Committee
Public Petitions Committee 24 March 2021
24 Mar 2021 · S5 · Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
Continued Petitions
Polypropylene Mesh Medical Devices (PE1517)
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 beyond what the petition itself asks for. It is a more general consideration for the Public Petitions Committee to avoid creep from the core business of a petition to what might be considered something that comes out of it. If this was not the end of the session, I would be arguing for the petition to be referred to the Health and Sport Committee, because there should be parliamentary scrutiny and oversight of all the issues that have emerged here, including compensation. Clearly, there has been some progress; for example, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is looking at the advice that is given to people. There is still a conflict, as some people with conditions say that you cannot not have mesh in certain circumstances. There is clearly going to be quite an argument going on there. The question is whether that is a matter for the Public Petitions Committee. My view is that some things remain outstanding. The question of compensation should probably be raised in a new petition, because it is a very specific ask that can be brought to bear and it is not in the original petition at all. I will be interested to hear what other committee members feel. In an ideal world, I would have referred the petition over to the Health and Sport Committee for it to keep an eye on and to ensure that the scandal around this is properly considered in terms, which is part of the original petition. However, we do not have that option. Given that the petitioners have always had the sense that, if we do not shine a light on this, nothing will happen, and that, if we do not keep the focus of the light on things, nothing will happen and there will be drift, there is an argument for holding on into the new session, when referring the petition over to the next health committee and taking a new petition might be options. That is my view, but I am interested to hear members’ views.
In the same item of business
The Convener
Lab
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 Mes...
Jackson Carlaw (Eastwood) (Con)
Con
Thank you, convener, for your engagement with the petition in the course of this parliamentary session. As this is the final day of the session, the final me...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con)
Con
I am grateful to the committee for allowing me to speak at the final meeting of the session of the Public Petitions Committee. Further to what Jackson Carla...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
The work of the Public Petitions Committee has been hugely important and influential during the past eight years and I plead with the committee not to close ...
The Convener
Lab
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...
Gail Ross (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP)
SNP
I thank our family of campaigners, some of whom have joined us today, for all their work. I include Alex Neil in that as well. In relation to everything tha...
Maurice Corry (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
I thank the petitioners for keeping going with this long-standing petition. It is immensely important that we get it resolved as soon as possible. John Scott...
David Torrance (Kirkcaldy) (SNP)
SNP
As someone who was on the Public Petitions Committee in the previous parliamentary session when the petition was first submitted, I thought that progress wou...
Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
I agree with pretty much everything that has been said. These ladies have been let down for so long, and it is so important that we maintain the momentum to ...
The Convener
Lab
Does any of our visiting colleagues wish to add anything?
John Scott
Con
I am sorry; I do not appear to be able to make the chat function work. I agree with members that the petition should be passed to the next health committee....
Neil Findlay
Lab
I thank everyone for their helpful comments. It is of course up to this committee to request that the next health committee takes on the petition and carries...
Gail Ross
SNP
On Neil Findlay’s point, I had not really thought about that possibility previously. We would need to get advice but, if the petition goes from here to anoth...
The Convener
Lab
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 fro...
The Convener
Lab
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 ...