Section 12: Presumption of age
59.Section 12 requires a relevant authority which is unsure as to the age of a person whom it has reasonable grounds to believe to be a victim of an offence of human trafficking to assume that person is a child where it has reasonable grounds to believe that is the case (subsection (1)). That assumption is to be made for the purposes of a number of statutory functions specified in subsection (3). The assumption is to continue to be made either until a local authority carries out an assessment of the potential victim’s age or that person’s age is determined by some other means (subsection (2)). Subsection (4) specifies that the relevant authorities to whom this duty applies are local authorities and health boards. Subsection (5) gives the Scottish Ministers the power to modify both the list of statutory functions and the relevant authorities to which the duty to make the assumption applies by regulations
