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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.

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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 Ind Committee
23 Feb 2016
Continued Petitions
I am reluctant to close the petition, because the response from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency raises a number of questions. For example, I want to ask SEPA where we are with the research and the trials on potential biocontrol measures for invasive non-native speci...
John Wilson Ind Committee
09 Jun 2015
New Petition
I agree with Jackson Carlaw about writing to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. I would also be interested to find out whether there has been a review of the CIC and the services that are delivered there. I would like to know whether the health board intends to cut back on service...
John Wilson Ind Committee
27 Oct 2015
New Petitions
It is not quite North Korean brainwashing but, in Jackson Carlaw’s case, it is something that may have to be investigated. The Scottish Parliament information centre briefing refers to the Countess of Mar’s question in the House of Lords and the response from Lord Prior of B...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
03 Mar 2009
New Petitions
When we write to the Government, it might be useful also to write to the EIS to find out whether any issues have been identified by teachers on the front line. As Robin Harper indicated, many teachers are not aware of some of the symptoms that may develop in children who have ...
John Wilson SNP Committee
18 Sep 2012
Current Petitions
The petitioners raise a number of issues in their letter. As Sandra White has indicated, it is important that we write to the Scottish Ambulance Service. We should ask it about the first-responder meeting that was held in March, because the indication that the petitioners got ...
John Wilson SNP Committee
28 May 2013
Current Petitions
I take on board many of the points that Elaine Smith made and the submission from the petitioners. A round table would be useful, but given the time constraints that you have indicated, convener, I would be keen to find out whether it would be possible to invite the Cabinet Se...
John Wilson SNP Committee
09 Feb 2010
Current Petitions
We should continue the petitions. There are issues that the committee can still drive forward, even if some of them are taken up in the debate around the Housing (Scotland) Bill. Pauline McNeill raised the issue of when we can expect implementation of the 2006 act. There is al...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
17 Mar 2009
New Petitions
I would also be keen for us to seek the Government's view on the current best-value policies, because a number of issues have been raised about how best value applies and is interpreted. It would be useful to know whether the Government intends to review the best-value policie...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
01 Dec 2009
New Petitions
We should get the information from the health boards, convener. For example, it would be useful to contact Lanarkshire NHS Board and possibly one other NHS board to find out whether they are aware of GPs prescribing the drug. As the petitioners said, MS is highly prevalent in ...
John Wilson Ind Committee
22 Sep 2015
New Petitions
It is right to contact the organisations that have been named so far, but it might be useful if we also contacted a number of independent food bank operators. It is useful to get the views of the Trussell Trust, but it does not represent the food bank movement. Some of the iss...
John Wilson Ind Committee
08 Mar 2016
Continued Petitions
Like Angus MacDonald, I think that we should keep the petition open. We have achieved a lot and useful progress has been made. However, the petitioners raised a number of questions in their submission of 1 March, in response to the Scottish Government’s action to date. It woul...
John Wilson SNP Committee
20 Sep 2011
Current Petitions
I put on record once again that I know about some of the problems that exist for the residents who live by the line—I do not live next to this line, but near a line that is also used by heavy freight trains such as those to which the petitioners refer.I note from one of the pe...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber
08 Jan 2013
Employability
All members have their own experiences with regard to improving employability in the modern workplace and how training and developing skills impact on achieving employment.I welcome the Finance Committee’s emphasis on improving employability for individuals, particularly from ...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): SNP Committee
15 Apr 2008
Current Petitions
It might be worth while contacting the National Group on Homeworking to find out about some of the issues that arise from home working. In a previous existence, I dealt with concerns that arose because of the way in which employers treated individuals who worked from home. We ...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee
20 Sep 2011
New Petitions
I respect the witnesses, but it might be useful to ask the views of another couple of organisations. One is the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which does a lot of work on the ground and tries to regulate what happens locally.I would also like to try...
John Wilson SNP Committee
15 Nov 2011
Current Petitions
This has been a useful exercise because of the interesting information that we have received from various organisations. We should put the petitioner’s letter on the desk of the Scottish Government and ask it how it wishes to respond.According to the clerk’s note, other inform...
John Wilson SNP Committee
19 Feb 2013
Current Petitions
I should declare that I visited St Margaret of Scotland Hospice a couple of weeks ago. I had a meeting with Sister Rita, the chief executive, and others and was given a tour of the hospice during which I met some of the staff and others in the hospice. It is an excellent facil...
