Hansard

Members in the chamber—committee members and the many members who have come through the doors on a Tuesday afternoon to support petitions from constituents and others—will make their own observations on the operation of the Public Petitions Committee. The committee’s role has evolved down the years. In 2009, at the end of a year-long inquiry, the committee produced a report on the public’s perception of the petitions mechanism.

The Public Petitions Committee is an important committee of the Parliament, particularly given that it is regarded as one of the main public access points for the Parliament. That is why it is critical to demonstrate positive engagement with the public. As other members have stated, the committee has examined petitions that have increased awareness of important issues, such as the petition that examined domestic violence against men and the one that highlighted housing conditions in the Govanhill area of Glasgow. The committee visited Govanhill as part of its inquiry.

The committee has never been shy about considering how it can work better. The committee commissioned research from Ipsos MORI, which followed on from a well-established principle that the committee adopted in 2006. Ipsos MORI used the methodology of qualitative research among the general public, with an emphasis on how the process works. The research identified an understandable link between awareness and knowledge of the petitions system. It also found that the Parliament’s approach needs to be more innovative, but that its use of e-petitions was commended. However, we must ensure that progress is maintained.

As members have mentioned, the Public Petitions Committee has a good track record of going to other parts of Scotland—no other committee has done so much work throughout Scotland—which has ensured that the Parliament does not become Edinburgh-centric. Those external committee meetings had open microphone sessions to gather the views of the public who attended.

The Public Petitions Committee strives to be open and transparent. It must ensure that it meets that important aim, especially because, in interviews conducted by Dr Carman, who looked at the work of the committee between 1999 and 2006, interviewees were concerned about a perceived lack of transparency and the lack of an appeals process.

The committee has played a role in political reform, which is why other Parliaments have shown such an interest in its workings and the workings of the petitions process. I notice that, a couple of days before the Irish general election, Fine Gael has adopted the policy of establishing a public petitions system in the Irish Parliament.

There has been a welcome development, in that some local authorities have considered establishing public petitions committees in their areas. For example, Renfrewshire Council has moved that forward. Many of the issues that are brought to the Public Petitions Committee could and should be dealt with locally. Many petitions that have come before the committee while I have been a member of it have been about matters that could have been addressed at a more local level.

The many petitions that come to Parliament allow the public to make representations to Parliament on a range of issues, whether they are Scottish or international in origin. It is important that petitions are not restricted, especially when it comes to the issue of devolved versus reserved matters.

I welcome this interesting opportunity to debate the role and work of the Public Petitions Committee. We need to ensure that we have a strong, modern public petitions mechanism that is meaningful to the people of Scotland. I look forward to the Public Petitions Committee continuing to take forward issues of importance to the people of Scotland, no matter how obscure, national or international they are. I, too, put on record my thanks to the other members of the committee, the committee clerks and all those who gave evidence and provided the committee with written evidence during the past three and a half years.

15:38