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Showing 60 of 2,096,833 contributions. Latest 30 days: 2,655. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 09 Jun 2026.

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Thank you very much, Gail. We look forward to seeing what the new Public Petitions Committee does. If it is as focused on what the petitioners are trying to raise as we have been in this session, I am sure that it will do a powerful job of work. Thank you very much. I remind c...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Thank you very much, David. I appreciate your very kind words. We go finally to Gail, our deputy convener.

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Thank you very much. I will call David Torrance and then I will give the deputy convener the last word before we move into private session. That is much more indulgent than I usually am as a committee convener.

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Thank you very much. I have never been accused of being balanced in the past, so that is a great compliment.

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Thank you. We hope that, because the issue has been aired and commented on in the committee, it has been heard publicly. If there were a request for it, the committee would be willing to make a statement that it recognises that this is a matter of urgency and that none of the ...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

We can certainly copy him in to the correspondence. That would make sense.

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Thank you. People have wrestled with this petition. I go back to my earlier point about the frustration that the petitioners expressed. Everybody agreed that there was a terrible problem and was worried for them, and they accepted people’s concern, but they were very clear tha...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

It may be that, if we were agreeing to write to the cabinet secretary, we could write to the COVID-19 Committee and say that this is an urgent issue that the committee might want to be aware of, too.

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Will the COVID-19 Committee continue to meet?

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

The final continued petition on our agenda is PE1841, which was lodged by Natasha Hamilton on behalf of the Care Home Relatives Scotland group. The petition calls on the Scottish Government to allow a designated visitor into care homes to support loved ones. We welcome Jackie ...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

I think that there is general agreement that we should close the petition. I suspect that we have all been on the journey that Gail Ross went on, which is understanding that it is an important issue, and that it is not completely nailed down that there will never be parking ch...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Thank you. It was interesting to hear you work through the thought process there.

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

The next continued petition is PE1722, on parking charges at island lifeline ferry ports, which was lodged by Dr Shiona Ruhemann on behalf of Iona and Mull community councils and others. The petition calls on the Scottish Government to island proof transport infrastructure to ...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

We recognise your comment about how long it has taken to get to this point. Clearly, for people who are in the middle of the system and who feel that folk are not listening to them or recognising the scale of the problems that they face, that is even more of a concern. I sugg...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

I am not sure whether Jackie Baillie wants to come back in, but there is a clear consensus on action. Is there anything that you want to flag up to us, Jackie?

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

I thank Jackie Baillie for her kind words. It is always useful to start nicely if you are going to make a case for a petition to be continued. I will be interested to hear what committee members feel about it. I should underline something that is true for all petitions. There...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

The next continued petition is PE1651, which was lodged by Marion Brown on behalf of Recovery and Renewal. The petition calls on the Scottish Government to take action to appropriately recognise and effectively support individuals who are affected and harmed by prescribed drug...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Thank you. I think that the committee agrees that we want to continue our consideration of the petitions. People will always make an argument for an individual road to be upgraded, and of course others will say that they do not want spending on roads as opposed to other forms ...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

John Scott, do you want to say anything?

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Thank you for those comments and for your kind words, Finlay.

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

The next continued petitions are PE1610, on upgrading the A75, by Matt Halliday, and PE1657, on upgrading the A77, by Donald McHarrie on behalf of the A77 Action Group. We welcome Finlay Carson MSP, who is in attendance for the petitions. John Scott MSP will sit in on this par...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

I again thank our visiting MSPs. It has been an absolute privilege for me as a committee convener to welcome you to so many meetings. The work of the Public Petitions Committee is immeasurably enhanced by MSPs coming along to speak up on behalf of petitioners alongside the pet...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

We are getting a wee bit ahead of ourselves. All petitions come back to the Public Petitions Committee ahead of the end of a session. We get reports back from all the committees to which we have referred petitions. We are still responsible for them whether other committees hav...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Does any of our visiting colleagues wish to add anything?

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

I thank all three of you, who will I am sure be living in happy coexistence post-election. For my part, I think that the petition is a huge issue. There are organisational and accountability issues for the committee. The fact of the matter is that we really ought not to go be...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Item 2 is consideration of continued petitions. The first petition, PE1517, which was lodged by Elaine Holmes and Olive McIlroy on behalf of the Scottish Mesh Survivors hear our voice campaign, is on polypropylene mesh medical devices. The petition calls on the Scottish Govern...

The Convener (Johann Lamont) Lab Committee

Decision on Taking Business in Private

Good morning, and welcome to the seventh and final meeting in 2021 of the Public Petitions Committee. The meeting is being held virtually. Agenda item 1 is a decision on whether to take item 3 in private. Is that agreed? As no member has indicated otherwise, that is agreed.

Johann Lamont Lab Chamber

Portfolio Question Time · Digital Exclusion (Glasgow Schools)

It was revealed at a recent meeting of Glasgow City Council’s education committee that more than one third of primary 1 to 6 pupils in Glasgow were identified as needing a digital device for home learning and still do not have access to one. Digital exclusion among disadvantag...

