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Every contribution to the Official Report — chamber and committee — searchable in one place. Pulled from data.parliament.scot, indexed for full-text search, linked through to every MSP.

129
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415
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1999–2026
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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
John Wilson SNP Committee
28 Jun 2011
Current Petitions
I do not disagree with the suggestion that we refer the petition to the Equal Opportunities Committee. As Nanette Milne will testify, the previous Public Petitions Committee dealt with the petition quite extensively; the report that was produced was commissioned by the committ...
John Wilson SNP Committee
08 Mar 2011
Current Petitions
I am reluctant to close the petition. Too many things are happening in the background that could have an impact on how the petition might proceed. Normally, with the closing of a petition, I would recommend that the petitioners come forward with a future petition. Given that t...
John Wilson SNP Committee
28 Jun 2011
New Petitions
Although I accept that we might want to pass the petition on to the Education and Culture Committee at some point, as Nanette Milne has indicated there is no point in doing that if the evidence that we gather shows that no other local authorities are considering taking action ...
John Wilson SNP Committee
12 Jun 2012
New Petitions
I welcome the petition. I know Mr Hancox from his previous involvement in the Commonwealth orchard campaign and a couple of events that have been held in the Parliament to promote apple day. It is good to see Mr Hancox taking the issue forward in a petition. It is a concern th...
John Wilson SNP Committee
20 Mar 2012
New Petitions
I remind committee members and members of the public that the committee can do one of two things: we can continue to consider the petition as a committee in our own right, or we can refer it to another committee of the Parliament to deal with. However, we cannot do both at the...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber
07 May 2013
Flood Insurance Problems
I speak as a member of the Public Petitions Committee, the role of which has evolved over the years. It is an important committee, as it is regarded as one of the key public access points to the Parliament, as highlighted by this afternoon’s debate. The committee has examined ...
John Wilson SNP Committee
08 Mar 2011
Current Petitions
I thank Des McNulty for his comments. On the basis of those comments and our paperwork on the petition, I fully support the inclusion of the petition in our legacy paper. I am disappointed that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has been so intransigent. Some of the evidence that w...
John Wilson SNP Committee
13 Mar 2013
Petition
First, I declare an interest: I have carried out work with John Hancox in the past. He has held a number of events in the Parliament, particularly in relation to apple day, which I have co-sponsored.I remind committee members that the Public Petitions Committee can refer petit...
John Wilson SNP Committee
18 Feb 2014
Current Petitions
I am minded to close the petition under rule 50.7, if that is the correct rule. The Scottish Government has said that it will consider the issue only if it has time. Closing the petition would offer the petitioner the opportunity to come back with a fresh petition at a later d...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (Ind) Ind Chamber
09 Oct 2014
Register of Interests for Members of Scotland’s Judiciary
The petition and today’s debate highlight the important role that the Public Petitions Committee plays in this Parliament. The issue under discussion is an easy and relatively straightforward subject, as many members have said. The resistance to having a general register of ...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (Ind) Ind Committee
31 Mar 2015
Continued Petitions
I am trying to walk a middle line here in relation to what Angus MacDonald suggested, which was to congratulate the Scottish Government on holding a review and close the petition. I do not think that we can close the petition. We need to wait and find out what the Scottish Gov...
John Wilson Ind Committee
22 Sep 2015
Continued Petitions
I am one of those members who have been involved with the petition all the way through, as I was a substitute committee member in November 2007, when the petition was originally presented. My colleagues have commented on the final paragraph in the cabinet secretary’s letter. ...
John Wilson Ind Committee
09 Feb 2016
Continued Petitions
I am in the same position as Angus MacDonald. However, I have seen the petition almost all the way through the process and there is a point at which we must say, as a committee, that we need to stop because we cannot progress it any further. We must also bear in mind the fact ...
John Wilson SNP Committee
22 Feb 2011
Current Petitions
I suggest that we do not close the petition. I do not think that Government action has gone far enough on the issue identified in the original petition. The original petition called for“publicly funded action ... on domestic abuse/violence ... to fully ... address the needs of...
John Wilson SNP Committee
01 Mar 2011
Current Petitions
Sorry, convener, but I am trying to keep up my track record, so I will say that we should not close the petition, because I think that there is an issue here. The petition seeks legislation to prohibit the resale of tickets for football matches in Scotland, but there is legisl...
John Wilson SNP Committee
29 Nov 2011
New Petitions
Although I agree with Mark McDonald and Neil Bibby on the idea of passing the petition on to the Equal Opportunities Committee, I think that this committee should do the first trawl and see what we get back. As Mark McDonald quite rightly identified, the petitioner seems to be...
