Legislative Consent: Infrastructure Bill
Legislative Consent: Infrastructure Bill
This legislative consent
memorandum relates to provisions in the UK Infrastructure Bill that seek to
enable certain environmental authorities to take action to eradicate or control
invasive non-native species (“INNS”) that pose serious threats to biodiversity,
other environmental interests or social or economic interests.
Links to all of the documents referred to on this page are provided below, see
‘Sources and additional information’.
Background
The UK Government’s Infrastructure Bill (‘the Bill’) is currently being
considered by the UK Parliament.
Sections of this Bill seek to legislate in areas of competence devolved to the
National Assembly for Wales. Convention requires that the National Assembly for
Wales (‘the Assembly’) considers consenting to this. The Assembly does this
through considering a legislative consent motion tabled by the Welsh
Government.
Further information on legislative consent motions is provided in the Research
Service’s quick guide The Constitution Series: 6 Legislative Consent Motions.
The Welsh Government published a legislative consent memorandum (‘the
memorandum’) on 18 June 2014 that explains this in more detail.
Principally, the memorandum sets out that the provisions in the Bill for which
consent is sought are contained within Part 2, Clause16.
Part 2, Clause 16 inserts a new subsection 14(4A) in the Wildlife and
Countryside Act 1981 (“the 1981 Act”) providing for measures relating to
species control agreements and species control orders to be contained in a new
Schedule 9A to the 1981 Act.
This new Schedule 9A is in five parts and runs to 26 sections.
Policy intent
The memorandum sets out the policy intent in more detail. A concise summary
is provided in the box below.
Summary of policy intent Clause 16 will, if made law, allow certain environmental
authorities to take action to eradicate or control invasive non-native
species (“INNS”) that pose serious threats to biodiversity, other environmental
interests or social or economic interests. This includes powers of entry in defined circumstances. |
Sources and Additional Information
A
copy of the legislative consent
memorandum is available at: http://www.assemblywales.org/laid%20documents/lcm-ld9786%20-%20legislative%20consent%20memorandum%20infrastructure%20bill%20provisions%20for%20the%20control%20of%20invasive%20non-native%20species/lcm-ld9786-e.pdf
The Infrastructure Bill is available on the UK Parliament’s website at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/2014-2015/0002/15002.pdf
The Research Service’s Quick Guide The Constitution Series: 6 Legislative
Consent Motions is available at: http://www.assemblywales.org/qg07-0006.pdf
Standing Orders can be viewed at http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-assembly-guidance.htm
(Standing Order 29 sets out the process for considering a legislative consent
memorandum).
Business type: Legislative Consent
Reason considered: Government Business;
Status: Complete
First published: 18/09/2014
Documents