First Minister John Swinney has said he is open to changing Scottish licensing law so convicted sex offenders cannot hold taxi licences.
At FMQs, Highland councillor and Lib Dem MSP Morven-May MacCallum pressed him after Highland Council’s handling of operator licences for David Brown, jailed for raping an 18-year-old passenger. Brown later surrendered the licences; councillors who voted to take no action faced a no-confidence motion. Swinney said there should never have been any question of continuing the licences and that he was “very open” to amending legislation, while noting Parliament decides how much discretion local authorities keep. No formal review timetable was announced.