A90/A937 (Safety Improvements) (PE1236)
Item 2 is consideration of current petitions. PE1236 is by Jill Fotheringham. Nigel Don MSP was keen to come along and contribute to the discussion. Do members agree to defer our discussion of the petition until he is able to be with us?
Mosquito Devices (PE1367)
The second current petition is PE1367, in the name of Andrew Deans, on behalf of the Scottish Youth Parliament, on banning Mosquito devices. The committee will recall that we had a useful evidence session with the petitioner, the National Autistic Society and Compound Security Systems at our previous meeting. Paper 3 summarises the evidence that was heard to enable the committee to decide what action it wishes to take. I ask members for their views.
We had an interesting and in-depth discussion of the evidence. I think that we need to continue the petition. We need to find out some background information, including whether the Scottish Government can confirm that it does not support the use of Mosquito devices and whether it has taken European convention on human rights issues into consideration. Also, we need to clarify what has happened since Fergus Ewing, the Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, wrote a letter to the United Kingdom Government on the issue and whether the Scottish Government can say exactly what powers we have in the Scottish Parliament to ban the use of Mosquito devices.
It was interesting that the inventor of the device himself expressed some real qualms about it and the fact that it was needed at all, which I thought was very open of him.
I made my views on the issue clear at the previous committee meeting, but I think that writing to the Government on the points that Sandra White suggests would be helpful.
Those are good points. COSLA is a member organisation, so we could ask it to do something with the 32 local authorities and find out the exact position with byelaws.
I agree with the points that have been made so far. I think that the petition should be continued. If we can get those points answered, members can decide what to do next at a future committee meeting.
I agree with that.
I emphasise that we need to get the Scottish Government’s advice on the ECHR aspect.
Child Sexual Exploitation (PE1393)
PE1393, by Martin Crewe, on behalf of Barnardo’s Scotland, is on tackling child sexual exploitation in Scotland. Members have the note by the clerk, which is paper 4, and the submissions.
I thank Barnado’s Scotland for its reply. Barnardo’s welcomes the committee’s investigation into what is a serious issue. It is grateful for the work that has been done through the committee, and it was pleased to hear the minister’s announcement on what the Scottish Government has done in this area.
The issue is clearly important, and it is important that the petition remains with this committee—it covers more than one other committee’s remit—for a longer period.
That is a good suggestion. In the past, we have stressed the importance of trying to go around Scotland. One issue that I raised during my international visit last week was our need to try and extend the role of the committee so that we hit areas where there is a low turnout of petitioners, such as deprived estates. There is a real issue about the number of what are, in effect, working-class petitions that this committee gets. It would therefore be advantageous for us visit some projects around Scotland.
I am sure that I speak for Nanette Milne in saying that, as North East Scotland MSPs, we would be happy for a home gig in Dundee, but I will leave it to the committee to deliberate on that.
When writing to the Government, we should ask for clarification on the scope of and the timetable for the children’s services bill that is in the offing.
I think that we are all agreed that this is another very important petition. The clerks will work up an options paper for us in relation to the various visits that we can undertake as part of our inquiry.
Orphan Diseases (Access to Therapy) (PE1398)
Pompe Disease (Access to Therapy) (PE1399)
Paroxysmal Nocturnal Haemoglobinuria (Access to Therapy) (PE1401)
We will consider the next three petitions together. The first is PE1398, in the name of Alastair Kent, on behalf of Rare Disease UK, on access to therapy for orphan diseases. The second is PE1399, in the name of Allan Muir, on behalf of the Association for Glycogen Storage Disease UK, on equitable access to therapy for Pompe disease. The third is PE1401, in the names of Lesley Logier, on behalf of PNH Scotland, and Professor Peter Hillmen, on behalf of the PNH Alliance.
Orphan diseases, their treatment and the difficulties with individual patient treatment requests are, quite rightly, moving high up the political agenda. People with a rare disease have to prove exceptionality within that rare disease. However, I think that the fact that they have a rare disease in the first place makes them fairly exceptional.
