Member

In closing, I point out that in Scotland, largely as a result of the RMT pushing for a stand-alone offence and action to be taken regarding assaults on the railway, last year the Scottish Government convened a working group with the rail unions, ScotRail, BTP, Transport Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service on enforcement powers on the railway. The terms of reference specifically included looking at the need for additional legal protections similar to the retail workers legislation, which is already a specific offence in Scotland, and the group’s recommendations, which included exploring the scope for primary legislation —i.e. a stand-alone offence. The Scottish Government recently accepted the group’s recommendations in full. The logic applies equally to all public-facing workers.