1. Johann Lamont (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

Portfolio Question Time · Digital Exclusion (Glasgow Schools)

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the number of school pupils in Glasgow experiencing digital exclusion. (S5O-05138)

Johann Lamont (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

First Minister’s Question Time · Care Packages (Withdrawal)

As Scotland emerged from the first lockdown, I highlighted to the First Minister my concern that care packages, which had been withdrawn as the virus took hold, had been reduced or ended—effectively, that is a cut to assessed support under the cover of the Covid crisis. I hav...

Johann Lamont (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Bill

Thank you, Presiding Officer—just when you have heard from one former Labour leader, another one pops up to say goodbye. We would have quite a lot of them if we put them all in a row, I guess. It has been a great privilege for me to work with Iain Gray and to see his commitmen...

Johann Lamont (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill

Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I will bow to your discipline, although I am not convinced that my speech will be as disciplined as it should be. If I do not manage to finish it, please believe me when I say that this debate will continue. I hear people say that this ...

Johann Lamont Lab Chamber

Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill

Will the member give way?

Johann Lamont (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill

Is it a regret to Rona Mackay that, at 5 pm this evening, no signal will be sent out about the hate crime that women face day and daily?

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

That would be very useful. You can refer them to the discussion that has taken place in this committee. The issue is not on the margins; it is about people feeling that their businesses have not been properly categorised. They fear that, even when the lockdown restrictions are...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

I note from the chat box that Maurice Corry has said that he will raise the issue at this week’s COVID-19 Committee meeting. If he is able to do that, that would be helpful.

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

I understand why people are torn by this, because they can see that there is an issue here. If we keep the petition open, it will not be considered until the Parliament reconvenes and the committee is re-established. That might be in June. My instinct is to keep the petition ...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

The final continued petition, PE1848, which was lodged by Paul Marinello, calls on the Scottish Government to allow snooker and pool venues to open at all levels of the five-level system of coronavirus restrictions, except level 4. Responses have been received from the Ministe...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

There is a consensus that we continue the petition and recognise the important issues involved. The committee has spent a significant amount of time looking at the question of GP contracts in rural areas, and there is a sense that there is a lack of understanding about how hea...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Thank you for that.

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

PE1845 was lodged by Gordon Baird on behalf of Galloway Community Hospital Action Group. The petition calls on the Scottish Government to create an agency to ensure that health boards offer “fair” and “reasonable” management of rural and remote healthcare issues. We last con...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

I think that members agree that we want to close the petition. We recognise the progress that has been made, but we want to write to the cabinet secretary on the collation of information and the other matters that were highlighted in the submission from the patient advice and ...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

I am sorry to interrupt you, but we are dealing with the petition on the complaints body, not the one on the provision of rural healthcare.

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

The next continued petition, PE1844, lodged by Jennifer Greenhorn, calls on the Scottish Government to introduce an external regulatory complaints body to improve complaints procedures in national health service boards. Since we last considered the petition, submissions have ...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

In that case, the committee is agreed that we have seriously explored the issues and that we have concluded that it would be best to close the petition. We note the independence of the commissioner and the fact that there are procedures for the commissioner to report to the Pa...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

PE1843, by Ewen Cameron, calls on the Scottish Government to review and consider revision of the governance, accountability and integrity of the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland and ensure that the commissioner adheres to the seven principles of pu...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

As has been said, there are important issues here. If there is growth in the sector, the service might be delivered by some businesses in a way that does not serve the best interests of dogs. That raises animal welfare issues, and people are interested in those issues. The com...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

PE1842, lodged by Valerie Deerin-Morris, calls on the Scottish Government to regulate and license the professional dog walking industry. A response has been received from the Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment. The minister states that new regulations that...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

I think that there is clearly a consensus that this is a petition that we want to consider further. Clearly, good work is being done in supporting young people, but there is a question about the extent to which people can have confidence in that provision. As has already been ...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

I should have said welcome, David. Thank you for that comment.

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

PE1838 was lodged by Martin Baker and Katherine Bailey. The petition calls on the Scottish Government to ensure that non-statutory child advocacy services are properly regulated to ensure competence, transparency and accountability. Since the committee’s most recent considera...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Again, there is consensus in the committee. We agree to continue the petition. It is fair to point out, as Gail Ross has, that some work has been done, but we think that there is an issue with the focus on and interest in these issues in the run-up to the event in Glasgow, and...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

PE1812 was lodged by Audrey Baird and Fiona Baker on behalf of Help Trees Help Us. The petition calls on the Scottish Government to deliver world-leading legislation to give Scotland’s remaining fragments of ancient, native and semi-native woodlands and woodland floors full le...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Thank you very much. I, too, think that there is a strong argument for keeping the petition open. I felt that the Government’s response was a bit half-hearted, and it did not give me confidence that the issue that the petition addresses would be a focus of the Government’s att...

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Thank you very much.

The Convener Lab Committee

Continued Petitions

Item 2 is the consideration of continued petitions. The first petition, PE1723, which was lodged by Mary Ramsay, calls on the Scottish Government to raise awareness of essential tremor and to support the introduction and use of a focused ultrasound scanner for treating people ...