John Wilson SNP Committee
16 Apr 2013
Current Petitions
I thank Elaine Smith for coming along and sharing her experience with us.Although I agree that the holding of a short-term inquiry on the subject should be considered, the issue is whether the Health and Sport Committee or the Equal Opportunities Committee would be willing to ...
John Wilson Ind Committee
28 Apr 2015
New Petitions
I agree that we should write to the Scottish Government to find out what is happening. In particular, we should ask what happened to the national parks strategy group that was part of the recommendations from 2009. We are now six years on and it would be useful to find out whe...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (Ind) Ind Committee
27 Oct 2015
New Petitions
Good morning. On that last point about the Free Church’s position about indoctrination, some of us would argue that indoctrination takes place in many different guises, particularly in the present educational environment, so we need to be careful when we talk about indoctrinat...
John Wilson Ind Committee
27 Oct 2015
New Petitions
I agree that we should write to COSLA, but I also suggest that we write to the local authority education department that covers Vale of Leven academy and to the headteacher at the school. I am interested to see the overall education policy of the local authority as opposed to ...
John Wilson Ind Committee
15 Dec 2015
New Petitions
I have a particular interest in this issue. I have asked questions in the Parliament in the past regarding enforcement with regard to non-native species. There is legislation, as the petitioner quite rightly identifies, but I am not sure that it is being used against landowner...
John Wilson SNP Committee
09 Oct 2013
Draft Budget Scrutiny 2014-15
Before I start my questioning, I draw members’ attention to my entry in the register of interests.It is always useful to hear Dave Watson speaking on behalf of Unison members in Scotland, but I am slightly disappointed that Unite and the GMB could not provide witnesses for tod...
John Wilson Ind Committee
28 Apr 2015
Continued Petitions
When we write to the Scottish Government, it might be useful to ask when in June the task force is going to meet. If it is early June, it would be useful for the committee to deal with the matter before the summer recess to enable us to consider having an early evidence sessio...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
06 Nov 2007
Current Petitions
It might be appropriate to contact the heads of the fire service in each region to find out their views. There might be a Government view, but chief officers will also have a view about how they want to take forward the service. It would be useful to find out what discussions ...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
05 May 2009
New Petitions
The loophole in the current legislation, to which Sarah Boyack referred, must be closed immediately, or as soon as the Government can do so. Mr Player's example of rooms with 15 beds in them, wall to wall, in a party flat shows how people are flouting the legislation that the ...
John Wilson SNP Committee
26 Nov 2013
Current Petition
Chic Brodie mentioned the old firm. They appeared before the committee in January 2011 and we received criticism from other clubs that we had concentrated on the old firm. I am aware that Hibs, Heart of Midlothian FC and other league teams have very active youth programmes. Fo...
John Wilson Ind Committee
28 Oct 2014
New Petitions
I agree that we should write to the organisations that have been mentioned. Given that this is an education issue, I suggest that we also write to the Educational Institute of Scotland to find out its views on the continued use of independent schools. When we are writing to O...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
06 Nov 2007
New Petitions
I support Rhoda Grant's suggestion about getting Lothian Buses involved, because it would be useful to find out what it thinks about a potential competitor delivering the proposed services; perhaps it could even deliver the services itself, if the capacity was there. It might ...
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
17 Mar 2009
New Petitions
We have to open up the debate on this issue. We should write to the Government, but it might also be useful to write to the Scottish Inter Faith Council to get its view. We should also write to some of the non-mainstream religious organisations. I am aware that the Humanist So...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
05 May 2009
New Petitions
I am not sure whether Supporters Direct or the Football Supporters Federation have been mentioned. It would be useful to get the views of the fans, too, and to see whether there is a general demand for the reintroduction of standing areas. In particular, I would like to draw o...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
21 Sep 2009
New Petitions
As well as writing to the Scottish Government to seek its views, we could write to the Scottish Trades Union Congress and to individual unions, such as Unite and the GMB, which might be involved in advising members in small workplaces. It might also be useful to write to the N...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
01 Dec 2009
New Petitions
If we are doing that, we should contact a selection of them. I was particularly struck by the comment that an estimated 140 languages are spoken in Glasgow alone. It would be useful to ask NHS Grampian, NHS Borders and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde about the number of language...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
01 Dec 2009
New Petitions
It would be useful to write to some health boards to find out how extensively LDN is being used. The petitioners have mentioned 6,000 people throughout the UK using it and have said that certain GPs are readily giving out LDN to patients who require it, but perhaps it would be...
