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I am completely muddled about the levels of proof. We are using the term “criminal” when we are referring to licensing, which is a civil matter with civil remedies and breaches.

Let me put to you a proposition, so that I can understand what will happen. The licensing scheme is in place, and the police receive a report of an incident and check it out. Let us assume that there is absolutely sufficient evidence that a crime has been committed that meets the standard of proof in the criminal courts, with the onus on the prosecution. Would the police simply bypass NatureScot and go to criminal prosecution? Please do not answer now, Mr Lynn—that is just my first proposition.

In my second proposition, the police get a phone call and carry out an investigation, but do not think that there is sufficient evidence to take it to the procurator fiscal. Do you then take the matter to NatureScot, which will look at what you have and decide whether, on the civil balance of probability, the licence should be suspended?

That is what I am trying to get into my head. The word “crime” is being used in the context of both NatureScot and Police Scotland, and what I need to know and what landowners would also need to know is: how does that work?

There you go—that was quite short.

I understand the difference. However, would Police Scotland bypass NatureScot if it thought, “Well—it’s right in front of us here”?

So, you would go to NatureScot, but I take it that the prosecution would take priority over anything else.

The SPCB provides a school engagement programme through its public engagement services office. We offer schools free sessions and tours at the Parliament. Understandably, Covid changed things for schools and our service. We now have a digital schools service, as well as having restarted our team that visits schools across Scotland. Those services are popular and are especially appreciated by those who do not want to travel to Edinburgh or who, for a number of reasons, find coming to Edinburgh to be too challenging.

Across our services, we have reached schools in 69 out of 73 constituencies, and we are continuing to improve ways of maximising our engagement with schools. Children and young people also visit the Parliament to take part in committee meetings, meet their MSPs and take part in our engaging events programme.

I declare an interest as a member of the Scottish SPCA and convener of the cross-party group on animal welfare.

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that Scotland’s leading animal welfare charity, the Scottish SPCA, is in financial crisis. (S6F-02243)

I thank the First Minister for his answer. Companion animals in particular play a huge role in helping people’s mental wellbeing, but inflation, which the First Minister referenced, has put huge pressures on the cost of providing them and caused heartbreak for those who find that they simply do not have the resources to keep them. That puts more pressure on the Scottish SPCA and other animal welfare charities. At the same time, those charities have to cope with inflation themselves. For example, it costs £56,000 a day to run the Scottish SPCA, which is 14 per cent up on last year.

Will the First Minister, following the discussions that his officials are having with the charities, report back and let us see where those discussions have gone?

We are continuing to review how best to deliver our education services in the most effective and inclusive way post-Covid. It is important to the SPCB that we can ensure equity and meet the aims of our public engagement strategy to break down barriers for those who are least likely to engage with us and that we take into account other commitments, such as reaching net zero and ensuring the most effective use of our resources.

There are many factors around distance travelled and deprivation that we would want to consider. From our evaluation forms, we know that 25 per cent of schools say that cost is a factor. To date, the SPCB’s approach for those who cannot travel to Edinburgh to visit us has been to provide targeted services in schools. Our outreach and digital services are popular and remove other significant barriers, such as time away from the classroom.

The SPCB is happy to explore whether, as part of that review, offering some sort of subsidy is within its power and helpful to meeting our engagement goal of inclusivity. It is important that we consider the feasibility of any subsidy within the context of reviewing our education service as a whole in the context of our wider corporate commitments, including public engagement and sustainability. We will ask officials to engage with schools from across Scotland, and we will look to other legislatures to ensure that any decision takes account of the needs of schools alongside our service capacity to support those needs.

In the answers that I have given, I have said that the Parliament endeavours to do that all year round. However, Stephen Kerr has asked me a specific question, and I would be happy to inquire into that with the corporate body and report back to him.

Will the member take an intervention?

As long as the minister will not miss his bus.

I made the point that there is a family-owned bus company in my patch that is doing a jolly good job, so I would have concerns if the local authority were to take over running that bus service. In my view, there should be a mix. Lothian Buses is particularly good, but it serves a large urban area with a large travelling population. My area is not like that.