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Hansard

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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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
04 Mar 2014
Current Petitions
That is the point that I was going to raise, convener. The assurances in the cabinet secretary’s letter fail to live up to the committee’s expectations. The petitioner has rightly identified the statement that was made in the closing remarks last time the committee discussed t...
John Wilson SNP Committee
02 Oct 2012
Current Petitions
I am rather concerned by the response that we received from the petitioner in relation to the Scottish Higher and Further Education Funding Council’s reply to the committee. The petitioner raises what I consider to be serious concerns about the information that the Scottish fu...
John Wilson SNP Committee
29 May 2012
Current Petitions
The petitioner raised a number of issues in her evidence, several of which were personal issues to do with how her concerns were dealt with. It is clear that an examination of how individuals feel about how their complaints are dealt with by social work departments—or other de...
John Wilson Ind Committee
23 Feb 2016
Continued Petitions
I agree that we should put the issue in our legacy paper, but there is a piece of work that should be done prior to the next committee being established. The petitioner has raised a number of questions in relation to the responses received, and it might be useful to send on a ...
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 Ind Committee
13 Jan 2015
Current Petitions
I agree that we should keep the petition open. However, I note that we have not asked for the petitioner to be consulted on the guidance before it is issued. In the past, the committee has asked the Scottish Government to include the petitioner in the consultation process prio...
John Wilson SNP Committee
29 Nov 2011
Current Petitions
I agree, too, although the petitioner has made a number of interesting points in response to the issues raised. I suggest that we forward the petitioner’s letter to the Scottish Government and ask it whether it has any comments on the issues raised by the petitioner. There is ...
John Wilson SNP Committee
15 May 2012
Current Petitions
We normally do this, but this is just a reminder that we should send any response that we have received from the petitioner to date to the minister. In his response, the petitioner raises a number of issues in addition to those that have been raised so far, particularly around...
John Wilson Ind Committee
17 Mar 2015
Current Petitions
The petitioner has raised a number of other questions that I think that we should be asking the Scottish Government to consider. The petitioner has challenged the views expressed by the Government and has indicated that, contrary to the response from the Scottish Government an...
John Wilson Ind Committee
23 Feb 2016
Continued Petitions
The petitioner made an interesting point about children who are dropped off early in the playground by school transport. The question is when responsibility for the child kicks in. Is it when they board the school bus? I agree that we should close the petition, but I think th...
John Wilson Ind Committee
01 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
There is. It might just be me, but I seem to be reading the petitioner’s response differently. On page 2 of her response, the petitioner indicates that there is still not sufficient guidance being issued in relation to treatment. I should declare an interest, because my wife ...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
05 May 2009
Current Petitions
I disagree. I ask that the petition be kept open until we see the Government's response on its intentions in relation to permitted development rights and port authorities. There may be general agreement from the port authorities that the current legislation is working well, bu...
John Wilson Ind Committee
30 Sep 2014
Current Petitions
It is not extra work, convener. I remain to be convinced that the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill is sufficient to deal with the issue that the petitioner has raised. We have been told in submission after submission that planning alone cannot deal with the issue. The que...
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
26 May 2015
Continued Petitions
I was rather concerned about some of the language in the Educational Institute of Scotland’s submission. It was useful to get it, but it was based on a policy decision taken at the 2005 EIS annual general meeting. The reference to “violent situations” does not accurately refle...
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 Feb 2011
Current Petitions
I suggest that we write to ask the Food Standards Agency to respond to the issues that the petitioner has raised. I particularly like the petitioner’s point about the “curtness” of Mr Millan’s response. The petitioner also says:“the FSA and SFSA are out of step with most of Eu...
John Wilson SNP Committee
12 Jun 2012
Current Petitions
I have already declared an interest in the petition, which is that my wife has been diagnosed as having pernicious anaemia. I used the frequency of her vitamin B12 injections as an example in the debate that the committee held in the chamber on the issue.The Minister for Publi...
John Wilson SNP Committee
21 Feb 2012
Current Petitions
Although I am from the central belt and not the north-east of Scotland, I live quite close to a former Gypsy Traveller site that was closed by the local authority some years ago. I am at a loss about the wider debate because we hear that there are not enough sites for Gypsy Tr...
