141.Section 31 of the Bill provides new powers for the Scottish Ministers in relation to alternatives to prosecution (AtPs), under the 1974 Act. The powers are contained in a new section 8C of the 1974 Act which is inserted by section 31(2) of this Bill.
142.Section 8C(1) empowers the Scottish Ministers, by regulations, to modify the list of circumstances in section 8B(1) of the 1974 Act in which a person is given an AtP. Section 8C(2) enables modification of Schedule 3 of the 1974 Act by regulations. The effect of this is to enable the Scottish Ministers to amend, remove or add provision specifying when an AtP will become spent. These powers are subject to affirmative procedure.