Official Report 295KB pdf
Broken Glass (PE986)
PE986, from Woodlands primary school, urges the Government to take greater action to protect the public and domestic and non-domestic birds and animals from the dangers of broken glass; to promote the use of plastic bottles as an alternative to glass; and to introduce a refundable deposit scheme aimed at reducing the levels of broken glass in public places. The petition raises broader concerns about refuse and antisocial behaviour emanating from the issue of broken glass. We could write to COSLA to ask whether there have been any developments in relation to the research into waste issues that it proposes to carry out. We could write to the Government to ask whether the concerns that the petitioners have raised can be addressed through the climate change bill or the antisocial behaviour strategy. Do members have any other suggestions?
The reintroduction of refundable deposits on bottles would encourage people to treat them as valuable objects to be recycled, rather than as objects to be used as missiles or broken for the fun of it.
Does the committee agree to the course of action that I have proposed and to ask Government ministers to comment on Robin Harper's suggestion?
Independent Midwifery Services (PE1052)
PE1052, from Jayne Heron, calls on the Parliament to urge the Government to promote the services of independent midwives and to ensure that such services continue to be available to pregnant women in Scotland. We have considered the petition on a couple of occasions, so we are at the culmination of the process. There are options for us to consider.
When the petition was last in front of us, we kicked it into the long grass. We should close it.
I am reluctant to close the petition at this point. The UK Government is looking at the issue of independent midwifery services, although its proposals will not necessarily apply here. It might be worth suggesting to the Scottish Government that it meets the petitioner to see whether there is a way forward. We could then find out what it expects to happen to the provision of independent midwifery services in the light of the proposals that the UK Government is discussing. We can close the petition after that.
I rarely disagree with the deputy convener's recommendations but, on this occasion, I think that Nanette Milne's suggestion is helpful.
I am sorry to be the dissenting voice.
Is that okay, John?
As long as you are buying the drinks.
The clerk is now in an even better mood. Nanette Milne's suggestion is likely to provide us with information that is relevant to the petition. Do members accept the recommendation?
Endometriosis (Research Funding) (PE1057)
PE1057 is from Andrew Billson-Page, on behalf of the Save Our NHS Group. The petitioner has appeared before the committee. The petition urges the Scottish Executive to consider increasing funding for research into endometriosis and to consider ways of facilitating more effective diagnosis of the illness in the light of the Kerr report's recommendations on the future of the national health service in Scotland. The Scottish Government is to meet Endometriosis UK on 19 November. We can write to the Government to ask how the outcome of that meeting will progress issues. Is that okay?
I am surprised that the issue has gone no further, because it is significant nowadays. I am surprised that no Scottish intercollegiate guidelines network guideline is being developed. If we are writing to the Government, can we ask whether a SIGN guideline on the treatment of endometriosis has been considered?
Okay. I thank Nanette Milne for her helpful suggestion. We will follow that course of action.
Free Public Transport (Under-18s) (PE1107)
PE1107, from Robin Falconer, on behalf of Highland Youth Voice, calls on the Parliament to urge the Government to reduce public transport fares for all under-18-year-olds who are in full-time education and to provide for young people with no income to travel free or to pay only half the adult fare. It is recommended that we either close the petition or suspend consideration of it until the concessionary travel scheme has been reviewed. I am minded to support the latter option. To be blunt, political parties might address the issue in considering potential manifesto commitments for 2011 and people might campaign to persuade political parties to make such a commitment. I note with interest that one or two people have taken that up. The issue will not go away, so we should at least keep the petition alive.
Residential and Abstinence Treatment (PE1113)
PE1113, from Peter McCann, on behalf of Castle Craig hospital, calls on the Parliament to urge the Government to increase the availability and provision of residential and abstinence treatment for people who are alcohol and/or drug dependent. Do members have views on the petition? I have received a submission from a constituent who contested some of the evidence and research that we obtained about how people are assessed for referral to drug treatment. That is just an observation from an individual constituent.
