The second item on the agenda is our consideration of a paper on the use of languages other than English in the petitions process. We are joined for this item by Steve Farrell, the clerk to the Public Petitions Committee and—without a name plate—Mark Richards, who prepared the additional paper outlining some proposed changes to standing orders, which was tabled at the beginning of the meeting.
I will make a brief statement. In evidence that the Procedures Committee heard as part of its consultative steering group inquiry, we acknowledged that there might be a gap in our provision of suitable guidance to ethnic groups in Scotland. The language policy paper, which addresses that issue, is to be discussed later in the meeting.
I think that members have now had the opportunity to look at the text on the proposed changes to standing orders. I invite members to comment on the proposals.
The changes seem to be a way of strengthening the petitions process. The strength of a petition is based on the document that people sign. If the petition is in someone's own language and they fully understand it, there will be no error or minute detail that could cause a problem.
I have a simple question. I recognise that the Public Petitions Committee wants to respond, or to have the discretion to respond, to petitioners in the language in which the petition was submitted, but what do you mean by the use of the word "notification"?
As members know, we feel that it is important to keep petitioners involved at every stage of the process. We also feel that people who use languages other than English and approach the committee should not come up against a barrier of the Parliament being unable to respond. We want to be able to see the process through by responding to the petitioner in the language in which the petition was submitted. The changes would also allow us to provide appropriate translation for people to come to the committee and speak in their language, should they want to do so.
I will ask a supplementary question. Am I right in thinking that the paper that we will consider shortly on languages would require the Official Report of that committee meeting, and indeed further committee meetings in the process, to be made available in translation in the language that had been used to initiate the petition?
Perhaps Stephen Hutchinson from the official report could address that point. I think that we currently produce a Gaelic translation, in which case the Official Report is produced in Gaelic as well as in English.
Could Stephen Hutchinson come to the table? We are now joined by Stephen Hutchinson from the official report. Can you answer the question that I asked?
One of the recommendations that the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body accepted was that a full translation should be offered of an Official Report of an item or a meeting at which a language other than English, Gaelic or Scots was used. I think that that goes beyond the point that Fiona Hyslop made. The committee might want to discuss the matter later.
I am making the point obvious, because resource and work load implications will arise from the adoption of the policy. It is important that, in initiating the change, the corporate body is fully aware of and supportive of the implications of its request. There is the potential for a lot of work to be involved. Gil Paterson's point is that the change strengthens the petition and the ability of the petitioner to follow the process.
If an activist from, for example, the Indian community starts a petition in Hindi, or whatever the correct language is, and people sign it, does he or she get notified about the progress of the petition or do all the petitioners get notified?
There is a principal petitioner, who takes responsibility for being the contact with the Parliament. That individual will be notified in the language in which they submitted the petition.
I accept the implication of the comments in the paper that we have been given, but I think that there are differences. If somebody produces his petition in Eskimo, or whatever, to make a political or other point, that is fair enough. If he speaks English, however, I think that we can respond in English. If he genuinely cannot speak English and is an Eskimo asylum seeker who has just arrived here, it is fair enough that we respond to him in Eskimo. We should not waste a lot of resources on translating things when that is not necessary. We should translate the information when that is necessary. The wording of the proposed changes to standing orders suggested in the additional paper states that the notification may,
We must decide whether to recommend the standing order changes in paragraph 3 of the additional paper that has been tabled today. I am hesitant about that, given that members have only just had the opportunity to look at the paper, but there is no negative procedure for recommending standing order changes. Therefore, we must take a decision. Do we agree to recommend the proposed changes to standing orders?
Members indicated agreement.
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Language Policy