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Have the 1,600 visits been in all 32 local authority areas?

On Monday, the minimum unit price for alcohol will rise from 50p to 65p. There has been speculation that that might provide a further incentive for organised crime groups to start producing fake alcohol. Are you concerned about that? Do you see this particular case as perhaps being a consequence of that?

If it is too good to be true, it is.

Does each batch need to be tested separately, for legal purposes?

The previous meeting that I had with your organisation was with your colleague who is sitting behind you. It was very helpful and insightful, and I drew the conclusion that you focus on two broad areas of work. One relates to those who might be slightly misrepresenting the quality or nature of a product. An example was cited of a company producing a local sea salt that added something to its stock to maximise its profits. The other area relates to people in organised crime groups that produce stuff that is harmful to health and that deliberately mislead the public. Can you give a percentage breakdown of how much of your work relates to each of those two different areas?

Can I ask one more question, convener?

FSS can report a case directly to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, which is quite a privilege and helps to shortcut processes, and the Crown Office then prosecutes the case in court. Have you found that to be an effective method? Do you get a favourable ear from the Crown Office? I dare say that not every case that you report results in a prosecution.

If no prosecution was brought, could you take civil action against someone?

Fulton MacGregor’s questions about the local authority relate back to the questions I asked. You had mentioned Glasgow City Council to me as being a particular problem with getting things done. Is that the local authority that we are talking about?

You should not have to make excuses for local authorities. They need to work out what they do with their budgets. If they have a protocol in place to pick up the phone, that should happen.