Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 19
19
Deferred
One solution could be a two-tier system of licence fees.
Conclusion
One solution could be a two-tier system of licence fees. This could require those who shoot for leisure to pay the full cost of their firearms licences (with no cost to police forces or the taxpayer), while individuals who shoot for work could have their licences fully or partly funded. However, Dr Shedden told us that a two-tier system of fees, differentiating between those who shoot for leisure and for work, would be “fraught with difficulty”.72 Fraser Lamb of the Scottish Association for Country Sports stated that “[a] lot of farmers shoot game recreationally—for want of a better word—so how do you differentiate between the farmer who goes out with his pals and someone who just goes driven shooting, or controls vermin, pest species on behalf of a farmer?”.73
Government Response Summary
The UK Government will consider fees for firearms licensing further when they consult later this summer, informed by a data collection exercise, with the aim of setting fees to enable full-cost recovery for the police.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
As set out in the accompanying consultation paper, the UK Government will consider this recommendation further when we consult, later this summer, on new fees for firearms licensing, which will be informed by a data collection exercise, completed earlier this year, to gather up-to-date information on the costs and time spent on licensing related activities by police force. As set out in the consultation paper, we are looking to set fees to enable full-cost recovery for the police. Income from licensing fees is crucial to ensuring that police forces have the resources they need to administer an efficient and effective licensing system and, thereby, ensure public safety.