Contents
- Attendance
- New Petitions
- Current Petitions
- Decision on Taking Business in Private
Current Petitions
NHS 24 (Free Calls from Mobile Phones) (PE1285)
Item 2 is consideration of current petitions. PE1285, by Caroline Mockford, is on free calls to NHS 24 from mobile phones. Members have a note by the clerk, the petition and the submissions.
I understand that there was going to be a decision on the adoption of the 111 number by the end of last year, so it would seem sensible to ask the Scottish Government for a progress report on that.
It was suggested over Christmas and the new year that the Scottish Government should introduce charges for 999 calls. If we write to the Scottish Government, I suggest that we ask it to confirm that it will continue to make 999 calls—or 111 calls, as may be the case—free of charge.
I am very sympathetic to John Wilson’s view. I can understand the comments that I think the Scottish Police Federation made about the number of hoax calls, which are clearly putting a big strain on emergency services. That is a problem, but I do not think that the answer is to charge for calls, as I am sure that people who make hoax calls could find a way around that. I support John Wilson’s comments.
11:15
I agree with that.
As well as seeking urgent information, when we write to the Scottish Government it is worth pointing out that many people would be shocked and dismayed if we allowed a situation to obtain from spring this year in which a service is offered elsewhere in the United Kingdom that is vastly superior to what is available in Scotland. I am sure that the Scottish Government would be mindful of the public disquiet that there would be in that eventuality.
What is needed is urgent clarification—not just clarification, because that has been promised for some time.
I will make an analogy with another service. I recently met the chief constable designate of the new Scottish police force, which members know comes into being in April. I understand that a police non-emergency number will be set up in Scotland. There is sort of an analogy in the emergency services with that course of action.
Are members happy with that course of action?
Members indicated agreement.
Youth Football (PE1319)
The second current petition is PE1319, by William Smith and Scott Robertson, on improving youth football. Members have a note by the clerk and the submissions. Iain Gray has notified the committee of his interest in this petition, which has been before us a number of times. I note that my entry in the register of interests states that I am a trustee of Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club. I think that this petition is very interesting and I ask members for their views on it.
I think that the proposed action is right: we should wait and see exactly what comes out of the board meeting, with regard to the recommendations. We have the letter of 2 January from Realgrassroots and I think that we should continue the petition until spring. We may wish to ask Mr Regan or Mr McKinlay to make representation to us.
That is very sensible.
I read in the clerk’s paper that the formal working party is going to finalise its review in spring 2013. It is important that we continue the petition until we hear the outcome of the working party’s review.
Are members happy to continue the petition until spring 2013 to await the outcome of the formal working party’s review?
Members indicated agreement.
Institutional Child Abuse (Victims’ Forum and Compensation) (PE1351)
The third current petition is PE1351, by Chris Daly and Helen Holland, on time for all to be heard. Members have a note by the clerk and submissions. I invite contributions from members.
The action that is proposed—awaiting the outcome of the interaction and the consultation—is sensible. This issue is quite slow moving, but I do not think that there is any way of chasing it on; it just has to take its course. We should be patient and continue the petition.
I note that the petitioners are asking for another hearing from the committee to attach their thoughts on the Jimmy Savile case and child exploitation, but that would not necessarily be appropriate. It would perhaps be more appropriate if the petitioners sent something in writing.
I agree with Adam Ingram. Do members agree to that course of action?
Members indicated agreement.
The consultation closes on 15 March.
Access to Insulin Pump Therapy (PE1404)
The fourth current petition is PE1404, by Stephen Fyfe on behalf of Diabetes UK Scotland, on access to insulin pump therapy. Members have a note by the clerk and submissions. Members will be aware that I am the co-convener of the cross-party group on diabetes and will notice that my parliamentary questions were referenced by Diabetes UK Scotland in its very thorough additional paper. Members will also know that the committee will travel to the Western Isles in the next couple of months, as part of the second Parliament day, which is partly to look at the petition on insulin pump provision. The Western Isles, along with greater Glasgow, is one of the poorer areas in Scotland for provision of insulin pumps for under-18-year-olds.
The target is to provide insulin pumps to 25 per cent of young people with type 1 diabetes, but the statistics for under-18s show that there is zero provision in many health board areas. The committee frequently comes across postcode lotteries. The variation in the provision of insulin pumps is probably one of the best examples of that. I have been to several meetings with consultants, as well as conferences in the Parliament, and I still do not understand why there is such variation. It might be strange for me to say so, but we are not discussing a failure of the Scottish Government. The target is a good one. Frankly, the issue appears to be health boards not getting their act together, particularly for under-18s. In areas such as mine, no under-18s get insulin pumps. Some of the comments by consultants that are included in our papers are quite surprising.
The issue is one that it will be useful for us to get to grips with over the next few months before we go to Stornoway. I highlight the fact that, despite the Scottish Government’s issuing of diktats—diktats that are quite right—there appears to be a failure in the ability of health boards to implement chief executive letters. The target is good, but I do not understand why we cannot get to grips with health boards delivering on Scottish Government targets. Members have heard me make that point on previous occasions, but it is one that it is important to make.
It is suggested that we continue the petition. Perhaps we could write to the Scottish Government again to ask it to comment on the figures that have just been released. I think that the target is due to be achieved in three months’ time, but it is clear that that will not happen. The level of provision will not increase from zero to 25 per cent in three months.
