Hansard

I share all the views that Cara Hilton has expressed with regard to broadcasting explicit scenes or posting them on the internet. Unfortunately, the Parliament does not have any powers to do anything about that.

I am not a member of the Local Government and Regeneration Committee, but the bill appeared, from its title, to be straightforward enough. However, as organisations and constituents starting to contact me ahead of the debate, I realised that the bill is wide ranging in its aims. I applaud the Scottish Government for that and the Local Government and Regeneration Committee for the extensive work that it has carried out on the bill at stage 1.

I will focus primarily on two aspects of the bill. First, I will address alcohol licensing, which is part of the larger approach to dealing with our relationship with alcohol and the negative impact that it has on a number of our citizens and communities. Secondly, I will look at the provisions that aim to tackle the increasing problem of metal theft in our country.

As a former member of the Health and Sport Committee, I have been involved in a great deal of evidence taking, including round-table discussions, on the impact of alcohol on Scottish society. The Scottish Government and all parties represented in the chamber are committed to tackling the problem. The impact of alcohol on the health of adults is well documented, but alcohol has an even greater effect on the health of young people. That is why I am pleased that the Scottish Government has announced, in the bill, that it will close the legal loophole that allows adults to purchase alcohol for someone under the age of 18 if the alcohol is then consumed in public. That loophole has encouraged young people to engage in drinking in outdoor drinking dens, which is detrimental to their health and has led to concerns being expressed by people who are afraid of groups of young people, especially if they have been drinking. For the provision to work, however, I advise that the police use their discretion and avoid being overactive in their enforcement, as that would only lead to the drinking dens going underground, which may make them harder to police.

Although there must be a focus on those who purchase alcohol, it is also paramount that, when a licensing board is considering someone’s application to sell alcohol, the board is provided with wide-ranging information to ensure that the applicant passes a fit-and-proper-person test. The test exists in many licensing regimes, and I am pleased that the bill will incorporate it into ours. That will offer some comfort to families across Scotland that those who hold an alcohol licence have been through a vigorous process, that they can be trusted and that their character is “fit and proper” to sell alcohol. Those are positive steps in the campaign to change our relationship with alcohol and I very much welcome the proposals.

As I stated, the second aspect of the bill that I will focus on is the provisions that aim to reduce metal theft. I have been approached by a number of constituents, including those from a religious background, who have raised their concerns over the increasing problem of metal theft and whose establishments have been subject to that crime. Not only does metal theft have a negative effect on those affected but it has a dangerous impact on those who carry out the thefts.

I am pleased that the Scottish Government acknowledges that efforts to reduce metal theft require legislative action. The proposals in the bill offer that action. While it is important to take preventative action to ensure that metal theft does not happen in the first place, it must be made very uncomfortable for the thieves to try to dispose of the stolen metal. If we introduce effective regulation of the metal-dealing industry, it will become more difficult for thieves to dispose of their stolen material.

Genuine metal dealers, who provide a valuable service to the community, and manufacturers will be protected by the legislation because it aims to target the unscrupulous dealers who offer a way for metal thieves to dispose of their stolen goods. It is hoped that, by cutting off that route, metal thieves will be discouraged from stealing in the first place, ensuring that our churches and railways are not despoiled and damaged

I did not focus too long on other aspects of the bill as I am sure that colleagues will do so in greater detail. However, I welcome the Government’s commitment to licensing air weapons. It is one of the most significant parts of the bill. If it protects one child or one animal, I am for it. In the wrong hands, air weapons are a danger to our communities and wild, pet and farm animals. The system proposed in the bill offers measures that are proportionate and practical.

I commend the bill to Parliament.