Meeting of the Parliament 25 June 2015
I echo the cabinet secretary’s comments and thank all who were involved in devoting time and energy to supporting us in our scrutiny of the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Bill. I particularly thank the parliamentary staff for the support that they provided to the Local Government and Regeneration Committee during the bill’s progress.
I joined the committee mid-way through the process, so I missed many of the early evidence sessions, but I thank all the witnesses and interest groups that engaged with the committee and provided evidence on the wide range of topics that the bill covers. I thank the cabinet secretary for his willingness to work with committee members and other MSPs to improve the bill and for engaging with and responding constructively to all stakeholders involved.
The bill is certainly a bill of many parts. It introduces a new licensing regime for air weapons, as well as reforming local authority licensing functions in respect of alcohol, taxis and private hire cars, scrap metal dealers and theatres. The bill also introduces a new licensing regime for sexual entertainment venues.
According to the policy memorandum, the bill’s aim is to protect public safety, preserve public order, reduce crime and advance public health. During the stage 2 debate back in April, my colleague Alex Rowley suggested that combining such a diverse range of subjects and objectives into a single bill, which is based on possibly outdated legislation, is perhaps not the best way to legislate. I hope that this Scottish Government and future Governments will reflect on that.
The committee’s report on the bill stated that
“The Bill is what could be described as a ‘pick and mix’”.
That sums up the situation pretty well. Scottish Labour will support the bill today, but we do not think that it is perfect.
Considerable progress has been made on alcohol licensing. I was pleased that our amendments were accepted and to hear the reassurance that was given to Dr Richard Simpson that work on the issue that his amendment raised is under way.
We are concerned that some parts of section 68 of the bill, as amended by the Government today, could put children and young people at risk. I am disappointed that my amendment to totally ban under-18s from sexual entertainment venues was rejected, despite having the backing of Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People, Barnardo’s Scotland, the Zero Tolerance Trust, Scottish Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis Scotland.
I am disappointed that the Scottish Government believes that it is acceptable for young people to have access to sexual entertainment venues if owners can come up with a reasonable excuse. That directly contradicts a range of key Scottish Government policies that Scottish Labour supports, such as getting it right for every child and the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. It is also inconsistent with the Scottish Government’s strategy on violence against women.