Hansard

The Convener Lab

The final continued petition on our agenda is PE1841, which was lodged by Natasha Hamilton on behalf of the Care Home Relatives Scotland group. The petition ...

Jackie Baillie Lab

Thank you, convener, for giving me a second opportunity to speak this morning—I promise that I will not go on too long and test your patience. Having faile...

Gail Ross SNP

I want to thank our co-opted member, Jackie Baillie, for her kind words. She has contributed so much on many petitions, even in the short time that I have be...

Maurice Corry Con

I thank Jackie Baillie for her input—there are always some wise words spoken. It is a very difficult question. I agree with my colleague Gail Ross that we ar...

The Convener Lab

Will the COVID-19 Committee continue to meet?

Maurice Corry Con

Until 5 May, we will meet only in emergency. The committee is still there, but it is slimmed down. It will meet only if emergency regulations and Scottish st...

The Convener Lab

It may be that, if we were agreeing to write to the cabinet secretary, we could write to the COVID-19 Committee and say that this is an urgent issue that the...

David Torrance SNP

As do my colleagues, I think that the issue is very difficult; however, I do not think that the committee can take the petition any further because by the ti...

Tom Mason Con

On balance, I think that we will have to close the petition. The situation is changing month by month as we go forward, and any legislation on the matter wou...

Maurice Corry Con

Further to the point about the COVID-19 Committee, it is very important that you write to the convener, Donald Cameron, on the point that we discussed. That ...

The Convener Lab

Thank you. People have wrestled with this petition. I go back to my earlier point about the frustration that the petitioners expressed. Everybody agreed that...

Maurice Corry Con

I will be very quick. You talk about the cabinet secretary and that is fine, but in the case of the COVID-19 Committee it would also be worth writing to Mich...

The Convener Lab

We can certainly copy him in to the correspondence. That would make sense.

Maurice Corry Con

Yes, exactly, if you would not mind.

Jackie Baillie Lab

Although I am disappointed by the committee’s conclusions on closing the petition, I understand and support the actions that you will take in writing to the ...

The Convener Lab

Thank you. We hope that, because the issue has been aired and commented on in the committee, it has been heard publicly. If there were a request for it, the ...

Tom Mason Con

As you said, convener, I am leaving the committee in a very short time. The success of the committee—it has, undoubtedly, been a success—has been thanks in n...

The Convener Lab

Thank you very much. I have never been accused of being balanced in the past, so that is a great compliment.

Maurice Corry Con

Thank you, convener, for all your work. I reiterate what my colleague Tom Mason said. The two periods that I have been on the committee have been thoroughly ...

The Convener Lab

Thank you very much. I will call David Torrance and then I will give the deputy convener the last word before we move into private session. That is much more...

David Torrance SNP

Thank you very much, convener. It has been a privilege to be on the committee once again in this parliamentary session. The committee has worked really well,...

The Convener Lab

Thank you very much, David. I appreciate your very kind words. We go finally to Gail, our deputy convener.

Gail Ross SNP

It has been an absolute privilege to serve on the committee. The subjects and information that we have had before us mean that I have learned about many diff...

The Convener Lab

Thank you very much, Gail. We look forward to seeing what the new Public Petitions Committee does. If it is as focused on what the petitioners are trying to ...