Tag: new regulations

XL Bully dog safeguards come into force this Friday

Deadline approaches for new rules in Scotland

XL Bully dog owners are being urged to prepare for new rules which are expected to come into force on Friday.

New laws laid for consideration in Parliament will make it illegal to sell, advertise, gift or exchange XL Bully dogs, or letting such dogs stray. XL Bully dog owners will also be required to ensure their dog is muzzled and on a lead while in a public place.

This is the first stage of safeguards being introduced. The second stage will mean from 1 August 2024 it will be an offence to own an XL Bully without an exemption certificate or having applied for an exemption certificate. Full details on the exemption applications process and the support available will be announced in the coming weeks.  

Minister for Victims & Community Safety Siobhian Brown said: “With new safeguards for XL Bully dogs coming into force in just a few days it’s vital that owners get ready and prepare from them now.

“Whilst dog attacks remain a rare occurrence, where they do occur, they can have devastating consequences which is why safeguards must be introduced. We are doing so whilst ensuring we promote and support responsible ownership, and public safety as effectively as possible.

“The new regulations aim to protect public safety and are being introduced as a consequence of similar XL Bully controls brought in by the UK Government, which created an unacceptable risk of dogs being moved to Scotland from England and Wales.”

A teenage girl has been reported to the procurator fiscal after an XL bully-type dog injured three people and another dog in East Kilbride at the weekend .

Police shot dead the “dangerously out of control” bulldog-type dog after it attacked a collie on Sunday morning.

Council urges landlords and homeowners to get ready for new fire safety legislation

The City of Edinburgh Council is reminding all city landlords and homeowners that every home in the Scotland must comply with new fire safety legislation which will come into force early next year.

By February 2022, all Scottish homes will need to be fitted with interlinked smoke and heat alarms which talk to each other – so when one goes off, they all go off.

As Edinburgh’s biggest social landlord, the Council is currently working with its contractors to fit new interlinked smoke and heat alarms, so that every one of its 20,000 Council-owned homes meets the new legislation and is made even more fire safe.

When this work’s done in each property, the electrical contractors will also undertake an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) if one has not been carried out recently.

Older residents in particular are being asked to be aware of the new fire safety legislation.

The Council’s Older People’s Champion, Councillor Catherine Fullerton, is calling on everyone who manages properties for older tenants in Edinburgh to make sure all new standards are met so everyone has the best chance of getting to safety in the event of a fire.

Cllr Fullerton said: “It’s absolutely vital that landlords and property management companies, particularly those that have a responsibility for older people within our communities, understand the new fire safety rules coming into force and act on them as quickly as possible. All properties, without exception, must be fitted with the new interlinking alarms, heat alarms and, where required, carbon monoxide detectors too.    

“I’d also urge older people or people with older relatives who own their own homes to check out the Scottish Government’s dedicated ‘Fire safety for homeowners’ webpages for more details and, if necessary, to help them to get their homes fitted with the right kind of alarms. There is also clear guidance for private and social tenants as well as new build homes.

“I’d encourage everyone to be sure they are using a Trusted Tradesperson to change their fire alarms to meet the new law – please don’t run the risk of having faulty or non-compliant ones fitted.”

A ‘Trusted Trader’ in Edinburgh can be found by using this website: 

www.trustedtrader.scot/Edinburgh/

If an older person is receiving Universal Credit, Edinburgh Care and Repair Service has been awarded funding from the Scottish Government to provide this service for free. If not, there will be a reasonable charge. 

You can telephone for further advice on 0131 337 111 or email reception@cre.scot.  

New safety regulations for hospitality from today

From today it is mandatory for hospitality settings to collect the contact details of visitors to their premises in support of Test and Protect. The new regulations apply to restaurants, cafes, pubs and hotels in which food or drink are sold for consumption on the premises.

These businesses must now record the name and contact number of an individual – or lead member of each household in a group – that visits the premises.

They must also record the date of the visit, the time of arrival, and where possible the departure time.

The new regulations include customers, staff working on a particular day and visitors such as delivery drivers or cleaners.

Premises must store the information for 21 days and share it when requested to do so by public health officers within 24 hours.

New statutory guidance for the hospitality sector has been published which explains how to keep a record of customer and visitor contact details securely ensuring data protection principles are upheld.

The Scottish Government has also published updated guidance for hospitality customers to reinforce key safety measures.

This includes the need to maintain physical distancing and the strict limits on the number of households that can meet at a time – 8 people from up to 3 households indoors and 15 people from up to 5 households outdoors.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “While many hospitality businesses have acted responsibly by adhering to the voluntary approach of collecting customer details, unfortunately too many others have not, and so – given the established high risk of virus transmission within hospitality settings – we have decided to make this mandatory.

“Strengthening this requirement to collect and share the data by moving it from guidance into regulations ensures that in the event of an outbreak, through the Test and Protect process, it will be possible to get in touch with anyone identified as a close contact who was present at the same time as an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19.

“This will help us break chains of transmission while continuing to allow us to socialise and support our local businesses.

“It is worth stressing that for those hospitality venues which are already complying with guidance, they will see minimal change to their procedures and operations.”

Chief executive of the Scottish Beer and Pub Association Emma McClarkin said: “The majority of Scotland’s pubs and bars had already gone above and beyond in putting measures in place to keep customers safe during this time.

“These changes today will help ensure those premises which have fallen short no longer do so, and we welcome that clarity.

“We’re all in this together and the stronger we are now, the sooner we will be able to see these restrictions disappear.”

Read the regulations

A failure to have the required arrangements in place will be punishable by a Fixed Penalty Notice under the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (Scotland) Regulations 2020. A continuing failure could be enforced by repeated fines of up to £960.

Read the hospitality statutory guidance

Read the guidance on the collection of customer contact details

Read the hospitality and tourism customer guidance