Chamber and committees

I want to pick up on the point about licences. You have helpfully explained that it would be the Scottish Government’s role to administrate the licensing scheme. However, in some of your earlier responses on licensing, you mentioned that Police Scotland would potentially have a role. Did I pick that up incorrectly?

We are coming into the final 20 or 25 minutes of the session, and members have a few areas that they want to ask questions about. It would be helpful, therefore, if we could have succinct questions and answers.

I cannot resist the temptation to comment on this point. Legislative provisions are available to Police Scotland on the carrying of offensive weapons, whereby, if someone has a lawful reason for carrying a particular object or is doing so within the curtilage of a premises for a lawful reason, that is fine. I agree with Russell Findlay’s comment that police officers probably err on the side of caution. If they are aware that there is a provision in a piece of legislation whereby, say, a pyrotechnic can be carried lawfully, I anticipate that they would invoke that legislation proportionately. I am therefore keen for the provision to be reconsidered and explored a bit further.

Do you want to comment, Mr Bell?

We have a very final question from Pauline McNeill. I will then bring the session to a close.

Thanks very much, minister. I will hand over to Russell Findlay to ask some other questions.

We will move swiftly on to some questions about control zones.

Thanks very much. I am keen to move questions on, because I have a few other themes to cover. I will bring in Pauline McNeill and then I would like to move to questions on licensing.

On that happy note, I bring in Fulton MacGregor.

Thank you very much—that is helpful. I have more questions around that but I will not ask them right now. I will bring Jamie Greene back in.

Of course. Thank you.

Jamie Greene has a supplementary question. I ask him to make it his last question, as it is now 11 o’clock.