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
27 Nov 2012
New Petitions
I am sorry to come back in, Maureen and Elizabeth, but I want to go back to the figures that we have in front of us. In the written submission to support the petition, you referred to the same figures that we have before us. My difficulty is that the only figures that we have ...
John Wilson SNP Committee
26 Nov 2013
New Petition
I agree that we should write to the Scottish Government, the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care and the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland, but I suggest that we also write to a couple of local authorities to find out their role in provision. Some of the funding co...
John Wilson SNP Committee
18 Mar 2014
New Petitions
As I said, it would be worth while to write to the Scottish Government. The figures that Ms Plumb provided are useful, but given that the disease is non-reportable, it would be useful to ask the Scottish Government whether it would consider making it reportable, so that we cou...
John Wilson Ind Committee
28 Oct 2014
Current Petitions
I declare an interest in this matter, as a close family member has pernicious anaemia and depends on regular injections to cope with the condition. On the BCSH guidelines, the Scottish Government’s letter of 4 August says: “we have also received advice that dissemination of...
John Wilson Ind Committee
27 Jan 2015
Current Petitions
I support Jackson Carlaw’s point. As well as evidence from Mr Slater, the MHRA and the chair of the independent review body, it might be useful to take evidence from the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport. From the initial discussion that we had with the previou...
John Wilson Ind Committee
23 Feb 2015
New Petitions
I suggest that we also write to DEFRA. Clearly, the local authorities in England and Wales are not operating under guidance that they have developed; the guidance has been issued by DEFRA. It would be useful to find out from DEFRA why the same regulation from Europe is being i...
John Wilson Ind Committee
23 Sep 2015
Fact-finding Visit (Manchester)
It was extremely useful to see how Manchester City Council works closely with other local authorities in the region to achieve economies of scale and a concentration of targeted resources that helps with economic growth in Manchester and greater Manchester. I found it extreme...
John Wilson Ind Committee
05 Oct 2015
Draft Budget Scrutiny 2016-17
Mr Robertson, you said earlier that you look at the investments to ensure that you get a return for the pensions that you are there to protect so that you can ensure that employees can receive a pension. How do you weigh up the returns that you could make through environmental...
John Wilson Ind Committee
01 Dec 2015
Current Petitions
I am looking at the letter from the DFT. I might be misreading it, but it seems to conflict with what the minister said about the flying of the red ensign. It states: “Any such request for colours other than those that constitute the red ensign should include an example and d...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
04 Mar 2008
New Petitions
We should target particular local authorities, given the committee's previous discussions about COSLA. On Rhoda Grant's point, we should get an explanation of the pricing or charging policy in Highland Council and how it impacts locally. North Lanarkshire Council has opened up...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
06 Nov 2007
New Petitions
Although the petition stems from the planning consent for the Gillies Hill, the petitioners have asked the committee to ensure that there is also protection for other sites. There is concern among committee members about other occasions when planning consents have been granted...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
18 Dec 2007
Current Petitions
The third paragraph in the response from the Government says:"Responsibility for planning services for those with obstructive sleep apnoea rests with NHS Boards, which are expected to fund them from their general allocations in order to meet the needs of their resident populat...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
29 Jan 2008
New Petitions
It might be worth writing to the Scottish Pre-school Play Association, which I mentioned earlier. I was interested in one of Ms Vance's responses about the end of provision of pre-school facilities, which I guess has happened because the funding for that has stopped. I have wo...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
18 Mar 2008
Current Petitions
As John Farquhar Munro has pointed out, we have both hands tied behind our back because of the numbers to be closed that have been set by the United Kingdom Government. Essex County Council recently decided to continue to support some post offices, and I believe that one Scott...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
15 Apr 2008
Current Petitions
Paul Martin is right—we need to get some indication of the level of complaints that brought about the introduction of car parking charges in greater Glasgow. We also need information on the level of usage of the car parks, because we need to get that in proportion to the level...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
07 Oct 2008
New Petitions
We should further question the Scottish Government. I believe that it proposes to set up a federation of crofting boards, drawing its membership from seven to 10 local crofting boards. It would be useful to find out from the Government how those local crofting boards will be e...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
03 Mar 2009
Current Petitions
In the past couple of weeks, legal action has been taken down south, especially in Corby. A group of women have taken legal action against Corby Borough Council over the disposal of materials from former industrial sites. In their court action, the women claim that the materia...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
21 Apr 2009
Current Petitions
I support Bill Butler in what is almost a demand for a response from the Scottish Government on the issue. As he indicated, it is seven months since the review was closed, and the opinions and consultation have been gathered. It would be useful to write to the Government to as...
