum
The UK Government has sought legislative consent from the Scottish Government, and the Scottish Government published its Legislative Consent Memorandum on 13 January 2020, which includes a draft motion to consent to the Bill.
A Legislative Consent Motion was lodged on 15 January 2020. The motion was agreed to on 16 January 2020.
Consideration by Scottish Parliament Committees
| Date | Action |
| 15 January 2020 | The Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee considered the legislative consent memorandum that was lodged on the Direct Payment to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) Bill. |
| 14 January 2020 | The Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee received correspondence from the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee on the Direct Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) Bill. |
| 14 January 2020 | The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations following its consideration of the delegated powers conferred by the Direct Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) Bill in devolved areas. |
| 14 January 2020 | The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee considered the Direct Payment to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) Bill in private. |