Organ Donation (Opt-out System) (PE1453)
We will have to push on now, instead of having the usual chat with witnesses after the meeting. If we can agree item 7 quickly, we might be able to speak to some of the witnesses.
Item 7 is the first consideration of our approach to petition PE1453, which has been referred to us by the Public Petitions Committee. The petition is from Caroline Wilson and calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to introduce an opt-out system of organ donation in Scotland to help to save more lives.
Members will have seen the paper, which recommends that we defer further consideration of the petition until the introduction of the proposed member’s bill on the subject. I think that that is entirely sensible, but I need the committee’s agreement to do that, in the full knowledge that we will be able to return to the petition at a point in the future.
Do we know when that is likely to be?
We do not have a definite indication as yet, but the proposal is being progressed.
As Rhoda Grant’s question suggested, it would be helpful to give the petitioner some details of the potential timescale. Rather than sisting the petition indefinitely, can we put down a timescale for when the petition will come back to the committee for us to decide whether we will take it forward, or should we just say that we will wait until we get more information?
We could say that we will wait until we have more information, or we could say that there will be further consideration in three months if you think that such a condition would be valuable.
That would mean that the process would not be open-ended, and we could update the petitioner on that basis.
Are we deferring the petition and asking for that additional information? If that information gives us cause for thought, we could consider the petition again.
I agree with you, convener. We should remember that there was a massive campaign by the Evening Times, to which most of us signed up at the time. We should certainly ensure that the issue is kept at the forefront of the agenda.
Yes—I think that we all agree on that. Do members agree that we should defer the petition and request some information on the timeline for the member’s bill?
Members indicated agreement.
I thank you all for your attendance, participation and patience this morning.
Meeting closed at 12:05.Previous
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