Chamber and committees

Our next petition is PE2219, which was published on 24 June 2026 and lodged by Sharon Wilson, which calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review whether the mandatory minimum five-year prison sentence for the possession of prohibited firearms under the Firearms Act 1968 continues to deliver proportionate justice and effective public safety outcomes in all circumstances.

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The petitioner clarifies that her petition calls for a review of whether the current legislation remains the most effective and proportionate approach in all circumstances, rather than calling for the removal of serious penalties altogether.

The petitioner has noted that firearms legislation is reserved to the UK Parliament but argues that the Scottish Parliament still has an important role in considering the impact of sentencing policy on Scotland’s justice system and in making representations where concerns about proportionality and fairness arise.

The SPICe briefing for the petition explains that changes to the provisions in the Firearms Act 1968, which provides for a minimum sentence for certain firearms offences, can be made only by the UK Parliament. It notes that that would not prevent relevant Scottish bodies from looking at the implications of the mandatory sentence—for example, the Scottish Sentencing Council commissioned a review in 2025 to examine sentencing for firearms offences more generally. However, the SPICe briefing noted that the Scottish Sentencing Council has not produced guidelines for firearms offences and has confirmed that it has no plans to do so.

The Scottish Government response to the petition also notes that, in its view, the subject matter of the petition is reserved and the asks of the petitioner are therefore not achievable. However, it states that it respects the committee’s role in examining the issues that the petition raises.

The petitioner’s written submission acknowledges that the Firearms Act 1968 is reserved to the UK Parliament but asks the committee to seek the views of relevant organisations on how mandatory minimum sentencing in relation to firearms offences operates in Scotland and to consider making representations to the UK Government if the evidence that is gathered identifies concerns about its proportionality or effectiveness.

Do members have any comments or suggestions?

Our final petition for consideration today is PE2220, lodged by the Scottish Ecological Design Association, which calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to fund and expand retrofit skills training; work with education providers, local authorities and industry; widen access for underrepresented groups; and align training with area-based programmes.

The SPICe briefing sets out the four key policy drivers of Scotland’s climate change plan and identifies steps that the Scottish Government has taken to upskill heating installers from fossil fuel systems to heat pumps, which include a heat pump skills fund and the green heat installer engagement programme. The briefing also notes the Scottish Government’s indication that it will publish a heat in buildings strategy and delivery plan in 2026.

In its submission, the Scottish Government recognises that

“upskilling the current workforce and attracting new entrants to the sector will be necessary to achieve the target set out in the Climate Change Plan (March 2026) to decarbonise heat by 2045”.

It adds that it will continue to work with the industry, trade bodies and training providers to deliver that upskilling, and notes that the green heat installer engagement programme has been in place for several years to support it. The Scottish Government also refers to capital investment schemes, such as area-based schemes and the warmer homes scheme, which it states has

“helped create 153 modern apprentices, upskilled 817 of the supply chain and delivered 1,491 scheme-related opportunities”.

The joint submission from the petitioner and Common Weal highlights how the petition complements an open letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Housing, which was supported by leading industry bodies. The submission refers to the Scottish house condition survey of 2025, which identified that almost half of Scotland’s 2.8 million dwellings and an unknown number of its 220,000 to 230,000 non-domestic buildings had critical elements of disrepair. The submission acknowledges that that is being addressed as part of the heat and energy efficiency technical suitability assessment and the planning and discovery report, which is not yet published.

The petitioner’s submission argues that

“the retrofit industry needs to be restructured almost from scratch”.

It notes a range of challenges and barriers that people will face in accessing the required training and upskilling, including not being able to take time out from other employment, caring responsibilities, and ability to pay. It considers that delivering training and upskilling will require a concerted effort from all training providers, supported by the Scottish Government.

Do members of the committee have views on the petition?

That makes sense.

Is there any disagreement? No.

Given that the SPCB Supported Bodies Landscape Review Committee recommended strengthening the office of the SPSO by enabling it to investigate without complaint, we should seek further information on how that could best be put into practice, as also expressed by our colleague Ms McKee.

Are members happy with that action?

Members indicated agreement.

