Chamber and committees

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

Meeting Minutes

4th Meeting, 2021

Date: Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Session: 6
Location: T1.40-CR5 The Smith Room
Meeting opened at: 10:00
Meeting closed at: 11:03
Published: Thursday, September 23, 2021 10:41am

Committee Members Attendees

Also Present

Monica Lennon (PE1871)

1 Consideration of new petitions:

The Committee considered the following new petitions—

PE1869: Make it law for railway stations to have step free access. The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders on the basis that rail accessibility is reserved to the UK Government and that it is not possible for the Scottish Parliament to legislate in this area as requested in the petition.

PE1870: Ensure teachers of autistic pupils are appropriately qualified. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government. The Committee also agreed to write to Children in Scotland, the General Teaching Council for Scotland, the National Autistic Society Scotland, Scottish Autism and the Scottish Council of Deans of Education.

PE1871: Full review of mental health services. The Committee agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. The Committee also agreed to write to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Samaritans and the Scottish Association for Mental Health.

PE1872: Improve the reliability of island ferry services. The Committee agreed to refer the petition under Rule 15.6.2 of Standing Orders to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee.

PE1873: Provide hypnotherapy for the treatment of mental health, psychosomatic disorders and chronic pain. The Committee agreed to write to NHS Scotland Boards.

PE1874: Introduce legislation to create artillery and firearms exclusion zones around places of spiritual importance and religious worship. The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders on the basis that the Scottish Government states that planning decision-takers currently have the ability to consider and control noise in a way that reflects the particular circumstances and sensitivity of specific locations, and the actual impacts of individual developments; a 5-mile exclusion around existing places of worship would be a comparatively blunt approach to controlling noise-generating developments, as it would be unable to take cognisance of local circumstances; legal and policy frameworks governing the development and operation of potentially noisy developments, including firing ranges, are proportionate, robust and effective; and it has no current plans to review or amend the legal and policy frameworks governing the development and operation of potentially noisy developments.

PE1875: Public inquiry into the Scottish Qualifications Authority. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government.

PE1877: Provide body cameras for all frontline NHS staff. The Committee agreed to write to the Allied Health Professions Federation Scotland, the British Medical Association Scotland, the Royal College of Nursing and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

PE1878: Investigate prosecutions under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. The Committee agreed to write to the petitioner. The Committee also agreed to write to the Scottish Mental Health Law Review.

PE1880: Introduce awareness and practical experience of litter picking and waste separation into the school curriculum. The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders on the basis that the Scottish Government has committed to increasing the prevalence of Learning for Sustainability (LfS) within the Curriculum for Excellence; has stated it believes that individual schools should determine the precise content of their curriculum and how it is applied to the timetable at school-level; has stated that a new National Litter and Fly-Tipping Strategy is in the process of being developed, with a 12-week public consultation scheduled to take place at the end of this year before a refreshed strategy is published in early 2022; and the Cabinet Secretary has stated her intention to share details of this petition, as well as her response to the Committee, with Education Scotland and Keep Scotland Beautiful, to ensure the issues highlighted are taken into account when exploring whether the current programme on litter and waste management can be strengthened. The Committee also agreed to write to the Scottish Government.

PE1881: Longer sentences for paedophiles and sexual predators. The Committee agreed to write to Rape Crisis Scotland, the Scottish Sentencing Council and Victim Support Scotland.

PE1882: Remand anyone charged with a sexual offence against a child. The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders on the basis that the European Court of Human Rights has developed case law that requires decisions on the remand of individuals accused of offences to be made on a case-by-case basis. As such, it would not be possible for the Scottish Parliament to legislate so as to require that all individuals accused of certain offences such as sexual offences to always be remanded in custody prior to trial.

PE1884: Make whole plant cannabis oil available on the NHS or alternative funding put in place. The Committee agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. The Committee also agreed to seek further background information on the issues raised in the petition and to write to the petitioner.

PE1886: Establish a specialist paediatric liver centre in Scotland. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government.