Minutes: 22 March 2023

1. Decision on taking business in private:

The Committee agreed to take item 4 in private. It also agreed to take any further consideration of key issues in the Public Participation Inquiry, and a draft report, in private at future meetings.

2. Consideration of continued petitions:

The Committee considered the following continued petitions— 

PE1876: Accurately record the sex of people charged or convicted of rape or attempted rape. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Crime Reporting Board and Police Scotland, and to invite the petitioners to give evidence at a later meeting. 

PE1884: Make whole plant cannabis oil available on the NHS or alternative funding put in place. The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders. 

PE1936: Remove Potholes from Scotland’s Roads. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government, Audit Scotland and Police Scotland. 

PE1942: Encourage peer support programmes in public sector organisations. The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders. 

PE1943: Help prevent the destruction of greenfield sites by providing financial incentives towards the remediation and reuse of brownfield sites. The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders. 

PE1944: Enforce engine idling ban. The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders. 

3. Consideration of new petitions:

The Committee considered the following new petitions— 

PE1993: Reform the financial support for social work students on work placements. The Committee agreed to write to the Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training, and to the Scottish Social Services Council.

PE1995: Improve support for victims of spiking. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government and Police Scotland.

PE1996: Take action to prevent discriminatory abortions for disability in Scotland. The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders. 

PE1997: Introduce mandatory braille labelling for food products sold in Scotland. The Committee agreed to write to Food Standards Scotland, the Food and Drink Federation and the Scottish Government.  

PE1999: Fully implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government.  

4. Public Participation Inquiry:

The Committee agreed its approach to the inquiry. The Committee also agreed to finalise its report before the summer recess with a view to publishing it in multiple formats after the recess, and thereafter to seek a Parliamentary debate on the report.