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
26 Jun 2012
Current Petitions
I thank the petitioner for her lengthy response to the written submissions that we received from other organisations and to the SPICe briefing. The petitioner indicated in one of her latter responses that there are two sides to the story. Clearly, she has a particular view and...
John Wilson SNP Committee
02 Oct 2012
Current Petitions
I apologise for skipping some pages in the committee papers. As I mentioned earlier, the petitioner has raised concerns about the response that we have received so far. There have been developments in the Scottish Government. As well as the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and Ex...
John Wilson Ind Committee
27 Jan 2015
Current Petitions
The further information submitted by the petitioner should be passed on to the Scottish Government. In the Scottish Government’s response, it alluded to the fact that the petitioner had not provided additional information, so it would be useful to forward on the latest corresp...
John Wilson Ind Committee
22 Sep 2015
Continued Petitions
I would like us to impress on the Government, when we write to it, that it should consult the petitioner and other stakeholders in the area. The petitioner, in oral evidence and her submissions, has highlighted a number of other cases that have been brought to her attention. I...
John Wilson Ind Committee
06 Oct 2015
Continued Petitions
I am keen to go back to the Government to explore some of the issues that the petitioner has raised. If the committee will indulge me, it might also be useful to bring in a couple of health boards so that we can ask questions about the decisions that were made to withdraw the...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
10 Feb 2009
Current Petitions
I suggest that we do not close the petition, on the ground that the petitioner has submitted a significant piece of work arguing that the site is of historical and archaeological interest. I would like the committee to forward the information that the petitioner has provided t...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
16 Jun 2009
Current Petitions
I agree with Bill Butler and Robin Harper that we should close the petition, but not in the terms that have been expressed by Bill Butler. He might have a disagreement with the petitioner, but the right of the petitioner to submit the petition and have it dealt with is correct...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
21 Sep 2009
Current Petitions
The petitioner has responded to the Scottish Government's consultation on the issue, and it appears from the information that we have that the Government has taken on board some of the petitioner's comments. We have, as Bill Butler rightly said, exhausted what we can do; we ha...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
21 Sep 2009
Current Petitions
As the petitioner indicates in her letter, although Epilepsy Scotland is not totally satisfied, it is satisfied that the new QIS standards will be put in place. She says clearly that a failure by any health board to apply the standards will be monitored closely. The petitioner...
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
21 Feb 2012
Current Petitions
We have a response that is headed “Petitioner Letter of 2 February 2012” and signed by Hugh McMahon. I understood that the petitioner was Jan Culík. I seek clarification of whether the committee is content to accept petitioner responses from someone other than the person who l...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee
20 Mar 2012
Current Petition
I thank Nigel Don for his verbal contribution today and for his written contribution to the debate. Nigel sat on the committee when we first considered the petition in the previous parliamentary session.Clearly, the work that David Young has done highlights a number of issues ...
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 with Jackson Carlaw’s suggestion that we invite Lord Gill to the committee to explain why he has written what he has. In fairness, the petitioner has responded in a strong manner, and the response to the petitioner would encourage me to write again to the Scottish Gove...
John Wilson Ind Committee
28 Oct 2014
Current Petitions
I am concerned about the comments that have been made on what were described as minor changes to the guidance in response to the petitioner’s submission on the consultation. I want to make NHS Scotland aware that giving six days’ notice for people to engage and make amendments...
John Wilson Ind Committee
22 Sep 2015
Continued Petitions
We must recognise the fact that the petitioner has submitted a lengthy response to the submissions that we have received so far. That response contains a number of questions that it might be useful to try to pursue with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and others. ...
John Wilson SNP Committee
23 Nov 2010
Current Petitions
I agree that we should close the petition today, but we should also remind the petitioner that, if he believes that the legislation that is due in February next year does not deal with the issues that he raised in the petition, he has the right to come back to the committee wi...
John Wilson SNP Committee
18 Sep 2012
Current Petitions
I am loth to close the petition. I know that the committee is trying to tidy up the historical petitions, but enough issues have been raised by the latest submission, dated 14 September, on behalf of the petitioner about the clarification of the funding methods that NHS Greate...
John Wilson SNP Committee
18 Sep 2012
Current Petitions
I must declare a particular interest in the issue. Our first evidence session today was on safe play areas. To all intents and purposes, PE1433 is about turning over unused public land or other unused land for useful food production. However, food comes in many shapes and size...