On the face of it, a lot of action has been taken on issues such as the CEL and requiring the boards to report on progress, so it could be argued that the terms of the petition have been fulfilled through the action that the Scottish Government has taken, although I accept that we might be waiting for the implementation outcomes to come through.
I do not see the rationale for continuing the petition. The convener has come up with a rationale that I had not appreciated but, on the face of it, the petition is one that should perhaps be closed.
In many ways, I agree with Adam Ingram. I think that the Scottish Government target is a good one and I am in no doubt that it is a step in the right direction, but I am concerned that, although there has been some change, there is zero provision of insulin pumps in several health board areas, which is not very good in anyone’s book.
The petition called for
“an immediate review into the provision of insulin pump therapy ... to address the low and inequitable access across the country.”
That remains an issue. When we go to Stornoway in a few months’ time, we will be able to ask the health board there to speak to us directly. I suggest that we invite Western Isles NHS Board and possibly Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board to discuss the progress that they have made in achieving the target. At that stage, we could look at whether we need to close the petition.
I agree with the convener. It is important that we keep the petition open and do not allow it to stagnate. We should write to the Scottish Government and the health boards that have been mentioned for updates so that the issue remains fresh in their minds.
As Stephen Fyfe from Diabetes UK Scotland has said, Tayside NHS Board, Borders NHS Board and Orkney NHS Board have done extremely well on the provision of insulin pumps. We should give praise where it is due.
Forgive me for pursuing the point, but would it not be more appropriate for the petition to be passed on to the Health and Sport Committee so that it could follow up with individual health boards their non-compliance with the directions? Should we not consider doing that?
My general view is that we should not see ourselves as a committee that just makes referrals to other committees. As Adam Ingram will know well from his period as a minister, we have no control over the work programmes of other committees. I would be concerned if we referred the petition to another committee and next to nothing happened.
We have been to Glasgow and met the health board there, and we are going to the Western Isles to meet health boards there. We will meet individual petitioners and people who are suffering from diabetes. I think that we have done as much as any committee would be expected to do. I suggest that we take no action to refer the petition until we have been to Stornoway, because consideration of the matter is part of the raison d’être of our visit to the Western Isles.
If the problem is that there is a postcode lottery and some health boards are not moving on the issue, should we not be chasing up those health boards?
We absolutely should be doing that. I am not averse to our writing directly to health boards that have not been moving on the issue, in the light of the new statistics, which we did not have when we wrote previously, because they were provided in answer to a parliamentary question that I asked.
When we have responses, perhaps we can ask the clerk to liaise with the Health and Sport Committee on its work programme. It is a busy committee and might not be in a position to take up the work that we are currently doing.
Do members agree to that course of action?
Members indicated agreement.
Sorry, convener. Are we also writing to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing to inform him about the figures and our work?
Yes. I think that it would be appropriate to ask him for a view on the new figures. We were not aware of the figures the last time we met him.
Recycling in Schools (PE1437)
The fifth current petition is PE1437, by Les Wallace. Members have a note by the clerk and submissions. I invite comments.
I declare an interest. I planned to introduce a member’s bill on waste and recycling but, following conversations with the Government, I understand that that might not be necessary, given the plans that are being worked on, which are described in the letter from the Government’s environment division. I think that there will shortly be an announcement about forthcoming legislation. We might continue our consideration of the petition, but we should acknowledge that work is under way.
I suggest that we close the petition on the basis that, as I understand it, there will be action in 2014 as a result of the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012. In light of the detailed letter that we received from Peter Stapleton, it seems that seeking a parallel legislative requirement on recycling facilities in schools would be complicated and unnecessary.
I support closing the petition, but I want to remind local authorities and their education departments of their duties under the forthcoming legislation. The response from Falkirk Council was not very enlightening; in the second paragraph, the council talked about the financial burden of installing litter bins in school playgrounds. If legislation is coming with which local authorities will have a duty to comply, local authorities and their education departments should be reminded of their obligations in that regard. It is worth making that point, so that local authorities do not wait until 2014 before taking action to introduce the necessary means to recycle waste in schools.
That is a good point. Do members agree to close the petition on the basis that the petitioner’s objective has been achieved and to write to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to make the point that John Wilson made?
Members indicated agreement.
Flood Insurance (PE1441)
The sixth current petition is PE1441, by David Crichton, on flood insurance problems. Members have a note by the clerk and submissions. The petition is very relevant, if we judge by the problems that we have had across the country, and the points that David Crichton made in evidence were useful. There is certainly an argument for keeping the petition open and writing to bodies to clarify a couple of points in relation to the insurance industry. Do members agree to do that?
Members indicated agreement.
For the record, we will write to the Scottish Government and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Deceased’s Body (Deceased’s Estate) (PE1442)
The seventh and final current petition is PE1442, by Douglas Reid, on providing that a person’s dead body is part of their estate. Members have a note by the clerk and submissions. I invite comments.
I move that we close the petition on the basis of the information that we have received from the Government and Her Majesty’s inspector of anatomy for Scotland. It seems to me that the consequential issues that would arise would be quite complicated and that the petition cannot proceed.
Do members agree?
Members indicated agreement.
I know that Mr Reid is in the public gallery today, and I take the opportunity to thank him very much for his hard work in putting the petition together. We sought advice and a lot of technical expertise, and we feel that the advice that we have received meets the needs of the petition. Nevertheless, Mr Reid put in a lot of hard work on the issue and I put on record the committee’s thanks for his work.
Previous
New Petitions