Care Homes (PE522)
The next item on our agenda is our further consideration of petition PE522, on care homes for young physically disabled people. Does any member have a comment on the petition?
I am disappointed in the Health Committee's response. The committee says that its full agenda means that it cannot take on board PE522. However, the subject of the petition is of real concern to people with young disabled kids.
We have already done that. The petition has done the rounds; we need to deal with it today. Does Marilyn Livingstone have a question?
No. I was just thinking about the best way in which we can take forward the petition.
I think that we have exhausted all the options.
I was just wondering whether there was another route.
The Health Committee has made it clear that its workload means that it cannot deal with the petition. It is not appropriate for us to leave the petition on our agenda for much longer; we need to deal with it today. The Health Committee told us that it has no plans to deal with the issue. Do members agree that, in light of the points that are noted in paragraph 7 of the paper, we take no further action on the petition?
Unfortunately, there is not a lot more that we can do. I agree with the recommendation in the paper.
Perhaps we can address some of the points that are raised in the petition as part of our disability inquiry.
The issue has not been raised in the inquiry, despite our going up and down the country and speaking to a host of people. The issue does not come within the remit of the inquiry, in terms of removing barriers. I am sorry, but the suggestion is unrealistic.
Yes, I can see that. It would serve only to raise expectations. Committee members want to help, but we will have to agree to the recommendation.
You are absolutely right. In our letter to the petitioner, we will say that we have reluctantly closed the petition and that, as we had nowhere else to send it, we had no other option.