John Wilson SNP Committee
16 Apr 2013
Current Petitions
Jackie Baillie has suggested that we invite a representative of HIS to the committee, and we could also have the minister at the same time, so as to get the two of them in the same room to answer the same questions. It would be useful to get clarity from both the minister and ...
John Wilson Ind Committee
27 Jan 2015
Current Petitions
I feel that I must strike a slightly discordant note. According to the information that we have, guidance was issued to health boards in 2003 that they should establish registers. It is now 2015, and the petitioner has highlighted that a number of health boards do not have a r...
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
06 Oct 2009
New Petitions
As Bill Butler and Robin Harper have said, there will, I hope, be very little if any sympathy for the petition in the Parliament. However, I understand some of the reasons why the petitioner felt it necessary to lodge it. I suggest that, as well as writing to the Scottish Gove...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee
23 Nov 2010
Current Petitions
In light of the arguments that Christopher Harvie and Richard Simpson have put forward on the issues that the petitioner has raised, I propose that we continue the petition. I think that we need to wait for the results of the consultation that Richard Simpson referred to befor...
John Wilson SNP Committee
22 Feb 2011
Current Petitions
I will sound a note of caution. The bill that is going through the Parliament will not do everything that the petitioner wants because, in her latest correspondence, she asks for things that are not within the bill’s scope. For instance, she requests that additional funding go...
John Wilson SNP Committee
22 Feb 2011
Current Petitions
The petitioner has made a helpful further submission in response to the replies that we have had to the questions that we asked the relevant organisations. It would help with the legacy work to forward the petitioner’s response to the Government so that it does not rest on its...
John Wilson SNP Committee
22 Feb 2011
Current Petitions
In light of recent reports regarding the resignation of a member of the Law Society of Scotland council, it might be worth writing to the Government to seek its views on that resignation. The headlines that were associated with that resignation and the allegations that were ma...
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
13 Nov 2012
Current Petitions
On the responses to the petitioner’s point about the economic impact of road closures, we had a wider discussion about the economic impact of the road network for the region when we took oral evidence. We suggested writing to local authorities in the area to ask whether they h...
John Wilson SNP Committee
28 Jan 2014
Current Petitions
Based on your opening remarks about the petition, I am keen to get a definitive view on whether the committee can continue with the petition if the petitioner decides to withdraw it. Before intimating that he wanted to withdraw the petition, the petitioner had suggested that w...
John Wilson Ind Committee
30 Sep 2014
Current Petitions
I declare my membership of RSPB Scotland. Jackson Carlaw paraphrased the minister’s letter, which actually states: “However I am not convinced that a persuasive case has yet been assembled in favour of Scotland having a national bird or for the golden eagle to be that nationa...
John Wilson Ind Committee
23 Jun 2015
Continued Petitions
That is what the petitioner is trying to do—to get the public to have confidence in the system. It is clear that public confidence is lacking in relation to the issues that have been raised by the petitioner—and by other communities, as members have said. Can Mr Williams or M...
John Wilson SNP Committee
06 May 2014
New Petitions
Can we add Scottish Women’s Aid to the list? The petitioner has identified that there may be issues around why the mother decides not to register the father on the birth certificate or to engage further with the father in relation to the relationship that exists. It would be u...
John Wilson SNP Committee
22 Feb 2011
Current Petitions
I support the closure of the petition. It raised a very important issue in relation to previous school consultation procedures. A number of issues were raised early in 2010 about the consultation procedures used by North Lanarkshire Council for school closures. The Government ...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
29 Jan 2008
Current Petitions
It is clear from the petitioner's response that he has taken on board my point that, although the petition focuses on one particular religious group, there is an opportunity to widen it out. If we are to do some analysis of the religious beliefs of those who are in prison, we ...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
04 Mar 2008
New Petitions
We need to consider the issue because the petitioner has asked us to do so—if we are to give all due respect to the petitioner, we need to examine the matter. We should seek information or advice from Advocates for Animals and the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
18 Mar 2008
New Petitions
I agree with the convener. I find it interesting that page 2 of the petition states that"Freedom of speech is the basic right of every writer"and then proceeds to list all the things that people should not write about. We want freedom of speech to certain levels and degrees, b...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
02 Dec 2008
New Petitions
I agree with Robin Harper's point and with what the petitioner and John Lamont have said about the way in which the subordinate legislation was presented to the Justice Committee. Architects' fees were not mentioned, because it was thought that agreement would be reached betwe...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
15 Dec 2009
New Petitions (Notification)
We have received notification of three new petitions, convener. I question the validity of the third, which calls on the Scottish Government to carry out enhanced disclosure checks on all candidates for public office. I do not disagree with the principle or the intention behin...
