Hansard

I declare a constituency interest in the issue. As we can see from the petitioners’ submission, they broadly welcome and agree with most of the recommendations that have come out of the Scottish Government’s sludge review. I note that they are disappointed that no reduction in the spreading of sewage sludge is planned in the near future. However, the petition has achieved a great deal. It brought forward the review—in fact, we could argue that the review might not have happened had it not been for the petition. In addition, following pressure from me and from Margaret Mitchell MSP—John Wilson has also had an interest in the matter—the Scottish Government has taken on board a large number of the points that have been raised. Given the new legislation on the subject that is on the way, the consultation that that will generate and the fact that the petitioners now have direct access to the lead Scottish Government officials, which is also a welcome development, I would normally have been minded to close the petition because it is a success story for the petitioners and the Public Petitions Committee. However, while welcoming the progress, the committee should keep the petition open to allow us to keep a watching brief on any further progress that is made following the introduction of legislation and on the recommendations that have been made to give the Scottish Environment Protection Agency more power to control the issue. There is a strong argument for keeping the petition open, and I hope that other members of the committee are similarly minded.