PE2213, which was lodged by Burntisland Hedgehog Haven and published on 17 June, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to introduce small animal road warning signage, as has been done in England. The petitioner would like the sign displayed in areas with high hedgehog populations to help to save a species that is already on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list as near threatened.

The Scottish Parliament information centre briefing on the petition explains that, although the regulation of traffic signs in Scotland was devolved to the Scottish ministers in 2016, the design, size, location and illumination of traffic signs that are used on roads across Great Britain are defined in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016. The briefing goes on to explain that the UK Government created a standardised small animal sign for use on English roads in 2019 but that the directions were not amended to include the small animal road sign, meaning that it is not a prescribed sign.

The Scottish Government’s response on the petition sets out that Transport Scotland does not support the use of small wild animal signs in Scotland. It states that such signs could confuse or distract drivers, create road safety risks and have an unnecessary visual impact on the landscape. The response explains that, currently, a standard hazard warning sign can be used where there is strong evidence of the need to warn drivers of a specific wildlife risk. That sign might be supplemented by text providing more information about the specific hazard and, where appropriate, the distance over which the risk applies. The response further notes that Transport Scotland is preparing a sectoral biodiversity strategy, which is due to be published later this year and which will set out objectives that are aimed at halting and reversing biodiversity loss.

The petitioner’s written submission suggests that any potential confusion for drivers that is caused by the introduction of a new road sign could be mitigated by introducing one standardised sign for small animals rather than having different signs for different species. The submission further notes that hedgehogs are now more likely to live in urban areas than in rural ones and that placing small animal signs in specific places—for example, where people do not necessarily expect small animals to be present—could reduce the number of deaths of such animals.

Do members have a view?

Yes, we can seek an update from the petitioner.

I think, on that basis, we will keep the petition open. Do members agree to do so?

Members indicated agreement.

Our next petition is PE1979, lodged by Neil McLennan, Christine Scott, Alison Dickie and Bill Cook, which calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to launch an independent inquiry to examine concerns that allegations about child protection, child abuse, safeguarding and children’s rights have been mishandled by public bodies, including local authorities and the General Teaching Council for Scotland; to examine gaps in the Scottish child abuse inquiry; and to establish an independent national whistleblowing officer for education and children’s services in Scotland to handle these inquiries in the future.

We are joined by our colleague Meghan Gallacher, who has expressed an interest in this petition.

The legacy report of the session 6 Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee recommended that this committee pursue the issue further, noting:

“This could include consideration of whether referring the petition could be appropriate if other committees are undertaking relevant work which would allow substantive scrutiny of the issues.”

In its submission to this committee, the Scottish Government refers to work being done in relation to the issues raised in the petition. That work includes a commitment in the Scottish National Party manifesto to legislate to make reporting of harm to children, including child sexual abuse, mandatory by adults tasked with safeguarding young people. It also includes phase 11 of the Scottish child abuse inquiry, which will consider the extent to which failures by state or non-state institutions to protect children in care in Scotland from abuse have been addressed—by changes to practice, policy or legislation—and whether any further changes in practice, policy or legislation are necessary in order to protect children in care in Scotland from abuse in future. It also includes the Scottish Government’s intention to establish a targeted independent inquiry and a Scottish truth project; and the Scottish Government’s support for the UK Public Office (Accountability) Bill.

In their response, the petitioners state that they are “frustrated” with the Scottish Government’s submission and that the key focus of the petition

“continues to be on securing independent investigation of allegations relating to the mishandling of child abuse concerns by public bodies through an independent national whistleblowing office (INWO) for education and children’s services”.

The petitioners welcomed the support of the City of Edinburgh Council, in its submission. However, the petitioners stated:

“We urge caution though on the reference to the ‘past’ treatment of whistleblowers … as it’s alleged this culture continues.”

Finally, the petitioners’ submission cites comments by Professor Alexis Jay OBE, the chair of the public inquiry into group-based child sexual abuse, about the petition and states that the petitioners would welcome a meeting with Professor Jay.

Do members have any comments or suggestions for action?

I will note that. Are there any further points before we bring in our colleague Megan Gallacher?

Thank you. Do colleagues have any response to what Ms Gallacher has said? They seem a straightforward set of suggestions in addition to what has been proposed already.

Do other members have a view?