John Wilson SNP Committee
23 Nov 2010
Current Petitions
The petitioner has helpfully suggested another two questions that we might want to ask the Government: first, whether the impact evaluation submitted will indeed be considered when determining the future direction of “The same as you?” strategy; and, secondly, whether local au...
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Committee

Public Petitions Committee 04 March 2014

04 Mar 2014 · S4 · Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
Current Petitions
Co-location of General Medical Practices and Community Pharmacies (PE1492)
Wilson, John SNP Central Scotland Watch on SPTV
That is the point that I was going to raise, convener. The assurances in the cabinet secretary’s letter fail to live up to the committee’s expectations. The petitioner has rightly identified the statement that was made in the closing remarks last time the committee discussed the petition. We asked the Scottish Government to seek the petitioner’s views when it conducts its review of the provision of community pharmacy services, but the petitioner has highlighted that the Scottish Government has not directly consulted him on the issue. It is concerning that the committee made a clear recommendation to the Scottish Government to consult the petitioner but that that request from the committee was ignored. The petitioner also raises in the response a number of concerns about how communities will be genuinely consulted on the issue. If he as the petitioner had to be advised by a third party that the consultation was taking place, how will members of the general public, particularly those who live in communities that are facing the very difficulties that the petitioner is trying to highlight, have known about it? It might be worth while for us to write to the Scottish Government to ask why it did not consult the petitioner directly. In the annex to the Government’s consultation, there is a list of the consultees that have been directly contacted. We should also ask how it intends to ensure that the widest possible consultation takes place, particularly with communities that are directly affected.

In the same item of business

The Convener Lab
The sixth current petition is PE1492, by Alan Kennedy, on co-location of general medical practices and community pharmacies. Members have before them a note ...
Chic Brodie SNP
I had a meeting with Community Pharmacy Scotland and, to dispense with the notion of the conflict of interest that was raised previously, there are much wide...
The Convener Lab
Just to clarify, I do not think that anything that I said suggested that we should close the petition.
Jackson Carlaw Con
We took evidence from, among others, Jean Kerr, who is chair of the Cumbrae public reference group. The situation in Cumbrae continues to deteriorate daily. ...
Chic Brodie SNP
The point that Jackson Carlaw has just made with regard to Cumbrae, where no interviewee was successful and the proposed income of the next set of interviewe...
The Convener Lab
I ask members to look at the last page of Alex Neil’s very lengthy and quite helpful letter. He states: “Our Vision and Action Plan, published last Septembe...
John Wilson SNP
That is the point that I was going to raise, convener. The assurances in the cabinet secretary’s letter fail to live up to the committee’s expectations. The ...
The Convener Lab
There is another option for the committee. The Health and Sport Committee intends to hear evidence on the Government’s “Prescription for Excellence: A Vision...
Chic Brodie SNP
I agree with that option.
John Wilson SNP
I would be keen for us to find out when the Health and Sport Committee intends to carry out its inquiry into the delivery of excellence in this area. If it i...
The Convener Lab
To clarify, I think that there will be a one-off evidence session rather than a fully fledged inquiry.
Angus MacDonald SNP
I am happy to go along with John Wilson’s suggestion that we seek further clarification before we refer the petition to the Health and Sport Committee.
The Convener Lab
Angus MacDonald makes a good point. Why do we not write to the convener of the Health and Sport Committee and clarify exactly what it has in mind? If it ends...
Anne McTaggart Lab
I agree with that, but can we find out further information before we pass the petition over?
The Convener Lab
Will John Wilson summarise his view on that?
John Wilson SNP
My proposal is that we hold on to the petition and write to the Scottish Government to seek responses to the questions that have been raised. However, if the...
The Convener Lab
Does Chic Brodie agree with that course of action?
Chic Brodie SNP
Yes.
The Convener Lab
We will pursue that course of action. When we have received a full reply from the Scottish Government and the Health and Sport Committee, we can analyse the ...