§ Mr. SwinneyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland to produce a concordat setting out arrangements for relations between his Department and the Scottish Executive after the establishment of a Scottish parliament; and if he will make a statement. [25476]
§ Mr. MorleyConcordats cannot be finalised until after the Scottish Parliament is elected in 1999. However, our officials and those of the Scottish Office are engaging in preparatory work on some of the possible administrative working arrangements that might apply in the agriculture, fisheries and food areas after devolution. The White Paper, "Scotland's Parliament", makes clear the Government's commitment to the development of mutual understandings covering the exchange of information, advance notification and joint working to facilitate good communication after devolution.