I am sympathetic to the Government's view that we need a range of treatment options rather than specific treatments. I am conscious that Audit Scotland is studying the range and effectiveness of public expenditure on drug and alcohol services to inform future spending priorities. I am content to close the petition.
Convener, you said that you received correspondence from a constituent that contradicted some of the advice that we obtained in response to the petition. I place the onus on you to decide whether that information is significantly different from what the committee received. If so, will you consider writing again to the Scottish Government about the issues that the correspondence raised, so that we catch the concerns?
I have just had a discussion with the clerk. The correspondence was sent to me as a constituency member; I do not know whether my constituent sent it to me as convener of the committee. If you are asking my personal view as an individual MSP and not as the convener, it is that the information raised enough issues and, as for credibility, the individual does not support my political party. She would never vote for me as a party candidate, but she has raised issues that are worth exploring. That is my personal view as an MSP, but I do not know whether the clerks have seen that information. I am happy for the petition to be brought back to the committee at the next meeting once we have had a look at the information, which may or may not be made available to committee members. We can then take a considered view. I hope that that addresses John Wilson's concern—I do not want to impose anything on other committee members.
I accept that. We should bring the petition back to the next meeting and perhaps a report should be produced. I am concerned that we might sign off petitions when there are other issues out there. The point goes back to our previous discussion about trying to encapsulate all the views that are out there, rather than only those of the people whom we asked to respond. If other evidence comes forward, we are duty bound to consider it before we deliberate on and sign off petitions.
We have identified in the background papers that the individual who wrote to me also made the information available to the clerks. I have probably caused a bit of confusion. I suggest that we bring the petition back to the next meeting, when we can have further deliberation on it. John Wilson's comments indicate that that would be a good way forward. Let us deal with the matter in that way, so that we are clear about why we make a decision to either continue the petition or close it.
In view of John Wilson's concerns, I am happy to withdraw my proposal to close the petition.
We can make a formal decision at our next meeting. I thank members for their patience and courtesy.
Blood Donation (PE1135)
I think that I am back on my reading recovery programme. The next petition is PE1135, from Rob McDowall, which calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Government to review existing guidelines and risk assessment procedures to allow healthy gay and bisexual men to donate blood. Members have in front of them a paper from Craig Wilkie, on behalf of Ross Finnie, which contains some observations on the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service's decision. Ross Finnie contacted me earlier this morning about the issue. We have the papers in front of us.
I have huge sympathy with the SNBTS. The crucial point is that, necessary though transfusion and donation are, transfusion must be made as safe as is humanly possible. We know that all sorts of people cannot give blood or are not allowed to give blood. For example, if someone has received a transfusion, they are not allowed to give blood any more because of the minute risk of passing on variant CJD. I have huge sympathy with its position, but I am not saying that we should close the petition because questions perhaps need to be asked of the Government.
Let us see whether we can explore those constructive suggestions.
It is a pity that the pages of the submission are not numbered. The graphs that show the relative probabilities of acquiring HIV from heterosexual and MSM—men who have sex with men—contact show that, between 31 December 2007 and 31 March 2008, heterosexuals were more likely to contract HIV. I should emphasise that that is only the probability of acquiring HIV. Those figures come from the Health Protection Agency Scotland and the Health Protection Agency UK. Therefore, there is definitely a case to answer.
Okay. We will take on board the points that members have raised and explore them with the SNBTS and the Scottish Government.
When we contact the Government, it would be worth asking for its view on the issue with regard to heterosexual males who buy sex. That is a serious point as well.
Okay. Thank you for your patience on that one.
Scottish Agricultural Wages Board (PE1139)
PE1139, from John Quigley, on behalf of Unite the Union, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to retain the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board as a separate body and to expand its remit to cover all workers in the agricultural sector, including those in private and ornamental gardens and all types of fish farming. I refer members to my entry in the register of members' interests; one or two other members, including John Wilson, are in similar circumstances.
