Seòmar agus comataidhean

Thank you, convener.

Considering the Government’s position and the fact that the scheme has been delayed until October 2025, I would like to close the petition under rule 15.7 of the standing orders on the basis that the Scottish Government has paused the introduction of the deposit return scheme until October 2025.

I am still quite happy to close the petition under rule 15.7 of standing orders, because the Scottish Government will not change its mind on imposing anything on local authorities, which are autonomous and can make their own decisions.

I wonder whether the committee would like to continue the petition and write to UK Anti-Doping, Anabolic Steroids UK and the Scottish Drugs Forum seeking their views on the action that is called for in the petition. I would like the committee to write to the Scottish Government to highlight the petitioner’s submission and seek clarity on the membership and terms of reference of the multi-agency working group.

The committee could write to the Scottish Government to seek a summary response of the recent consultation on council tax for second and empty homes, request details of the future relevant work planned by the joint working group on sources of local government funding and council tax reform, and ask for the Government’s view on making the property owner liable for payment of council tax in the light of the points that were raised in the petitioner’s recent submission. The committee could also write to Citizens Advice Scotland and Shelter Scotland to seek their views on the actions that are called for in the petition.

I have sympathy with the petition, but the Scottish Government has stated that it will not impose a statutory duty on the 32 local authorities because it is up to them to decide whether they fund public toilets. As somebody who has seen the comfort scheme work really well in Fife along the coastal path—

I am reluctant to close the petition, even though the Scottish Government has said that it will not widen the scope of the inquiry. We should try again, by writing to the new Deputy First Minister to reiterate the committee’s recommendations that the Scottish Government extend the Scottish child abuse inquiry’s terms of reference to include religious organisations or establish a separate public inquiry to address the issues that are highlighted in the petition and to ask what work has been undertaken since the submission in January to consider the recommendations in the report on child protection in religious organisations and settings in England and Wales. We should also ask how the Scottish Government monitors the implementation of national guidance for child protection, what steps it is taking to ensure that religious organisations are aware of and adhering to the guidance, and how it demonstrates its function of supporting and challenging religious organisations on those issues.

There is nowhere for us to go, because the Scottish Government has been very clear that it will not impose a statutory duty on councils. I ask the committee to consider closing the petition under rule 15.7 of standing orders, on the basis that the Scottish Government has no plans at this time to make provision of public toilets a statutory obligation on local authorities.

Good morning, everyone. To what extent does the existence of all-year-round pressures now make the concept of winter planning redundant?

Thank you. You have partly answered my next question. How do you respond to the suggestion that winter planning is now redundant because of the existence of year-round pressures, which require year-round planning?

How will you ensure that winter planning accommodates the needs of different professions?