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 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 that has been said, I totally agree with the convener’s suggestion about passing the petition on to the Health and Sport Committee. However, for me, passing it on to that committee is not just about its keeping an eye on it; I would like to see it doing its own inquiry. I agree with what has been said about the public inquiry aspect. Although the Scottish Government says that there is no need for a public inquiry because of the Cumberlege review, I think that they are two separate things. This is such an important issue. There are many strands to it and quite a few contradictions. I really believe that there needs to be some kind of separate inquiry, whatever that looks like. As the convener also said, although there has been progress, there are still questions about that progress. Everything that has been said has been said and I do not really have anything to add apart from to say that I definitely would not close the petition. I agree with what the convener said about compensation, which is a huge aspect of this. The cabinet secretary said in her response that the Scottish Government is looking at options to enable survivors who need an operation for the removal of mesh to go outwith Scotland. NHS England was mentioned but, reading between the lines, I believe that it is looking at options to send people elsewhere if they request that. However, that has not been confirmed. Many questions still need to be answered. We now have the ability to have two petitions working alongside each other, so we could pass this petition on to the successor Public Petitions Committee, with the recommendation that it passes it on to the successor health committee—whatever it looks like or is called—and we could also ask the petitioners to submit a separate petition about compensation. I think that that would be a good way forward, but I will wait to hear what other committee members have to say.
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 ...