Sexual Offences Act 2003 (Prescribed Police Stations) (Scotland) Regulations 2014 (SSI 2014/147)
Item 1 is consideration of three negative instruments. The purpose of the first set of regulations is to add certain police stations or to remove them from the list of prescribed stations for sex offenders who are subject to the notification requirements in part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee did not raise any concerns about the regulations.
Margaret Mitchell wants to say something about the regulations.
I have a bit of a concern. I understand that this is an issue that relates to the move from eight forces to the single police force. However, it seems to me that the regulations could have the effect of making it much more difficult for sex offenders to comply with notification requirements, such as some of the requirements that relate to the sex offender register. For example, the closure of Girvan police station could require offenders to make a 22-mile journey to report to Ayr police station. It seems to me that anything that we do to make it more difficult for offenders to comply with such requirements is a matter of some concern.
I have to say that the 22-mile journey from Girvan to Ayr is not too bad, given that there is a good bus connection.
Nobody else wishes to make any comments, so are members content to make no recommendation in relation to the regulations?
I just want my concern to be noted.
It is on the record.
I take it that the committee agrees to make no recommendation.
Members indicated agreement.
Firefighters’ Pension Scheme (Scotland) Amendment (No 3) Order 2014 (SSI 2014/149)
The second instrument rectifies, with retrospective effect, errors contained in the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme (Scotland) Amendment (No 2) Order 2014, which the committee considered on 20 May. The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee did not raise any concerns with us on the order.
Members have no comments, so are we content to make no recommendation in relation to the order?
Members indicated agreement.
Adults with Incapacity (Supervision of Welfare Guardians etc by Local Authorities) (Scotland) Amendment (No 2) Regulations 2014 (SSI 2014/157)
The final instrument corrects an erroneous cross-reference in the Adults with Incapacity (Supervision of Welfare Guardians etc by Local Authorities) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2014. Again, there were no comments from the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee. Do members have any comments to make?
It is just another drafting error that has been brought to our attention.
Yes. I think we would all agree with that. We regularly get drafting errors—minor and otherwise. It is important to put that on the record, because we have to come back to these things, which takes up time.
Are members content to make no recommendation in relation to the regulations?
Members indicated agreement.
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