The Convener (Johann Lamont) Lab Committee

Decision on Taking Business in Private

Good morning and welcome to the sixth meeting in 2021 of the Public Petitions Committee. The meeting is being held virtually. Agenda item 1 is a decision on whether to take item 3 in private. Are we agreed? No member has objected, so that is agreed.

Johann Lamont Lab Chamber

Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Before I speak to the amendments, I note that Patrick Harvie was concerned that there had been an “extraordinary personal” attack on him. For the avoidance of doubt, I point out that I literally quoted his own words and said that I defended his right to say whatever he wished ...

Johann Lamont Lab Chamber

Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I apologise for having been rather broad brush, particularly given the bill. We heard groans at the idea that we might be kept here a bit longer. This is a serious matter for all of us. I very much appreciate what Bob Doris said. I will not go through all the amendments in th...

Johann Lamont (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab Chamber

Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I have issued a detailed letter to all MSPs, outlining the thinking behind all my amendments, and I trust that colleagues have found that useful. I place on record my thanks to all those groups and organisations, women, and colleagues in the Parliament who have given me suppor...

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Committee

Public Petitions Committee 24 March 2021

24 Mar 2021 · S5 · Public Petitions Committee

Item of business

Continued Petitions

Care Homes (Designated Visitors) (PE1841)

Lamont, Johann Lab Glasgow Watch on SPTV

Thank you very much, Gail. We look forward to seeing what the new Public Petitions Committee does. If it is as focused on what the petitioners are trying to raise as we have been in this session, I am sure that it will do a powerful job of work. Thank you very much. I remind colleagues to join the private session on Teams. 11:10 Meeting continued in private until 11:17.

In the same item of business

The Convener Lab

The final continued petition on our agenda is PE1841, which was lodged by Natasha Hamilton on behalf of the Care Home Relatives Scotland group. The petition ...

Jackie Baillie Lab

Thank you, convener, for giving me a second opportunity to speak this morning—I promise that I will not go on too long and test your patience. Having faile...

Gail Ross SNP

I want to thank our co-opted member, Jackie Baillie, for her kind words. She has contributed so much on many petitions, even in the short time that I have be...

Maurice Corry Con

I thank Jackie Baillie for her input—there are always some wise words spoken. It is a very difficult question. I agree with my colleague Gail Ross that we ar...

The Convener Lab

Will the COVID-19 Committee continue to meet?

Maurice Corry Con

Until 5 May, we will meet only in emergency. The committee is still there, but it is slimmed down. It will meet only if emergency regulations and Scottish st...

The Convener Lab

It may be that, if we were agreeing to write to the cabinet secretary, we could write to the COVID-19 Committee and say that this is an urgent issue that the...

David Torrance SNP

As do my colleagues, I think that the issue is very difficult; however, I do not think that the committee can take the petition any further because by the ti...

Tom Mason Con

On balance, I think that we will have to close the petition. The situation is changing month by month as we go forward, and any legislation on the matter wou...

Maurice Corry Con

Further to the point about the COVID-19 Committee, it is very important that you write to the convener, Donald Cameron, on the point that we discussed. That ...

The Convener Lab

Thank you. People have wrestled with this petition. I go back to my earlier point about the frustration that the petitioners expressed. Everybody agreed that...

Maurice Corry Con

I will be very quick. You talk about the cabinet secretary and that is fine, but in the case of the COVID-19 Committee it would also be worth writing to Mich...

The Convener Lab

We can certainly copy him in to the correspondence. That would make sense.

Maurice Corry Con

Yes, exactly, if you would not mind.

Jackie Baillie Lab

Although I am disappointed by the committee’s conclusions on closing the petition, I understand and support the actions that you will take in writing to the ...

The Convener Lab

Thank you. We hope that, because the issue has been aired and commented on in the committee, it has been heard publicly. If there were a request for it, the ...

Tom Mason Con

As you said, convener, I am leaving the committee in a very short time. The success of the committee—it has, undoubtedly, been a success—has been thanks in n...

The Convener Lab

Thank you very much. I have never been accused of being balanced in the past, so that is a great compliment.

Maurice Corry Con

Thank you, convener, for all your work. I reiterate what my colleague Tom Mason said. The two periods that I have been on the committee have been thoroughly ...

The Convener Lab

Thank you very much. I will call David Torrance and then I will give the deputy convener the last word before we move into private session. That is much more...

David Torrance SNP

Thank you very much, convener. It has been a privilege to be on the committee once again in this parliamentary session. The committee has worked really well,...

The Convener Lab

Thank you very much, David. I appreciate your very kind words. We go finally to Gail, our deputy convener.

Gail Ross SNP

It has been an absolute privilege to serve on the committee. The subjects and information that we have had before us mean that I have learned about many diff...

The Convener Lab

Thank you very much, Gail. We look forward to seeing what the new Public Petitions Committee does. If it is as focused on what the petitioners are trying to ...