Public Petitions Committee, 13 Mar 2001

Meeting date: Tuesday, March 13, 2001

Official Report 219KB pdf

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Convener's Report

The final item on the agenda is the convener's report. We are always keen to examine ways of improving and developing the committee's procedures for dealing with petitions. We all know that the long-established and comprehensive petitions system of the Bundestag in Germany is widely held as an example of best practice in Europe, if not the world.

We have made informal contact with the Bundestag and established that its Petitions Committee would welcome a visit from this committee later in the year. The dates that have been suggested—to coincide with meetings of the Bundestag Petitions Committee—are 24 to 26 September or 8 to 10 October. The visit would include an examination of the way in which the Bundestag operates and, possibly, visits to two Länder petitions committees in Berlin and Brandenburg. If members are content with the principles of proceeding and obtaining permission from the relevant parliamentary authorities, I will put the proposed visit on the agenda.

The SNP conference is on 24 to 26 September.

In that case, you would prefer us to go on 8 to 10 October.

You should go to Germany, Winnie.

As I am the SNP's president, I must go to the conference.

Perhaps John Swinney would be grateful if you had to go to Germany as a member of the Public Petitions Committee.

Is not 8 to 10 October during the recess?

Yes.

Those dates would be more suitable.

The clerk informs me that he will canvass members for their preferred dates. Is it agreed that we should go ahead with that proposal?

Members indicated agreement.

There is no other competent business, unless members wish to raise anything.

If a disgruntled petitioner writes to me directly, am I correct in saying that I should not reply to him and that I should pass such correspondence to the clerk? That happened to me this week and I would have thought it inappropriate for an individual member of the committee to enter into correspondence with a petitioner after his petition has been dealt with.

It is quite possible for members of the committee to pass on petitions from constituents or from anyone else.

Yes, but after we have made a decision about a petition at the committee—

Are you talking about someone who is complaining about our decision?

Yes.

I see. You should pass such complaints to the clerk, as they will be put before the committee.

Convener, you kindly advised me that it would be best for petitioners to set their petition in a national context, although they might be referring to a local issue. However, I wondered what would happen if people wrote to members of the committee—as they have done for years before we became members of the committee—asking us to sign their petition on this or that, which might then come before the committee. Is it in order for members to sign petitions?

Members of the committee can sign petitions, as long as they declare an interest.

Thank you.

I thank members for their attendance.

Meeting closed at 11:35.