John Wilson: SNP Committee
08 Sep 2009
Current Petitions
As the petition was submitted before the opening of Addiewell prison, it would be useful to find out whether the contract that the SPS negotiated for the operation of that prison is exactly the same as the contract for HMP Kilmarnock or whether any amendments or changes have b...
John Wilson SNP Committee
26 Oct 2010
New Petitions
I suggest that we also write to the Equality and Human Rights Commission to find out where Gypsy Travellers stand in relation to the legislation. If my memory serves me correctly, petitions have been brought to the committee by Gypsy Travellers complaining about the harassment...
John Wilson SNP Committee
06 Sep 2011
New Petitions
I would like to add to the list of organisations from which we might seek information. The panel indicated a number of other organisations that we should contact, including some local authorities, and I suggest that we contact Glasgow, Edinburgh and possibly one of the Highlan...
John Wilson SNP Committee
15 Nov 2011
New Petitions
I agree with Nanette Milne. If we can get a committee debate in the chamber I would welcome the opportunity to raise the issue more widely. I hope that, after today’s presentation, there will be some media coverage of the issue. We might be able to get the message out more wid...
John Wilson SNP Committee
24 Jan 2012
Current Petitions
I accept that it might be possible to hold a round-table discussion, but our predecessor committee had Henry McLeish here on 5 October 2010 and, 12 months ago, it held a round-table discussion involving the SFA, the Minister for Public Health and Sport and representatives of t...
John Wilson SNP Committee
15 May 2012
Current Petitions
I support Sandra White’s suggestion that we keep the petition open and go back to the Scottish Government. After all, Robert Brown’s additional evidence raises further questions about the relevance of the current guidelines. We know that such research is regularly updated. I p...
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Committee

Public Petitions Committee 23 February 2016

23 Feb 2016 · S4 · Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
Continued Petitions
Invasive Non-native Species (PE1586)
Wilson, John Ind Central Scotland Watch on SPTV
I am reluctant to close the petition, because the response from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency raises a number of questions. For example, I want to ask SEPA where we are with the research and the trials on potential biocontrol measures for invasive non-native species. I have heard that some biocontrol work is taking place, but we do not know where that has got to. It would be useful to find out how far SEPA has got with that research. Another issue that is raised by SEPA’s letter is the fact that the amount of money that is made available to tackle invasive non-native species seems to be going down on an annual basis, but the problem seems to be increasing. Are enough resources available? What the minister, SEPA and others have told us is that the voluntary control mechanism that has been put in place does not seem to be working. The minister says that two statutory control agreements have been put in place, and it would be useful to find out how successful those have been. A couple of weeks ago, there was an issue in my area with someone who claimed that they had a licence to clear Japanese knotweed. I doubt very much that the individual or the organisation that he claimed to be working for had such a licence. There are concerns about who has the right to remove non-native species such as Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed and Himalayan balsam, so I would like us to get clarification of that. In the past, as I have mentioned previously, I have tried to find out which organisation to contact to report the illegal removal of Japanese knotweed. I discovered that there is no Scottish Natural Heritage or SEPA helpline at the weekend, and the police claim that it is not their responsibility to monitor such matters. For many people, it would be useful to know which organisation it is best to get in touch with. SEPA seems to say that it is SNH, while SNH says that it is not really sure, because the enforcement is sometimes SEPA’s responsibility. It would be useful to get clear guidance for members of the public to follow in relation to how to tackle the illegal removal or the spread of invasive non-native species in their communities.

In the same item of business

The Convener Lab
PE1586, by James A Mackie, on behalf of Innes community council, is on statutory control measures for invasive non-native species. Do members have any views ...
John Wilson Ind
I am reluctant to close the petition, because the response from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency raises a number of questions. For example, I want ...
Angus MacDonald (Falkirk East) (SNP) SNP
I apologise for being late, convener. I was stuck in traffic. I am sure that we all have issues in our constituencies with giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed...
The Convener Lab
That is a good suggestion. We could write to SEPA, as John Wilson suggested, and get that back in so that it becomes part of the consideration of the petitio...