Committee
Public Petitions Committee 08 March 2016
08 Mar 2016 · S4 · Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
Continued Petitions
Youth Football (PE1319)
Thanks to the petitioner, the SFA and the SPFL have taken the issues concerning youth football reasonably seriously. The petitioner has stated that the petition is moving the clubs and the governing bodies in the right direction. We have also seen the Children and Young People’s Commissioner say that it is clear that there have been some improvements in the approach taken to children involved in youth football. However, there are still matters that are outstanding. I note the commissioner’s comment that he no longer believes that the matters that remain outstanding can be dealt with by self-regulation. He recommends that the Public Petitions Committee refers the matter to the Scottish Government to consider how the issues may be dealt with through external regulation. That suggestion was backed by the petitioner. In light of those responses and taking on board Chic Brodie’s comments this morning, I suggest that the committee close the petition, but also write to the Scottish Government asking for it to consider regulation through legislation to prohibit controls over young people that would not be permissible in any other walk of life, as the petitioner put it.
In the same item of business
The Convener
Lab
The first item of business is consideration of continued petitions, the first of which is PE1319, by William Smith and Scott Robertson, on improving youth fo...
Chic Brodie (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
Thank you for allowing me to attend and to speak on the petition. Before I do so, I would like to comment briefly on the letter from the Scottish Professiona...
The Convener
Lab
Thank you for an interesting speech, Chic. Do members have any comments?
Angus MacDonald (Falkirk East) (SNP)
SNP
Thanks to the petitioner, the SFA and the SPFL have taken the issues concerning youth football reasonably seriously. The petitioner has stated that the petit...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (Ind)
Ind
Unlike Angus MacDonald, I do not think that we should close the petition, although I agree that we should write to the Scottish Government to seek its views ...
The Convener
Lab
I am also minded to keep the petition open and include it in our legacy paper. The SFA and the SPFL are entities in their own right and like any other commer...
John Wilson
Ind
Convener, Mr Brodie will be able to testify that the SFA and SPFL resisted the first attempt to get them to a meeting of the Public Petitions Committee. They...
Chic Brodie
SNP
I had meetings at Hampden Park with the SFA and the SPFL. Some encouraging things are happening in Scottish football. For example, fans’ involvement in the r...
The Convener
Lab
It would be for the next committee to determine what to do but we can certainly suggest that it considers such an action if we keep the petition open. I take...
Angus MacDonald
SNP
If the general consensus of members is to keep the petition open and to include it in the legacy paper, I am content with that, so long as John Wilson’s sugg...
Jackson Carlaw (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
I reluctantly concur with the consensus to keep the petition open. It has been going since 2010 and I am not sure that we will make any significant further p...
The Convener
Lab
That is a fair enough point to make. I think that there is a consensus that we will try to keep the petition open and try to pursue it a bit further. I thank...
Chic Brodie
SNP
Thank you for allowing me to speak, convener.