Chamber and committees

Are we content to accept that? I will just officially recognise that pay as you go is apparently contactless tap-in. There we are. That is my prehistoric ignorance of such matters.

The report was published in August.

Are members content?

Members indicated agreement.

PE1947, which was lodged by Alex O’Kane, is another petition with which the committee has been extensively involved. It urges the Scottish Government to address the disturbing culture of youth violence in Scotland.

We last considered the petition on 6 March, following our site visits, and we agreed to write to the Minister for Victims and Community Safety, seeking her response to a number of points. In particular, we requested clear information on what a whole-system approach to youth offending looks like when addressing repeated incidences of violence perpetrated by a young person.

The minister’s response recognises that, although the aim is to keep children out of the criminal justice system, in some cases that will not be possible or appropriate. The minister highlights that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states:

“The arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child ... shall be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest ... period of time”.

The severity of a crime will influence whether it is proportionate to arrest a child and present them at a police custody centre.

The Scottish Sentencing Council’s guidelines on the sentencing of young people are also highlighted. The guidelines focus on rehabilitation but note that other factors, such as protection of the public, punishment and expressing disapproval of the offending behaviour, can be taken into account. That is very consistent with the experience of those of us who heard evidence. The submission explains that young people aged 12 to 17 who have committed a serious sexual offence or are considered to be a serious risk of harm can be managed in various ways. That includes care and risk management or multi-agency public protection arrangements, if they have been convicted of the offence in a criminal court.

On victim support, the minister points to the “Standards of Service for Victims and Witnesses” document that is published by key criminal justice agencies. The document seeks to explain what happens at each stage of the criminal justice process, the standards of service that can be expected and who can be contacted for help or advice.

The petitioner has provided a new submission, in which he once again expresses his concerns about the justice system and reiterates his view that youth violence is aggravated by a lack of consequences, deterrence and punishment. I have to say that that is very much what those of us on the committee at the time who met and took evidence from people felt was being very clearly and strongly expressed.

The petitioner also raises concerns about funding, arguing that

“a lack of funding was inevitably going to lower the bar in every field of service”

and that it would put young people

“at risk and the public in more danger.”

David, were you on the committee when we took this evidence?

PE2012, which was lodged by Angela Hamilton, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to remove the need for follicle-stimulating hormone blood tests in women aged 40-45 who are experiencing menopause symptoms, before hormone replacement therapy can be prescribed to relieve their symptoms and replenish hormone levels.

We last considered the petition at our meeting on 6 March 2024, when we agreed to write to the British Menopause Society and NHS Education for Scotland. The latter has advised that there has been a slight delay in the delivery of its online learning modules on menopause and menstrual health, but notes that the resource will be free to access for practitioners working in Scotland, and will include cases describing the lived experience of women who are facing barriers to accessing HRT preparations.

We have received a brief response from the British Menopause Society, which refers to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines that set out that blood tests are often not necessary to diagnose perimenopause or menopause in women aged 40 to 45. It is the society’s view that diagnosis, and hence the need or otherwise for treatment, should be based on history, period pattern and the presence or otherwise of symptoms.

Are there any suggestions for action on the back of that?

It appears that we are content, so we thank the petitioner for lodging the petition with us, but we will close it on the basis of the information that we have received.

Yes, and I might have expected there to have been more representations, but clearly there have not been. Are colleagues content to support Mr Ewing’s recommendation?

Members indicated agreement.

Are there any other suggestions, or is the committee content that we close the petition on the basis that has been detailed by Mr Torrance?

Members indicated agreement.

PE1952, which was lodged by Jane Clarke, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to instruct Scotland’s national health service to form specialist services, training resources and a clinical pathway for the diagnosis and treatment of patients exhibiting symptoms of autonomic nervous system dysfunction—dysautonomia.

We last considered the petition on 6 March, when we agreed to write to the Scottish Government. We have since received a response from the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, stating that there are no current plans to develop a dedicated specialist autonomic nervous system service in Scotland. It also says that most people with autonomic nervous system symptoms experience them as part of other underlying conditions, and that they are cared for within existing pathways for their underlying condition.

The minister also explains that she has been advised that it is well within the remit of neurologists to diagnose and manage such symptoms as part of their routine practice, in the majority of cases. The submission also states that cardiologists might also see people with autonomic nervous system symptoms for assessment and investigation, including in circumstances when symptoms do not occur as part of a separate neurological disease.

The petitioner and Lesley Kavi, who is a trustee and chairperson of PoTS UK, have provided a joint submission to the committee. The submission states that PoTS UK has seen no evidence of investigations into the needs of people with postural tachycardia syndrome and related dysautonomia. They are confident that the majority of general neurologists in Scotland would not want to accept referrals for PoTS and they are keen to receive evidence from the minister that would prove otherwise.

The submission also provides personal testimonies from across Scotland that highlight the difficulties that individuals have faced when seeking appropriate treatment for their condition.

The petitioner’s submission and the testimonies that we have received contradict the view of the minister, as expressed in her earlier submission. Do colleagues have any comments or suggestions for action?

Agenda item 2 is consideration of our existing continued petitions, the first of which is a petition that is of long standing and one with which the committee has been heavily concerned. PE1900, which was lodged by Kevin John Lawson, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to ensure that all detainees in police custody can access their prescribed medication, including methadone, in line with existing relevant operational procedures and guidance.

We last looked at the petition on 6 March, when we agreed to write to the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy to seek an update on the work of relevant health boards in obtaining controlled drug licenses and implementing written policies on access to prescribed medication. We have received a detailed table—which colleagues have in the meeting papers—that outlines the current position of all health boards on that matter.

The minister has stated that “as part of the” Scottish Government’s

“on-going work to support a positive outcome from this petition ... officials have been engaging with the relevant areas following the rapid review ... to ensure ... that processes are put in place to support the delivery”

of the agreed actions in the set timescales.

Regarding NHS Grampian, the minister has stated that

“the premises inspection took place on 4 October 2023. Following that inspection, there were some actions that required follow-up, which have since been actioned. NHS Grampian have had no further communication with regards to their application for a controlled drug licence, but understand that a delay is not unusual.”

A number of health boards have checked and subsequently confirmed to the minister that their custody suites do not require a controlled drug licence. Some boards already have the licence in place and others have since applied for the licence. The minister has stated her intention to request

“annual updates from health boards”

to ensure their continued compliance with the requirements that were set out in the rapid review.

The petitioner has provided two written submissions to the committee. He feels that there is

“a complete lack of courage by the Scottish Government to implement their own policies, Scottish Law and the Human Rights Act.”

He states that

“detainees have the right to ... have enough information about their condition, treatment options, the benefits and risks relevant to them, and alternative options for them to give informed consent to treatment”

and highlights that

“This includes the opportunity to ask questions and discuss concerns.”

We have effected some progress on the petition over the time of our consideration. Do colleagues have any suggestions for action?

Thank you. No member has indicated that they have other suggestions, so are colleagues content to accept Mr Ewing’s suggestion?

Members indicated agreement.