Source: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2015/1/notes/division/2
Timestamp: 2019-11-13 03:53:17
Document Index: 791484373

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 3', 'art 4', 'art 5', 'art 2', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 4']

4.The Act is structured in the following Parts:
Part 1 establishes Food Standards Scotland (FSS) as a body corporate and sets out its core objectives to improve and protect public health, and other interests of consumers, in Scotland in respect of food. Part 1 also sets out key aspects of the relationship between the Scottish Ministers and FSS. The Scottish Ministers may request advice and assistance from FSS in relation to particular matters and may give FSS directions in certain circumstances.
Part 2 contains specific provisions in relation to food and feed law. These include provision for a food hygiene information scheme, to make regulations on animal feeding stuffs, an offence of failing to report suspicion of food not being compliant with food information law and powers for authorised officers to detain or seize and remove such food and for a sheriff to determine the treatment of such food.
Part 3 provides for administrative sanctions for non-compliance with food law. These sanctions will be compliance notices and fixed penalties.
Part 4 sets out interpretation provisions for the Act.
Part 5 sets out general provisions on coming into force and modification of enactments.
Part 2: Food and Feeding Stuffs
Section 34: Food hygiene information scheme
41.This section inserts provisions into section 16(1), and Schedule 1 to, the 1990 Act which allows the Scottish Ministers to establish by regulations a food hygiene information scheme. Section 16 (food safety and consumer protection) is the primary regulation-making power contained in the 1990 Act and is relied on to make many regulations in food law in Scotland, including on food hygiene. The new provisions inserted into Schedule 1 (provisions of regulations made under section 16(1)) elaborate on what the power to establish the scheme in section 16(1) can, in particular, be used to do. The intent is to make mandatory a food hygiene information scheme based on an existing Scottish voluntary scheme. The aim of the scheme is to improve hygiene standards and therefore make food safer for the consumer. The references to “food” in the amendments made here to the 1990 Act mean food as defined in section 53 of the Act by virtue of the amendments made to the 1990 Act by paragraph 2(2) of the schedule to the Act.
Part 3: Administrative Sanctions
Section 36: Fixed penalty notices
44.This section provides for fixed penalty notices for relevant offences, as an opportunity for the person who is believed to have committed the offence to discharge liability by paying a specified sum of money. The Scottish Ministers, by regulations, will specify the sum of money to be paid as a penalty for the fixed penalty notice. The sum of money which the Scottish Minsters can specify for a fixed penalty notice (or different sums in respect of notices for different relevant offences) cannot exceed level 4 on the standard scale (currently £2,500). Setting this by regulation allows for the sum to be changed over time in line with the cost of living and inflation without having to amend primary legislation.
45.These fixed penalty notices can be issued by authorised officers to someone who they believe has breached a relevant offence. The standard of proof to be used to satisfy authorised officers that a relevant offence has been committed before they can issue a fixed penalty notice – i.e. beyond reasonable doubt or on the balance of probability etc. – is also to be set by regulations. This allows for changes to be made to the standard to reflect changing circumstances without having to amend primary legislation. Under section 49 of the Act, the Scottish Ministers can also make supplementary, incidental or consequential provisions to the fixed penalty scheme by regulations. The definition of “relevant offence” in section 52 contains a power which enables the Scottish Ministers to specify which offences in food legislation are to be relevant offences.
46.Setting sums of money payable, the standard and other aspects of the sanctions regime by regulations gives flexibility. One of the main reasons for building in flexibility is to align the regime to guidance issued by the Lord Advocate from time to time. Under section 51 of this Act the Lord Advocate may issue guidance to enforcement authorities about the exercise of fixed penalty notices. Enforcement authorities must comply with that guidance.
Section 38: Effect of fixed penalty notice on criminal proceedings
48.Criminal proceedings for a relevant offence cannot be initiated if a fixed penalty notice has been issued and is still in force. If the person to whom the notice is issued makes payment in accordance with the notice then that person may not be convicted of a relevant offence in respect of the relevant act or omission.
Section 41: Income from fixed penalties to be paid to the Scottish Ministers
49.This section states that sums received by enforcement authorities for payment of fixed penalty notices must be paid over to the Scottish Ministers. This will ensure that enforcement authorities are not seen to be using fixed penalty notices to pay for services they provide.
Section 42: Compliance notices
50.This section enables authorised officers of enforcement authorities to issue compliance notices in relation to a relevant offence. The notice will stipulate steps that need to be taken to rectify the offence.
51.The definition of “relevant offence” in section 52 contains a power which enables the Scottish Ministers to specify which offences in food legislation are to be relevant offences. As with fixed penalty notices, the Scottish Ministers will by regulation set what the specified standard of proof will be for a relevant offence – i.e. beyond reasonable doubt or on the balance of probability etc. In practice, a compliance notice could be issued for minor offences where either a fixed penalty notice or a report to the Procurator Fiscal Service would be disproportionate to the offence.
52.Under section 49 of the Act, the Scottish Ministers can also make supplementary, incidental or consequential provisions to the compliance notice scheme by regulations.
53.Setting the standard and other aspects of the sanctions regime by regulations gives flexibility. One of the main reasons for building in flexibility is to align the regime to guidance issued by the Lord Advocate from time to time. Under section 51 of this Act the Lord Advocate may issue guidance to enforcement authorities about the exercise of compliance notices. Enforcement authorities must comply with that guidance.
Section 43: Content and form of compliance notice
54.This section describes what information needs to be contained in a compliance notice, including details on a right of appeal and the consequences for failure to comply with the notice. Scottish Ministers have a power to make any further provisions about the form and content of the notice by regulations.
Section 44: Failure to comply with a compliance notice
55.It is an offence to fail to comply with a compliance notice and within the compliance period. The penalty on summary conviction is a fine not exceeding level 5 (£5,000) on the standard scale.
Section 45: Effect of compliance notice on criminal proceedings
56.Criminal proceedings for the relevant offence cannot be initiated, and if the person on whom the notice is served complies with the notice, then that person may not be convicted in respect of the relevant act or omission, if a compliance notice has been issued and is still in force.
Section 49: Power to make supplementary etc. provision
57.This section gives the Scottish Ministers power to make supplementary, incidental or consequential provision for the administrative sanctions regime, by regulations. This covers both fixed penalty and compliance notices as well as how enforcement authorities carry out their functions under Part 3 of the Act. This is a general power, but the section gives particular reference to regulations for facilitating, prohibiting or restricting the use of sanctions where another sanction has already been imposed or issued for the same act or omission. These sanctions could be fixed penalty notices, compliance notices or another sanction.
58.The section also refers to regulations providing for early payment discounts in relation to fixed penalty notices. The section also provides for regulations being made to modify certain provisions of the 1990 Act. These include modifying provisions on offences and defences, on powers of entry and powers to issue codes of practice. This section in particular also provides for the effect of fixed penalty notices and compliance notices on criminal proceedings.
61.Part 4 sets out interpretation provisions, definitions and meanings of key terms used in the Act.
Section 53: Meanings of “food” and “animal feeding stuffs”
62.This section defines the meanings of “food” and “animal feeding stuffs” in a way which aligns the meanings in this Act with the meanings used in European legislation and in the Scotland Act 1998.
Section 55: Meaning of “other interests of consumers in relation to food”
63.Section 55 makes it clear that the term “other interests of consumers in relation to food” which is found in section 2 regarding FSS’ functions, includes the labelling and advertisement of food.