Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 73
73
Acknowledged
GPs’ involvement is key to the firearms licensing process.
Conclusion
GPs’ involvement is key to the firearms licensing process. For example, Superintendent Steven Duncan, Head of National Firearms and Explosives Licensing for Police Scotland, told us: “We are quite clear that if your GP practice is not willing to put a flag on to your medical records, you are not getting granted a firearms certificate”.182 For this reason, further consultation with GPs on areas like medical assessments for firearms licence applicants and the flagging system would be valuable. The responsibility for the NHS in Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Parliament183, so the UK Government and Scottish Government should work together on consulting GPs working for NHS Scotland about areas like medical assessments and the flagging system. The GP flagging system
Government Response Summary
The government describes the strengthening of medical checks, including the digital firearms marker in England, and says it is ready to work with the Scottish Government if they decide to introduce a similar marker.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Committee made recommendations for changes to the GP role in firearms licensing, specifically around the GP medical marker, making their role mandatory in the process and their involvement in suggested interim checks during the life of a certificate. There has been significant strengthening of the medical checks for firearms licensing in the past couple of years, including making it a requirement for all applicants to provide relevant medical information to the police, and the development and introduction of a new digital firearms marker in England to ensure that the police are notified by the GP if there is a concerning deterioration in the certificate holder’s physical or mental health at any point after the grant of the certificate. The UK Government stands ready to work with the Scottish Government if they decide to introduce the digital marker to GP surgeries in Scotland. The Home Office will work with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Scottish Government on how to take forward the issues raised by the Committee about the medical aspects of firearms licensing, including the recommendation that GP involvement could be made mandatory. On the recommendation that the UK Government and Scottish Government work together to investigate the merits of medical practitioners and police conducting interim checks on firearms licence holders, you will see that we are seeking views on this in the consultation paper. It is the intention that the digital marker is applied by the GP in surgeries in England to the certificate holder’s medical record, to ensure that the police are notified of any concerning deterioration in the certificate holder’s physical or mental health at any point after the grant of the certificate. The Home Office will work with the Scottish Government, if it decides that it wishes to adopt a similar digital marker in Scotland. The Statutory Guidance also supports and details the requirements of continuous assessment by the police during the lifespan of a firearm or shotgun certificate, so that the police will receive information about the ongoing suitability of a certificate holder from any source during the life of the certificate.