Minutes: 05 November 2026

1. Consideration of new petitions:

The Committee considered the following new petitions—

• PE2246: Accelerate the implementation of bus franchising powers. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government to seek further evidence, and to the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland to seek their views on the actions called for in the petition. The Committee also agreed to write to the Transport Committee to identify whether the issues raised in the petition are within the scope of its inquiry on Scotland's bus services.
• PE2235: Mandate automated external defibrillator (AED) registration on The Circuit defibrillator network and compulsory maintenance checks in Scotland. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government to seek further evidence, and to relevant stakeholders to seek their views on the actions called for in the petition.
• PE2240: Improve Gynaecology, Fertility, Early Pregnancy and Maternity Care in Scotland. The Committee agreed write to the Scottish Government and to the Scotland Maternity Services Independent Review to seek further evidence on the petition. The Committee also agreed to potential future consideration of the petition in a thematic evidence session on women’s health.
• PE2241: Introduce Legal Services Payment Orders to improve access to justice in Scottish family law. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government to seek further evidence. The Committee also agreed to write to the Scottish Legal Aid Board, the Family Law Association, Scottish Women’s Aid, and the Scottish Women's Rights Centre's Legal Project to seek their views on the action called for in the petition.
• PE2242: Repeal the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. The Committee agreed to close the petition under rule 15.7 of Standing Orders on the basis that the Scottish Government does not recommend repealing the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.
• PE2243: Refund legal expenses for those acquitted of a crime. The Committee agreed to close the petition under rule 15.7 of Standing Orders on the basis that the Scottish Government does not consider the specific ask of the petition to be in line with the principles of the current provision of Legal Aid in Scotland and has no specific plans to address the issue raised by this petition. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government to ask when it will publish responses to its recent consultation on legal aid reform and its anticipated timescales for introduction of the Legal Aid (Scotland) Bill, and to update the petitioner with the response.
• PE2244: Introduce Women’s Health Hubs in GP practices across Scotland to improve perimenopause and menopause care. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government to seek further evidence, and to relevant stakeholders to seek their views on the actions called for in the petition. The Committee also agreed to potential future consideration of the petition in a thematic evidence session on women’s health.
• PE2247: Mandate Police Scotland to collect data on nationality, religion, ethnicity, asylum status and instances of gang based abuse. The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders, on the basis that the Scottish Government has outlined a number of groups and reviews that have been established to address the issues raised by the petition. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government to ask to be kept informed of the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group's short-life working group looking at data, and to update the petitioner when this is published.