I think that the petitions would be best placed with the Health and Sport Committee.
Do members agree to refer the petitions, under rule 15.6.2 of standing orders, to the Health and Sport Committee, for consideration of the issues raised?
Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Diagnosis and Treatment) (PE1402)
PE1402, by Richard Jones, on behalf of Addressing the Balance, calls for a strategy and policy for diagnosing and treating adult ADHD in Scotland. Members have a note from the clerk, which is paper 6, and the submissions. I invite contributions from members.
I was impressed with the number of responses that we have received in connection with the petition. That shows that it is a big issue, not just for health boards, but for many others. I was pleased about that: sometimes the committee does not receive responses from particular organisations, so we should be thankful.
Do members agree with Sandra White’s recommendation that we continue the petition?
Education Staff (Training in Learning Disabilities and Autistic Spectrum Disorder) (PE1409)
PE1409, by Linda Whitmore, on behalf of Enable Scotland, calls for training for education staff on learning disabilities and autistic spectrum disorders. Members have a note by the clerk, which is paper 7, and the submissions. I invite contributions from members.
I note the petitioner’s wish for the petition to be referred to the Education and Culture Committee. The issues are important and I thank everyone who has responded to the petition. Paragraph 13 on page 3 of the clerk’s note states that the petitioners
I think that that is the correct path to take. The petition raises a serious issue and the Education and Culture Committee is best placed to consider it.
I agree.
If the request for input from the Association of Headteachers and Deputies in Scotland has not been followed up, perhaps we should do that.
If we highlight that to the Education and Culture Committee, it might want to pursue the issue further when we refer the petition to it. I think that would be the best way to go about it.
Are we agreed that we will refer the petition, under rule 15.6.2, to the Education and Culture Committee for consideration of the issues raised, and that the clerks will pass on to that committee the two points that members have made?
Fruit Tree Planting (PE1410)
The ninth and final current petition for consideration today is PE1410. The petition, which is by John Hancox, centres on developing a fruitful future for all young Scots. Members have a note from the clerk, which is paper 8. I invite contributions from members.
I know that Nanette Milne has taken an interest in the petition—she even mentioned it in a debate in the chamber following a previous committee meeting at which the petition was considered. It is an interesting petition, but I recommend that we close it, simply because, as the clerk’s note explains, the Scottish Government
That is a sensible suggestion.
If all members agree with Sandra White’s recommendation, we will close the petition under rule 15.7, taking into account her comments and in accordance with the terms of option 4 in the clerk’s briefing paper.
A90/A937 (Safety Improvements) (PE1236)
Members will recall that we deferred consideration of PE1236 until Nigel Don could join us. Unfortunately, he is not here, but we still need to consider the petition.
It is not a difficult petition, but a lot of work has been done on it by the Government, Transport Scotland and parliamentary committees. I think that the petition has gone as far as it can go. I recommend that we close the petition because Transport Scotland has completed its cost-refinement exercise, an accident investigation and prevention study has been carried out and a number of safety measures have been put in place. Transport Scotland’s view is that a grade separation at the junction is not necessary at this time, but it has undertaken to work with the local authority on junction improvements, including a grade separation in parallel with a planned housing development. In addition, at a local level, local authorities and the north east of Scotland transport partnership are looking at the issue of a grade-separated junction.
I suggest that, for two main reasons, we do not close the petition at this stage. First, the local MSP wanted to be at this meeting, but I understand that he is convening a committee and that that is why he is not able to come along. I think that we should defer a decision on the petition until he can come along.
That seems a sensible compromise. Are members happy to defer a decision on the petition to allow the local member to attend the committee?
I will defer to his knowledge of the local situation.
Does the committee agree to defer a decision on the petition to a future meeting? It might not be the next meeting, but it will be one that suits the local member.
We have gone through all the petitions very quickly today.
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