Brexit Secretary Mike Russell name checks and praises the following politicians for bringing the case:

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The European Court of Justice has ruled the UK can cancel Brexit without the permission of the other 27 EU members.

The ECJ judges ruled this could be done without altering the terms of Britain's membership.

A group of anti-Brexit politicians argued the UK should be able to unilaterally halt Brexit, but they were opposed by the government and EU.

The statement from the court, external said the ability for a member state to change its mind after telling the EU it wanted to leave would last as long as a withdrawal agreement had not been entered into, or for the two-year period after it had notified the bloc it was leaving.

Read more here.

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SNP MSP Bruce Crawford seeks a response to the ruling by the European Court of Justice that the UK can unilaterally revoke Article 50.

It's topical questions and what could be more topical than Brexit!

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Right Reverend Bruce Cameron, formerly of Faith in Older People, is delivering today's time for reflection.

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We begin with topical questions, with Brexit being the only issue on the menu.

SNP MSP Bruce Crawford will ask for Brexit Secretary Mike Russell's reaction to European Court of Justice ruling that the UK can unilaterally revoke Article 50.

Expect also a reaction to the extraordinary day at Westminster yesterday, when Theresa May deferred the vote on her withdrawal deal.

The Scottish government will then lead a debate on sea fisheries and end of year negotiations.

SNP MSP Angela Constance's member's debate on the 60th anniversary of the ultrasound scanner ends the day.

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Ms Gourgeon says the Scottish government is trying to work closely with Defra, but the timescales involved mean impact assessments have not been possible.

But we continue to engage with our stakeholders and public bodies all the time on these SSIs, she adds.

Green MSP Mark Ruskell asks about the potential for divergence.

We will continue to keep an eye on Europe to ensure our standards do not fall says the minister, but we also have the ability to make changes for specific issues in Scotland.

That's lunch!

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Now Rural Affairs Minister Mairi Gougeon and officials will discuss the Environment and Wildlife (Legislative Functions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018, external with the committee.

Tory MSP Finlay Carson asks about concerns around exporting to the EU.

Mr Shields again warns against the divergence of standards which will lead to more costs and paperwork, with significant impact on companies.

Kate Young of ChemTrust says in the pursuit of trade deals there will be pressure not to stay aligned with EU regulations.

The evidence session draws to a close, but don't go away.

Green MSP Mark Ruskell asks how SEPA and HSE's will responsibilities change.

Dave Bench says discussion is ongoing about setting up a framework that reflects the devolution settlement if there is a no deal Brexit.

Mr Bench says HSE engages with the four environment agencies in the UK but that is an informal arrangement, so this would be turned into a formal arrangement.

Janice Milne of SEPA adds not much change is anticipated because it is about formalising this process.

If you manufacture or import one tonne or more per year of a chemical substance in the European Economic Area (European Union + Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), you must record this in the REACH database, external.

REACH stands for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals.

REACH applies to all chemical substances, both those needed for industrial processes and those we use in our everyday lives - in paints, cleaning products, clothes, furniture and electrical appliances, for example.

It thus affects most businesses in the EEA.

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Labour MSP Claudia Beamish asks about concerns about the Scottish government having a more precautionary approach to chemicals, rather than the risk-based approach of the UK.

Janice Milne from SEPA says it is really important that there is clarity around why restrictions are put in place.

Dave Bench from the Health and Safety Executive argues a single decision across the whole of the UK would be best, as it gives certainty.

Mr Bench says there is a chance to reset the working relationships across the UK, despite them being "pretty good" at the moment.

Dave Bench from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says that when the UK leaves the EU, the current body of law in the EU will be put into UK law, as per the EU Withdrawal Act.

Policy change will not be a part of this process so the framework for chemicals now will remain the framework after Brexit, he says.

The main change will be that firms will have to register with both the EU and UK systems, Mr Bench adds, but he highlights the UK system will ask for the same format as the EU to avoid additional work.

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Tom Shields from Chemical Sciences Scotland says the concern from the chemicals industry is about divergence of standards.

Mr Shields says different standards between Scotland and the EU will pose problems, with the largest exports and imports from the industry being to EU .

"We're very concerned about their being any difference," he tells the committee.

Convener Gillian Martin asks about the key concerns.

Nishma Patel from the Chemical Industries Association says replicating the EU's database and ensuring data is shared is an issue.

Kate Young of ChemTrust says there is no provision to ensure the UK's controls of chemicals will remain aligned with the EU.

She suggests this might result in the UK falling behind the EU in terms of protecting human health and the environment.

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The committee will now discuss the REACH (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, external with:

• Tom Shields from Chemical Sciences Scotland
• Kate Young of ChemTrust (via teleconference)
• Janice Milne from SEPA
• Dave Bench from the Health and Safety Executive
• Paul Simpson from Grangemouth Manufacturing Centre
• Nishma Patel of Chemical Industries Association (via teleconference)

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Eleanor Kay from Scottish Land & Estates says it is important that we learn lessons from things we've already done, rather than having another go at reinventing the wheel.

Ms Kay insists: "We need greater clarity from government, as to our direction of travel as land managers."

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Dr Paul Walton from RSPB explains we could do a lot better in terms of biodiversity and forestry.

He warns that the curlew numbers are nose diving.

Where you plant trees must be done strategically, he argues.

The Care Inspectorate, the watchdog for early learning and childcare services, and Zero Tolerance, a charity working to end men's violence against women, have launched a campaign to encourage and positively promote gender equal play in early years settings.

It comes as a new resource , externalis introduced for people who work in the early learning and childcare sector.

The resource aims to boost their awareness of the positive benefits of encouraging and supporting gender equality from an early age.

Launching the resource, Childrens Minister Maree Todd said: "Evidence shows that gender stereotyping from a very early age has an impact on the decisions that girls and boys make about their future subject and career choices."

Jonny Hughes says there needs to be long-term funding commitments to give certainty to businesses.

There is a huge opportunity for Scotland to become world leading on the biodiversity agenda, he says.