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The Scottish Parliament is now dissolved ahead of the election on Thursday 7 May 2026.

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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 4 May 2021
  6. Session 6: 13 May 2021 to 8 April 2026
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Displaying 132 contributions

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Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee [Draft]

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 25 February 2026

Davy Russell

:As Fergus Ewing said, this is a much bigger issue. The amending of digital material is widespread. The BBC and other organisations that are supposed to be above reproach have altered digital material—the Donald Trump thing comes to mind. It is perhaps too big an issue for this committee can deal with. It requires a full review.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee [Draft]

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 11 February 2026

Davy Russell

I used to be responsible for this sort of thing in a former life, and what I would say is that this happens not just at the schools themselves. It happens for about half a mile on either side of them, given that a lot of children are part of the safer routes to school programme and are walking to school.

Other traffic-calming measures tend to be more effective than speed cameras, because drivers will speed up to the cameras, slow down once they know where they are, and then speed away again. There are numerous other measures such as sleeping policemen, chicanes and so on—you name it—that are probably more effective than speed cameras.

Cameras are tools that can be used in certain instances, but there are other traffic-calming measures that the police do not need to be consulted on, and which the roads authority, or whatever council it is, can put in place. If people want a speed camera to be put in, they need to consult and get agreement from the police authority. It might be easier for the petitioner to speak to his local authority and ask for an assessment of other traffic-calming measures.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee [Draft]

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 11 February 2026

Davy Russell

I have had a fair bit of correspondence from young mums about the issue. It is so difficult to get childcare, especially when a child is aged between nine months and three years. The cost and sometimes the locality—I have a big rural area in my constituency—are stopping parents from getting childcare, which prevents them from going back to work. If they went back to work, the financial cost of getting the childcare that their child deserves would far outweigh the financial benefits of going back to work. It is a big issue, and I have three or four current cases because of it.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee [Draft]

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 11 February 2026

Davy Russell

I used to be responsible for this sort of thing in a former life, and what I would say is that this happens not just at the schools themselves. It happens for about half a mile on either side of them, given that a lot of children are part of the safer routes to school programme and are walking to school.

Other traffic-calming measures tend to be more effective than speed cameras, because drivers will speed up to the cameras, slow down once they know where they are, and then speed away again. There are numerous other measures such as sleeping policemen, chicanes and so on—you name it—that are probably more effective than speed cameras.

Cameras are tools that can be used in certain instances, but there are other traffic-calming measures that the police do not need to be consulted on, and which the roads authority, or whatever council it is, can put in place. If people want a speed camera to be put in, they need to consult and get agreement from the police authority. It might be easier for the petitioner to speak to his local authority and ask for an assessment of other traffic-calming measures.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee [Draft]

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 11 February 2026

Davy Russell

I have had a fair bit of correspondence from young mums about the issue. It is so difficult to get childcare, especially when a child is aged between nine months and three years. The cost and sometimes the locality—I have a big rural area in my constituency—are stopping parents from getting childcare, which prevents them from going back to work. If they went back to work, the financial cost of getting the childcare that their child deserves would far outweigh the financial benefits of going back to work. It is a big issue, and I have three or four current cases because of it.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee [Draft]

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 11 February 2026

Davy Russell

This is still one of the most commonsense suggestions. Local communities that have wind farms and even solar on their doorstep have to suffer the consequences, whether it is to scenic views or whatever, so I agree that they should have a say in what happens and a share of the profits.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee [Draft]

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 28 January 2026

Davy Russell

Bearing in mind that prostate cancer is one of the biggest killers of men, the petition deserves further consideration.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee [Draft]

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 28 January 2026

Davy Russell

We should close the petition under rule 15.7 of standing orders, on the basis that CAMHS, the Scottish Youth Parliament and the Scottish Government worked to develop transitional care plan templates, guidance and protocols to support young people’s transition to adult mental health services, and that the minister has committed to writing to health boards to ask that they continue to review their work in the area and identify areas of improvement to support local needs. Also, the committee has limited time remaining to progress the petition.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee [Draft]

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 28 January 2026

Davy Russell

We can see the amount of young people who are using vapes—if you walk past a school, you can see that their use is widespread. Part of the problem is that they come in all these lovely flavours, including strawberry and vanilla—you name it. When you walk by somebody who is vaping, you might think, “That smells quite nice.” That is how people get started on vapes, but getting them off them is much harder, so we need to address the root problem first. That is just a passing comment.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee [Draft]

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 28 January 2026

Davy Russell

I suggest that we close the petition under rule 15.7 of standing orders, on the basis that the Scottish Government does not believe that a broader, independent evaluation of garages to homes developments is required due to the existing planning and building standards regulatory regimes that are in place.