I declare my interest as a member of Unite the Union.
I think that we are in agreement on that. We will await the response to the consultation. Another noble effort by the clerk to close a petition is foiled by the democratic impulse of members around the table. That is a good story.
Water Charges Relief (PE1142)
PE1142, from the Rev Jock Stein, on behalf of the Dunfermline presbytery, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to continue beyond 2010 the scheme of relief and exemption of charities and churches from water and sewerage charges.
I think that the petition has achieved its goal. I am delighted that the Government has agreed to continue the exemption until 2014. I know that it is also looking beyond that to see what the charging policy might be thereafter. For the immediate future, the petition has achieved what it set out to do. I am delighted with that and move that we close the petition.
Okay. I recommend that we close the petition on the ground that it has achieved what it sought to achieve. It might be one of those petitions that we want to make a note of, given the earlier discussion about promoting the role of the committee. We played a small—and, hopefully, useful—part in amplifying the demand for the continuation of the rebate.
Right of Notification (PE1143)
PE1143, from Carol Ann Bowmaker, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to amend all relevant legislation to ensure that private tenants have a right to be notified when their landlord has applied for planning permission to demolish their home and that planning permission is not granted and notices to quit are not issued to a tenant when outstanding repairing standard enforcement notices exist on the property.
What the lady is asking for is too restrictive all round—everybody can see that. The solution that she is calling for is inappropriate, although I understand where she is coming from.
Okay. Do we agree to close the petition on those grounds?
Domain Names (PE1144)
PE1144, from Ross Ingebrigtsen, on behalf of dotSCO, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to give full support to the dotSCO application to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to introduce a standard .sco top-level domain name, in order to enhance Scotland's distinct languages, culture and identity. The domain name would be for use by all Scottish public bodies. Do members have any comments or observations on the petition?
I am aware that the Welsh Assembly Government recently awarded £20,000 to a group in Wales to campaign for the .cym domain name. It is important to have an identifiable area where Scots can fix into the world wide web. There is real business interest here. We know about the importance of various areas in the marketing of Scotland. As the convener said earlier, some of us might be luddites when it comes to new technology, but people want the proposal to go ahead. I suggest that, in order to try to promote the issue, we approach the Government and ask it to reconsider its position.
I can just imagine the final line in the movie: "They may take our lives, but they'll never take our domain name." That will be fascinating.
The Scottish Government supports the petition and it has created a working group.
It has created a working group, but the application to get the domain name established will require some money—money usually helps. Perhaps the Scottish Government will follow the lead taken by the Welsh Assembly Government and give money to the appropriate body to move things forward.
Are members happy with the recommendation?
Beverage Containers (PE1145)
PE1145, from Dr Alexander Gemmell, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to introduce a statutory deposit-and-return scheme on all used beverage containers. Are there any observations on the petition? Do members think that we should write to the Government and seek its response on specific points?
Indeed. I would be happy if the committee considered asking the Scottish Government what provisions on deposit-and-return schemes it will include in the climate change bill and what discussions it has had or will have with the UK Government and the European Commission to ensure that any move is compatible with European Union law, which is important.
Are members happy to do that?
Fresh Talent Initiative (PE1146)
PE1146, from Jennifer Newman, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review with the Home Office the fresh talent working in Scotland scheme, to allow overseas students on the scheme to stay and work in Scotland for an extended period at the conclusion of their academic studies without the need for a work permit. Members have papers on the petition, and the petitioner has come to the committee in the past. Do members have any views on the petition?
It looks like we have a good-news story, because it seems that the changes that the Government has made satisfy the petitioner. Those changes might not be entirely what was intended at the beginning, but a happy petitioner and progress is the best that we can hope for. We should close the petition and give ourselves another pat on the back, which is always useful.
Thank you. Such contributions are always welcome.
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