Chamber and committees

Our next new petition is PE2067, on improving data on young people who are affected by conditions causing sudden cardiac death. The petition, which was lodged by Sharon Duncan, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to commission research to establish how many people aged 14 to 35 are affected by conditions that cause young sudden cardiac death; clarify the number of people who die annually in Scotland from those conditions; and set up a pilot study to establish whether voluntary screening can reduce deaths.

Members will be aware that the petition has been lodged by the mother of parliamentary staffer David Hill, who tragically passed away while playing in an inter-parliamentary rugby match two years ago almost to the day, on 19 March 2022. I understand that members of the family have joined us in the public gallery, and we extend our condolences and a warm welcome to them.

As the petition notes, there is currently no screening programme for young people for conditions that put them at risk of sudden cardiac death. The SPICe briefing that we have received notes that there are difficulties in reaching agreement on the number of young people who are affected by sudden cardiac death. Those include the way in which deaths are classified and the fact that research focuses on athletes rather than the general population.

In responding to the asks of the petition, the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health notes the Government funding that has been provided to the west of Scotland inherited cardiac conditions service and the network for inherited cardiac conditions to deliver a sudden cardiac death project, with a focus on improving clinical pathways for families and enhancing data quality. The minister has also made inquiries to the UK National Screening Committee about plans to review its position on population screening for conditions that are associated with sudden cardiac death in the young.

We have received a submission from the petitioner, Ms Duncan, emphasising the importance of understanding the incidence of those conditions to developing treatment pathways. Ms Duncan also seeks clarity on the coding that is used to inform data on incidence, and highlights that no account is taken of deaths such as David’s, where the death is registered as being from natural causes, despite the post-mortem and follow-ups confirming a previously undiagnosed genetic cardiac condition.

Do members have any comments or suggestions?

PE2068, which was lodged by John Dare, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to commission an independent review of public sector salaries over £100,000 per annum and introduce an appropriate cap.

The SPICe briefing explains that the Scottish Government’s public sector pay policy directly affects around 10 per cent of those who work in the public sector and that large parts of public sector pay are determined separately, although they are often in line with the Scottish Government’s public sector pay policy.

The Scottish Government’s response to the petition states that pay restraints for the highest paid and targeted uplifts for the lowest paid have been central to its approach to pay for many years. The submission notes that, in recent years, progressive pay awards have capped uplifts above a threshold of £80,000 and that an internal review of the chief executive framework is currently being undertaken. The review is due to conclude in spring 2024.

Do members have any comments or suggestions for action?

On that note, we will move to the next petition.

PE2070, which was lodged by Lorraine Russo, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to stop general practitioner surgeries from allowing only same-day appointment bookings and to enable patients to also make appointments for future dates.

The SPICe briefing highlights the 2021-22 health and care experience survey, which reported a sharp drop in the percentage of people finding it easy to contact their GP practice in the way that they want to. The briefing also notes that NHS England amended the 2023-24 GP contract to make clear that patients should be offered an assessment of need, or signposted to an appropriate service, at first contact with the practice. Practices will therefore no longer be able to request that patients contact them at a later time.

In 2023, the Scottish Government published the general practice access principles, which state that people should have a reasonable choice about how they access services, and that the method should be clear, understandable and transparent. The Scottish Government notes that the Healthcare Improvement Scotland primary care access programme has worked with more than 100 general practices to improve access arrangements.

Do members have any comments or suggestions?

Thank you, Deputy First Minister. We will move to questions now, and I am happy to open. Can you expand on the aims and findings of the research into Fornethy house?

Mr Mundell, let the Deputy First Minister finish. Other members would like to ask questions.

Our next continued petition is PE1960, which was lodged by Edward Grice on behalf of the Scottish Private Hire Association. The petition calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to formally recognise private hire cars and taxis as modes of public transport and to enshrine such recognition in law.

We last considered the petition at our meeting on 31 May 2023, when we agreed to write to the traffic commissioner for Scotland. The Office of the Traffic Commissioner’s response notes that the legislative definition of “public service vehicle” is set out in the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981, which generally includes vehicles that are designed to carry eight or more passengers for hire or reward. Holders of taxi or private hire licences can apply for a special restricted operator licence if they intend to use their vehicle for the provision of a local bus service. The response notes that there are 34 holders of special restricted operator licences in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has previously suggested that there is no universal legal definition of “public transport”. Different transport modes are subject to their own specific legislation, meaning that there is no obvious route to enshrine a definition in law. Do members have any comments or suggestions?

Thank you, Mr Sweeney. Do members have any comments or recommendations?

Agenda item 3 is consideration of new petitions. Before I introduce our first new petition, I begin by highlighting to those who are following today’s proceedings that a considerable amount of work is done in advance of the consideration of a petition. Before a petition’s first consideration, an initial view is sought from the Scottish Government and a briefing is provided from the Parliament’s impartial research service.

If you are not willing to withdraw, I will have to go to a vote, Mr Choudhury.