Holyrood members' bills proposed against fracking and on football club liability

Two MSPs are currently seeking to be allowed to bring in members' bills at Holyrood – one to ban fracking and related energy extraction, and the other to impose strict liability on football clubs for their supporters' behaviour.

South of Scotland Labour MSP Claudia Beamish wants to pilot a Prohibition of Fracking etc (Scotland) Bill, which would ban not only hydraulic facturing (fracking) but also other forms of unconventional oil and gas extraction such as underground coal gasification. While the Scottish Government has moratoria in place against granting permissions for such developments, Ms Beamish wants to move to a complete ban, "based on the premise that the processes involved increase greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and exacerbate climate change".

Meanwhile James Dornan, SNP member for Glasgow Cathcart, hopes to make Scottish professional football clubs strictly liable for their supporters’ behaviour in and around football grounds. Arguing that the aftermath of this year's Scottish Cup final between Hibernian and Rangers illustrates that there remains a problem that current legislation cannot tackle, he surveys schemes in operation under UEFA and the Football Association in England as possible starting points for the behaviours covered, arguing that his bill would incentivise clubs, supporters and communities to take action against offensive behaviour.

"I believe the time is right for strict liability, with or without the repeal of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012", he comments. That repeal is a separate proposal by Labour MSP James Kelly, consultation on which has now closed.

Consultation on Ms Beamish's proposal runs until 17 February 2017; consultation on Mr Dornan's proposal runs until 17 March 2017.