Hansard

I thank the convener for her opening remarks and for the opportunity to contribute to this afternoon’s debate on the work of the Public Petitions Committee.

First, on behalf of the Government, I acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the convener and members of the committee, past and present, during the past four years. In particular, I want to thank Rhona Brankin and John Farquhar Munro for their service to the committee and the Parliament since they were elected in 1999. I have enjoyed being their colleague and I am glad to have had this opportunity to thank them, because it might be my last chance to do so. I also acknowledge the worthwhile contributions of all the people who have participated in the committee’s meetings in the Parliament and in various locations throughout Scotland.

As we all know, the Scottish Parliament’s public petitions process has been a success story, as Rhona Brankin said, and has gained an international reputation. The Scottish petitions model has attracted interest from other legislatures, such as the Parliament of the Czech Republic, the Queensland Parliament, the Parliament of South Australia and many others.

What makes the Public Petitions Committee successful and provides a model for other Parliaments to emulate? Ministerial portfolios and subject committees change but, as a mandatory committee, the Public Petitions Committee remains a constant. In the early days, although the committee was unique, its role was restricted to a postbox function of considering petitions and, in the main, passing them on to other committees to examine the detail and take forward. In this session, the committee has taken a step forward and has taken responsibility for more detailed consideration of petitions on a wide variety of important subjects. It has worked without regard to politics on a genuinely cross-party basis and, importantly, has taken a mature and responsible attitude to working with the Government. We are grateful for that. The committee has sought to achieve agreement where it can be reached and change where it can be delivered.



A key to the committee’s success is that public petitions provide direct access into the Parliament for members of the Scottish public who want to have their voice heard. The committee’s work is set not by the Government, legislation or budget scrutiny but by issues that members of the public bring to it.

A prime example from this session followed from the petition by Tina McGeever, whose husband lost his life to cancer. It called on the Parliament to consider the national health service provision of cancer treatment drugs to ensure equality across Scotland. The committee launched an inquiry and made recommendations. The collaborative working that followed culminated in a parliamentary statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, which set out the package of measures that were being implemented to improve access to all newly licensed medicines in the NHS in Scotland. In addition, new guidance was produced for health boards on introducing newly licensed medicines. That guidance made it explicit what boards were expected to do and that they had to be open and transparent about their processes and decisions.

The work of the committee on that issue benefited patients and families throughout Scotland and delivered meaningful change. It is a good example of people, the Government and the committee working well together. However, it has been recognised that the petitions process cannot stand still, and it has moved on.

I was particularly pleased that the committee took up the suggestion that Louise Perry made at the meeting in Fraserburgh of running a young people’s petitions meeting. That was a great suggestion and all credit is due to the committee for running with it. The resultant meeting on 29 October last year was excellent. I was extremely impressed by the contribution that was made and the enthusiasm that was shown by all the young people who took part.

The committee’s external meetings appear to have been successful and well received, with positive and enthusiastic contributions from all participants.

The petitions system needs to continue to reflect the Parliament’s founding principles and to build on the success that has been achieved to date. No one can take away from the committee what it has accomplished but, as members of the committee will recognise, it must avoid becoming complacent. The committee’s initiatives, particularly those that use new technology, attempt to reach out to the public and help to increase awareness of the petitions process, particularly among young people, more than ever. However, as we all know, technology moves fast and constantly needs reviewing and updating to ensure that it continues to excite and engage the public.

I am delighted with the level of co-operation and mutual respect that has been established over the past few years between the committee clerks and Scottish Government officials. They work well together. In the lead-up to the election, officials will continue to work closely with the clerks to ensure that, as far as possible, the tighter deadlines for responding to petitions—which are understandable—are met.

I highly commend the work of the Public Petitions Committee and the progress that it has made in evolving and developing its processes. We all recognise that it is vital to continue to build on that success to listen to the people of Scotland and to represent their interests.

I continue to look forward to working with the convener and committee members. The Government stands by to assist in whatever way it can.

15:04