Chamber and committees

Jamie, do you want to come in now?

We have a fair bit of interest in this topic, so I will bring in Jamie Greene, then Russell Findlay and Fulton MacGregor. Please keep your questions and responses succinct, because there are still another couple of areas that we are interested in exploring.

We will move on to control zones—I am just keeping track of the themes that we are looking to cover.

Do you want to bring in anyone else, Fulton?

I am watching the time. I would like us to cover the remaining themes, which are firework control zones and pyrotechnics. Rona Mackay will start off on control zones.

I will bring in Fulton MacGregor to pick up on issues around restrictions on use and supply. Over to you, Fulton.

You are welcome to send anything in on the matter. That is no problem.

I welcome Alasdair Hay, who has arrived safely.

Good morning, and welcome to the 10th meeting in 2022 of the Criminal Justice Committee. Apologies have been received from Pauline McNeill. Collette Stevenson, Fulton MacGregor and Rona Mackay are joining us remotely. One of our witnesses for panel 1 is slightly delayed.

Our first item of business is our first evidence session on the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Bill. Before we begin, I place on record our thanks to the Blackburn bonfire night action group for hosting our visit on Monday. It was extremely helpful to hear how the local community has worked to tackle the misuse of fireworks in its area. The group’s views on the proposals in the bill will be very much appreciated.

I refer members to papers 1 to 4 and I am very pleased to welcome our first panel of witnesses. They are Assistant Chief Officer Stuart Stevens, director of service delivery with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and David Hamilton, chair of the Scottish Police Federation. Alasdair Hay of the firework review group is slightly delayed and will be joining us shortly. We very much appreciate the time that witnesses have taken to join us.

We move directly to questions. We have about an hour and 15 minutes. I will open the questioning, coming to Stuart Stevens first and then David Hamilton, and I will start with a general question. Could you outline your experiences and involvement in the issue of fireworks and pyrotechnics in your professional role and say whether you feel that what is proposed in the bill is the right step forward and that the timing is right?

Of course not.