That the Parliament recognises the vital work of trading standards officers in Scotland, particularly in tackling the supply of illegal tobacco from retail shops as part of Operation CeCe, a partnership with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC); congratulates the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) on its coordination of this work and collaboration with HMRC in tackling the serious organised crime groups that it understands are involved in this illegal trade, which it considers blights Scotland's communities and increases the access to tobacco and the risks to health, safety and wellbeing for young people across the country; notes that, since 2020-21, this enforcement work has increased year on year and a total of five million illegal cigarettes and 1.2 tonnes of hand-rolling tobacco have been seized locally by council officers to date; commends the high public profile that has been achieved through local press reporting and filming with the BBC's Reporting Scotland, and looks forward to continued cross-party collaboration with SCOTSS in meeting future consumer protection challenges in Scotland.
Supported by: Miles Briggs, Annabelle Ewing, Russell Findlay, Murdo Fraser, Kenneth Gibson, Dr Pam Gosal MBE, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, Craig Hoy, Bill Kidd, Monica Lennon, Liam McArthur, Audrey Nicoll, Douglas Ross, Kevin Stewart, Mercedes Villalba, Annie Wells, Brian Whittle