§ Mr. GorrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what impact the Multilateral Agreement on Investment would have on the powers of the Scottish Parliament to deal with issues relating to land ownership, absentee landlords and second home ownership. [34546]
§ Mr. Wilson[holding answer 20 March 1998]: The key principle of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment is that signatories would not generally discriminate on the basis of the ownership of an investment. Under proposals in the Scotland Bill currently before Parliament changes in the law relating to land ownership in Scotland will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament, subject to any international obligations which might apply.
§ Mr. GorrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the Scottish Parliament will have the power to create exemptions on matters covered by the Multilateral Agreement on Investment.[35143]
§ Mr. WilsonThe Multilateral Agreement would be an addition to the range of international obligations already undertaken by the UK through the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and other agreements affecting trade and investment. These remain reserved and will continue to be dealt with by the UK Government. The Scotland Bill includes appropriate 191W machinery, in Clause 54 and elsewhere, to ensure that Scottish legislation and practice observes these obligations in so far as they impact on devolved areas.