John Wilson SNP Committee
29 Nov 2011
Current Petitions
I put it on the record that I have not met the petitioners, although there have been several requests for a meeting.I remind members of the comments on a petition that was discussed earlier, when I was told that I was straying into areas that the petition did not cover. It is ...
John Wilson SNP Committee
07 Feb 2012
Current Petitions
I think that I have been to all 13 meetings that Gil Paterson has attended on the petition. It has been an interesting petition and I am glad that I have been able to follow it through. The petition has had a number of ups and downs regarding the dialogue with NHS Greater Glas...
John Wilson SNP Committee
20 Mar 2012
Current Petitions
I draw the committee’s attention to the most recent submission from Helen Moran on the issue. She is in the public gallery today, and I commend her for the work that she has done not only on the petition, but in promoting the Public Petitions Committee system more widely.The p...
John Wilson SNP Committee
04 Sep 2012
Current Petitions
I agree with Sandra White that we could close the petition and write to the Scottish Government to make a specific recommendation to the review group to take on board the issues that the petitioner raises and also to involve the petitioner in some way in the review group. That...
John Wilson SNP Committee
10 Dec 2013
Current Petitions
I think that I have been with the petition since 2007. I was a substitute member on the committee when the petition first came before it and I think that I have sat on every committee meeting at which it has been considered since then. Lessons must be learned in relation to G...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber
28 Jan 2014
Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation in Scotland
As a member of the Public Petitions Committee since 2008, I found the petition one of the most challenging that I have faced, given the subject matter that we discussed. I thank Barnardo’s Scotland for submitting the petition, and I thank the clerks, Dr Sarah Nelson, who acted...
John Wilson Ind Committee
28 Apr 2015
Continued Petitions
I have a comment rather than a question. Although I respect the views presented, the difficulty is that the petition that we have before us has been dealt with. Scottish Enterprise, East Lothian Council and Scottish Power have indicated that at the present time they are not pr...
John Wilson Ind Committee
12 May 2015
Continued Petitions
I have a comment, rather than a question. The issue raised by Kenny MacAskill about the hospices forum is a good one. There is work still to be done there on the wider issues that the St Margaret of Scotland hospice raises. Having sat on the committee the whole time that the p...
John Wilson Ind Committee
10 Nov 2015
Continued Petition
You referred earlier to the petition calling only for a register of pecuniary interests. However, the petition actually calls on the judiciary “to submit their interests & hospitality received to a publicly available Register of Interests.” There are registers in place; ...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
04 Mar 2008
New Petitions
I understand what Rhoda Grant is saying about reserved and devolved powers, but the petition as submitted was accepted by the clerks and has been presented to the committee to deal with. There are rules governing the presentation of petitions to the committee, and we trust the...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
04 Mar 2008
New Petitions
Under normal circumstances, when the Public Petitions Committee writes to an organisation or body, we expect it to respond to us. If we are just passing the petition on to the Scottish Government, we are basically saying, "We don't want a response. We don't want to know what y...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
16 Dec 2008
Current Petitions
When the petition has been before us in the past, I have commented about Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board's decision-making process in relation to the on-going discussions. If, as Des McNulty has indicated, people are being advised that there will be no more admissions afte...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
13 Jan 2009
New Petitions
Dr Simpson indicated that the Government that commissioned the bridge should have ensured that money was available to carry out necessary works on the road. He also said that £250,000 was given to the local authority for works; however, the petition mentions a £1.5 million con...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
17 Mar 2009
New Petitions
I will add to the number of committees to which we could forward the petition. For the services that are covered by the petition, much of the funding is joint funding from health boards and local authorities so it might be worth while forwarding the petition to the Health and ...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
01 Dec 2009
Current Petitions
I support Robin Harper in asking that the petition be continued, because I think that issues have arisen from the responses from the Minister for Community Safety and—as Robin pointed out—the UK Government on the petition. I am also conscious of a current court case in which a...
John Wilson SNP Committee
08 Feb 2011
Current Petitions
We seem to be presupposing that we will not close the petition before the next parliamentary session if we follow all three of Mr Butler’s suggestions. If we get a written response from the minister, he agrees to come before the committee and we get conclusive answers from him...
John Wilson SNP Committee
28 Jun 2011
New Petitions
I read the petition as referring just to primaries 1 and 2, so that is why I sought clarification. We must try to develop questions for other bodies that are based on the petition that is before us.On the enhancement element, the petitioner said that the petition’s proposal co...
