Minutes
1. Scottish Government response to the Expert Working Group report on Institutionalising Participatory and Deliberative Democracy
The Committee took evidence from George Adam, Minister for Parliamentary Business, Doreen Grove, Head of Open Government, and Gerald Byrne, Team Leader, Constitutional Policy, Scottish Government.
2. Consideration of continued petitions:
The Committee considered the following continued petitions—
PE1845: Agency to advocate for the healthcare needs of rural Scotland. The Committee agreed to refer the petition to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, in the context of that committee’s wider consideration of health inequalities.
PE1890: Find solutions to recruitment and training challenges for rural healthcare in Scotland. The Committee agreed to refer the petition to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, in the context of that committee’s wider consideration of health inequalities.
PE1915: Reinstate Caithness County Council and Caithness NHS Board. The Committee agreed to refer the petition to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, in the context of that committee’s wider consideration of health inequalities.
PE1924: Complete an emergency in-depth review of Women's Health services in Caithness & Sutherland. The Committee agreed to refer the petition to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, in the context of that committee’s wider consideration of health inequalities.
3. Consideration of new petitions:
The Committee considered the following new petitions—
PE1932: Ban smoking in Scotland and develop a strategy for vaping. The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders on the basis that the Scottish Government is not currently considering an outright ban on smoking in favour of vaping.
PE1933: Allow the Fornethy Survivors to access Scotland’s redress scheme. The Committee agreed to write to the Deputy First Minister and Glasgow City Council. It also agreed to write to bodies representing victims/survivors of abuse.
4. Consideration of continued petitions:
The Committee will consider the following continued petitions—
PE1864: Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms The Committee took evidence from Tom Arthur, Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, Andy Kinnaird, Head of Transforming Planning, and Neal Rafferty, Senior Adviser, Heat in Buildings Strategy, Scottish Government. The Committee agreed to consider the evidence heard at a future meeting; and
PE1885: Make offering Community Shared Ownership mandatory for all windfarm development planning proposals. The Committee took evidence from Tom Arthur, Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, Andy Kinnaird, Head of Transforming Planning, and Neal Rafferty, Senior Adviser, Heat in Buildings Strategy, Scottish Government.