By Steve Farrell2021-01-20T11:44:00+00:00
It is hoped the bill will lead to more more prosecutions and convictions of offenders
Retail leaders have welcomed a move by Scottish Parliament to create a specific offence of assaulting a shopworker, and called on Westminster to follow suit.
Scottish Parliament yesterday voted to support a bill to create a new statutory offence of assaulting, threatening or abusing a retail worker and provide extra legal protections when the worker is carrying out statutory duties such as ID checks for age-restricted sales.
MSP Daniel Johnson’s Protection of Workers Bill can now be submitted for royal assent before becoming an Act of the Scottish Parliament. It is hoped it will lead to more prosecutions and convictions of offenders.
Ten trade bodies from across Scotland’s food and drink sector have written a joint letter to the Scottish government’s rural economy secretary, Fergus Ewing, to request that click-and-collect and food-to-go services be permitted to continue. It comes after first minister Nicola Sturgeon said that click-and-collect and food-to-go were in the frame for being compelled to close under new Covid restrictions. The letter said: “We are concerned at how any measures would be implemented into legislation.