John Wilson SNP Committee
06 Sep 2011
Current Petitions
The petition came before the Public Petitions Committee during the previous session, and a couple of committee members took the opportunity to visit Govanhill. We saw at first hand some of the conditions that were being experienced by residents, tenants and others. Before the ...
John Wilson SNP Committee
15 Nov 2011
Current Petitions
Like Nanette Milne, I am reluctant to close the petition, but I think that the committee has taken it as far as we can. I agree with her comments about the consistent, updated evidence from various other countries in Europe on the hazards or health effects for residents and wo...
John Wilson SNP Committee
15 May 2012
Current Petitions
I, too, put on record my appreciation for the work that the Scottish Youth Parliament has done on the petition and the survey that it carried out.I think that we have taken the petition as far as we can, but I do not think that we should end consideration of it. We should refe...
John Wilson SNP Committee
26 Jun 2012
Current Petitions
I take on board Joe FitzPatrick’s point of view, but the committee is listening to the evidence that we have received so far on the issue. Rhoda Grant, as a local member, has come along to the committee and made us aware of other issues that might be affecting the area. It is ...
John Wilson SNP Committee
18 Sep 2012
New Petitions
Timing is a crucial issue for the petition. The consultation on the bill ends on 25 September, after which it will go to the Education and Culture Committee. I am keen to have first go at trying to get responses to the petition, but I am also keen to ensure that it goes in fro...
John Wilson SNP Committee
18 Sep 2012
Current Petitions
I have sat on the committee and considered the petitions over a period of time, and issues still arise. In the first paragraph of the second page of his letter dated 15 August, the former Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment, Alex Neil, says that it has ...
John Wilson SNP Committee
30 Oct 2012
New Petition
I agree that we should continue the petition. As well as writing to the Scottish Government, we should write to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to find out what measures it is taking to ensure that we reach the targets that have been set. It would also be useful t...
John Wilson SNP Committee
30 Oct 2012
New Petition
Good morning, Mr Reid, Matthew and Leona. This is a useful petition because the issue is quite relevant for me. Earlier this year, I was approached by a constituent at my surgery to sign off the medical forms for the individual to donate their body to medical science. We spent...
John Wilson SNP Committee
27 Nov 2012
Current Petitions
I commend Nigel Don and Nanette Milne for their perseverance with this petition. Like me, Nigel Don was a member of the committee in the previous session when it dealt with the issue; indeed, Nanette Milne, too, was a committee member until just recently.I also commend the pet...
John Wilson SNP Committee
05 Mar 2013
Current Petitions
I agree that we should keep the petition open. I declare that, as a signatory to it, I support the petition. It is important that we get responses from CBI Scotland and COSLA before we write to the Scottish Government, as we need comprehensive responses on the petition. If we ...
John Wilson SNP Committee
01 Oct 2013
Current Petition
Convener, this is supposed to be the committee’s summation on the petition—the purpose of the discussion is to allow the committee to decide how to take the petition forward. You reopened the debate. If you want to continue the debate, I would like us to do that as a committee...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee
04 Mar 2014
New Petition
The petition indicates that the petitioners wrote to all 32 local authorities but received responses from only 13, and only seven gave substantive assurances that they were tackling the issues that the petitioners raised. We can write to the Scottish Government and ask for it...
John Wilson Ind Committee
30 Sep 2014
Current Petitions
I merely note that if the committee wishes to pass the petition to the Local Government and Regeneration Committee for further consideration, the timetable for examination of the bill is very heavy and it may be difficult to add to that reasonable consideration of the petition...
John Wilson SNP Committee
17 Jun 2014
Current Petitions
I am minded to refer the petition to the Health and Sport Committee. As that committee is examining the regulations, it would be more appropriate for us to pass on to it the information that we have on the petition. Dr Simpson eloquently expressed the questions on the issue t...
John Wilson Ind Committee
12 May 2015
Continued Petitions
Mr Stewart is well versed in the workings of the committee, being its former convener. The difficulty that I have with his suggestion that the committee conduct a mini inquiry is the definition of what that inquiry would cover. When we took on the inquiry into child sexual exp...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (Ind) Ind Chamber
19 Jan 2016
Public Petitions Process Review
I, too, take great pleasure in speaking in the debate. I think that I am currently the longest-serving member of the Public Petitions Committee, with almost eight and a half years’ membership. Some people would say that that was a punishment, but it has been a pleasure to serv...
