Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
2nd Meeting, 2023
Carol Mochan MSP was invited to declare any relevant interests. She declared no relevant interest.
The Committee agreed to take item 5 in private.
The Committee considered the following continued petitions—
PE1941: Stop the destruction of headstones within community cemeteries. The Committee took evidence from petitioner Councillor Andrew Stuart Wood, Dumfries and Galloway Council, and Desmond Barr, Friends of Hawkhead Cemetery. The Committee agreed to consider the evidence heard at a future meeting.
PE1950: Ensure immunosuppressed people in Scotland can access the Evusheld antibody treatment. The Committee took evidence from Mark Oakley and Nicola Brigden, Evusheld for the UK. The Committee agreed to consider the evidence heard at a future meeting.
PE1723: Essential tremor treatment in Scotland. The Commiittee agreed to write to NHS Tayside and the National Services Division.
PE1871: Full review of mental health services. The Committee agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.
PE1885: Make offering Community Shared Ownership mandatory for all windfarm development planning proposals. The Committee agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport, and the Scottish National Investment Bank.
PE1907: Provide funded early learning & childcare for all 2 year olds in Scotland. The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders on the basis that the Scottish Government has committed to expanding early learning and childcare to 1 and 2 year olds, with the ‘Best Start - Strategic Early Learning and School Age Childcare Plan 2022 to 2026’ plan stating that from 2023-24 onwards the Scottish Government will start to develop, trial and evaluate models of provision.
PE1920: Introduce more thorough follow-up care for women with diabetes. The Committee agreed to close the petition under rule 15.7 of Standing Orders on the basis that the Scottish Diabetes Group are continuing to develop the national diabetes dataset, SCI-diabetes, and using this data to inform ongoing commitments related to the Diabetes Improvement Plan 2021; and have discussed the Women’s Health Plan at SDG and national diabetes meetings to ensure widespread awareness of this policy and its impact on the Diabetes Improvement Plan 2021.
The Committee will considered the following new petitions—
PE1968: Restrict perpetrators of domestic abuse from using family court proceedings to continue tormenting their victims. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government, Law Society of Scotland, Scottish Women’s Aid, Shared Parenting Scotland, and the Children and Young People’s Commissioner.
PE1979: Establish an independent inquiry and an independent national whistleblowing officer to investigate concerns about the alleged mishandling of child safeguarding enquiries by public bodies. The Committee agreed to write to the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, COSLA, the EIS and Unison trade unions, General Teaching Council for Scotland, and Scottish Social Services Council.
PE1981: Ensure perpetrators of domestic abuse, who have been excluded from the matrimonial home, cannot force the sale of the property. The Committee agreed to write to the Law Society of Scotland, Family Law Association, Shared Parenting Scotland, and the Scottish Law Commission.
PE1982: Review funding arrangements for higher education to help ensure more funded places are available for Scottish ballet dancers at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The Committee agreed to write to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
The Committee agreed to accept two anonymous submissions in relation to the petition - PE1979: Establish an independent inquiry and an independent national whistleblowing officer to investigate concerns about the alleged mishandling of child safeguarding enquiries by public bodies.