Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 86
86
Acknowledged
We heard from some witnesses that more checks which could detect changes in licence holders’...
Conclusion
We heard from some witnesses that more checks which could detect changes in licence holders’ mental health and suitability to own firearms are not needed. Dr Colin Shedden, Director Scotland for the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, stated that “individual certificate holders are under practical 24-hour-a-day surveillance now”214 by police, rendering set checks obsolete. Similarly, Dr John Thorogood, who has held firearms licences in Scotland for over forty years, told us that “[t]he involvement of GPs, the licensee’s criminal record together with the licensee’s posts on social media already provide sufficient evidence on which to base a decision regarding a licensee’s fitness”.215 Nick Hunt, Head of the Firearms Policy Unit at the Home Office, told us: “One of the things that we are stressing as part of the statutory guidance and working with the police is the continuous assessment process. They are looking at other police intelligence databases or whatever to make sure that they are picking up issues about individuals with firearms certificates”.216
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the recommendations for changes to the GP role in firearms licensing, notes the strengthening of medical checks including the digital firearms marker in England, and states it stands ready to work with the Scottish Government if they decide to introduce the digital marker to GP surgeries in Scotland.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The GP role in firearms licensing 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.