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I think there is something in this petition. The reality is that, in the United Kingdom, the battle to stop people smoking has largely been won, with the long-term trend such that smoking will eventually be only a peripheral activity for most of the population. However, there has been a massive expansion in the use of e-cigarettes and vapes, initially designed as replacement products, particularly among young people and under-18s, despite that being illegal.

It would be worth writing to the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, asking for clarity on what steps the Scottish Government is taking to increase support, as well as awareness of support, for those who are trying to quit e-cigarettes and vapes, with a particular focus on young people.

I welcome The Shetland Times campaign. The member has highlighted the value of those seizures. One way to combat the drug issue is through the efforts of Dogs Against Drugs and the specialist training it offers. I do not know what breeds are there and whether they are beagles, short-haired pointers or German shepherds, but they are all fantastic dogs that can help to tackle the scourge of drug problems.

The committee should follow up with the Scottish Government to ask for clarity on the specific work that it has done to improve grant-making practices, including progressing the development of a consistent baseline for third sector funding, and what practical actions the Government is taking. It might be an overstretch to ring fence those funds entirely, but priority should perhaps be given to third sector organisations such as Dogs Against Drugs.

I fully agree with Mr Ewing.

It is outwith the scope of the petition, but the nub of the issue is around recruitment and were a petition to be submitted in the next session with that slightly wider scope, it might allow the new committee to look at other aspects of what councils are doing to aid recruitment, particularly in councils outwith the central belt. I am certainly aware of some initiatives in Angus Council. This specific petition is just one part of a wider recruitment issue.

With the delay to the response, in addition to its generality, it would be worth while writing back to the minister seeking detailed views on the action that is called for in the petition; details of the current accessibility standards for the design and signage in publicly owned buildings for people with colour blindness; and the minister’s view on whether it is acceptable for the Scottish Government to fail to provide a response to the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee, as the convener has highlighted. Perhaps it would also be as well to write to Disability Equality Scotland seeking its views on the action that is called for in the petition.

Unfortunately, we will need to close the petition under rule 15.7 of standing orders, first, on the basis that the Royal College of Nursing is not in favour of student nurses being paid while on clinical placement. Secondly, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care is carrying out a review of the financial support package for nursing, midwifery and paramedicine students.

However, in closing the petition, we should highlight to the petitioner that, were that review not to take place or were it not to meet with the petitioner’s particular asks, the petition could be brought back in the next session of Parliament.

Yes—it is a fantastic space; I enjoyed lecturing there just a few months ago. It is very modern inside.

Perhaps I can ask Laura Shanks to follow on from Hazel Johnson’s point. There is the initial question of early intervention, but, in addition to that, how consistent is the approach of local authorities to the area more generally?

We often hear that planning departments in local authorities are struggling with staff recruitment and retention. What is the picture with regard to building standards?

I agree with Mr Torrance, but I put on the record that NHS 24 staff who use Greenmarket car park in Dundee have been in touch with me to say that they are paying up to £100 per month to park there in the course of their duties. I appreciate that the vast majority of healthcare staff are covered, as has been outlined, but I wanted to put that on the record.

As someone who started school at four and got accepted to the University of Dundee at 16, I am a big fan of flexibility. However, given the explanations that we have heard and on the basis that, as you have highlighted, local authorities have the flexibility to determine school commencement dates, I think that we should close the petition under rule 15.7 of standing orders. Parents are key to the matter and have a long-standing legal right to defer the school’s starting date for their child, particularly when they feel that more time in early years and childcare settings would be more appropriate. Finally, meeting the needs of different learners in the single-class cohort is already built into the principles and practices of curriculum design under the curriculum for excellence framework.