John Wilson Ind Committee
09 Feb 2016
Continued Petitions
We have received some good information, and the petition has highlighted an issue that is a problem in many tributaries, including the pond in Coatbridge. I was surprised to hear that signal crayfish have migrated there. In closing the petition, we need to make the Scottish E...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
18 Dec 2007
New Petitions
SCVO and Citizens Advice Scotland should be asked to comment on both this and the previous petition. Citizens advice bureaux have their own funding streams, and some receive just over £25,000. What the petition proposes could restrict the funding of bureaux by local authoritie...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
29 Jan 2008
New Petitions
That is the problem, convener—I am beginning to recognise that.I would tweak slightly what the petition proposes because we should also consider the position of young people who leave school to take up traineeships or apprenticeships, who can be paid less than, say, £60 a week...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
19 Feb 2008
Current Petitions
The letter that we have received from Communities Scotland does not hold out much hope for the residents in the area to which Brian Adam referred, although it gives a detailed response about ministers' consideration of the matter. I would be loth to close the petition. The Gov...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
04 Mar 2008
New Petitions
Advocates for Animals, the League Against Cruel Sports and other organisations have all drawn the issue to our attention. Not only have they presented the petition, but every MSP has been inundated with e-mails and postcards putting forward the case. We seem to be receiving co...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
23 Sep 2008
Current Petitions
I am not for closing the petition, either. When the petition was submitted, we were at the start of the post office closure process, and issues have since come to light. In the past week, we have heard of more decisions by the Post Office to close post offices in other areas.F...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
02 Dec 2008
Current Petitions
As with the previous petition, I suggest that we should keep the petition open until the review has reported. Rather than close the petition at present, we should wait to see the results of that review.
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): SNP Committee
16 Dec 2008
New Petitions
I do not wish to disagree with my two colleagues' statements, but the Public Petitions Committee exists to serve a purpose and may be regarded as part of the process whereby local communities air their grievances against decision makers at whatever level. We should consider th...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
16 Dec 2008
Current Petitions
The petition hit the committee in January 2005, and a body of evidence has been presented over the past almost four years. Because we have taken such a lengthy time over the petition, more evidence has come forward on the health hazards of high-voltage transmission lines. We h...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
16 Dec 2008
Current Petitions
I ask to keep the petition open, because it would be worth while to find out what the Government proposes. If we close the petition now, we will do so before the Government has published its proposals, which might provide more questions than answers in relation to the petition.
John Wilson: SNP Committee
13 Jan 2009
Current Petitions
Robin Harper suggested referring the petition to the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee. There is also the possibility of referring it to the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee. There is a serious issue around the economic times that we face, and the p...
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Committee

Public Petitions Committee 28 June 2011

28 Jun 2011 · S4 · Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
Current Petitions
Scottish Prison Population (Catholics) (PE1073)
Wilson, John SNP Central Scotland Watch on SPTV
I do not disagree with the suggestion that we refer the petition to the Equal Opportunities Committee. As Nanette Milne will testify, the previous Public Petitions Committee dealt with the petition quite extensively; the report that was produced was commissioned by the committee. A number of worrying factors were identified in the evidence that we were presented with as we considered the petition.I make the same plea that I made in the previous committee: if we are to pass the petition to the Equal Opportunities Committee, we have to widen out the scope. Although the petition refers in particular to Catholics in prison, it was identified that it is not only Catholics who are disproportionately represented in prisons; other minority groups are equally, if not more, disproportionately represented. If we are to pass the petition to the Equal Opportunities Committee, we should refer to all the material that was gathered on the petition, as well as to the report. The report was interesting, but I felt that there was a slight flaw in that the research concentrated on the petition’s main focus, which was Catholics in prison, rather than looking at all minorities in prison. We should say to the Equal Opportunities Committee that in order to do the petition justice, it has to look at minorities in the criminal justice system as a whole and not just at a particular group.

In the same item of business

The Convener Lab
Our next petition is PE1073, on Catholics in prison. Members have a note by the clerk. As in previous discussions, I invite members first to make contributio...
Neil Bibby Lab
I agree that the Equal Opportunities Committee would be a good place to which to refer the petition. It seems at first that the petition raises a justice iss...
The Convener Lab
Do other members have other views?
John Wilson SNP
I do not disagree with the suggestion that we refer the petition to the Equal Opportunities Committee. As Nanette Milne will testify, the previous Public Pet...
The Convener Lab
That is a very good point, which we should definitely emphasise when it comes to referring the petition. Are members happy for us to take that course of acti...