Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 21
21
Deferred
Rt Hon.
Conclusion
Rt Hon. Chris Philp MP told us that he endorsed the full-cost system of licence fees - saying that “It is not really fair that the taxpayer generally or police forces subsidise a relatively small group of people” so “the funding of this service… should ultimately fall on the applicant”.78 The Minister stated that, as the Home Office “want to make sure that the police are recovering their costs… [,] specific work is going on to review fees [and t]hat is a piece of work that is actively happening at the moment”79. We are pleased to hear that the UK Government is looking into this issue.
Government Response Summary
The UK Government will consider this issue further when they consult on new fees for firearms licensing later this summer.
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.