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Agenda item 3 is notification of new petitions. Members have information on the new petitions that have been lodged. Are there any comments?
Forgive me if I misread PE1192 when I finally got round to looking at it, but I am not convinced that it is a petition, because it asks questions that members could ask as parliamentary questions or in a direct letter to the appropriate minister.
I refer you to the wisdom of the clerk.
I accept that the petition asks questions, but other petitions have been based on questions. The petitioner may have considered that getting a parliamentary question asked, which can be done only by a member, was not an available option and that the public petitions route was therefore the most open and accessible one.
I accept that but, in principle, is that really the right way to proceed? That is a process issue, and it is nothing to do with the substance of the question. Surely if a member of Scottish society wants a question to be asked, they ask the question or get their representative to do so. I am just querying whether the public petitions process is the route to ask a question rather than urge somebody to do something. The petition literally just asks a question. When the Government has answered it, the petition will be closed.
When a petitioner submits a petition, the template invites the petitioner to state what prior action they have taken. One issue that the committee has agreed to investigate as part of its on-going inquiry into the public petitions process is the evidence that is required from petitioners on the action that they have taken. The committee might also consider whether some petitions could be more usefully addressed through parliamentary questions. At present, the process operates in a fairly open and accessible manner that allows petitioners to submit petitions. In my opinion, there is nothing inadmissible in any way about the wording.
The petition can be dealt with by our agreeing to write to the relevant minister to ask the questions—the answers will come back and then the petition will be closed—but that is not what we are here to do. I have already taken up enough time with the question.
The committee has indicated that that is one area for investigation as part of its inquiry.
Are there any other comments?
PE1194 is another petition that asks us to ask the Scottish Government, this time to make representations to the UK Government on a reserved matter. We need to make a decision on the issue once and for all. We are getting a load of similar petitions about reserved matters.
I will restate my view. To give the same argument that I gave the previous time we discussed the matter, if someone petitions the Scottish Parliament, as the Public Petitions Committee we must consider it and decide to take the action that is appropriate and in the best interests of the citizens of Scotland, irrespective of whether the issue lies within the Scottish Government's devolved powers. As the Public Petitions Committee, we must take on those views and address them appropriately.
Thank you for restating your positions.
My understanding is that the standing orders say that petitions should not relate to reserved issues. People get round that by asking us to ask the Scottish Government to write to the Westminster Government. We need to close that loophole.
We can deal with the issue in our inquiry, although I do not know whether we can resolve it.
Meeting closed at 16:44.
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