Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill: business and regulatory impact assessment

Implementation and Delivery Plan

The Bill is subject to Parliamentary passage which is made up of five distinct stages, details of which can be found here. Implementation will be subject to the final content of the Bill which is agreed by Parliament.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with stakeholders throughout the Parliamentary passage of the Bill to ensure that it can be implemented as quickly as possible. In particular, work will proceed with Health Boards around the development of guidance, and dialogue will continue with Police Scotland and COPFS to ensure that the operation of safe access zones and related offences remain practicable.

Additionally, an important work strand will be to create targeted communications to alert service users and providers, anti-abortion groups and anyone else likely to be affected around the existence and impact of safe access zones.

Post-implementation Review

The Scottish Government will keep the legislation under review, with a formal review being undertaken within 10 years of the legislation coming into force. The formal review will consider the effectiveness of zones in meeting the aims set out in this document, and their impacts on those seeking to carry out anti-abortion activity.