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The next item is petition PE1896, on providing every primary school child in Scotland with a reusable water bottle, which was lodged by Callum Isted. The petition calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to replace the disposable water bottles that are provided with primary school lunches with sustainable, reusable metal bottles.

We previously considered the petition at our meeting on 23 November 2022, when we agreed to invite the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport to give evidence to the committee. We have instead the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, Lorna Slater, giving evidence on the petition this morning. I thank the minister for coming.

Members have a number of questions that they would like to explore, but first I believe that you have an opening statement, minister.

Thank you, minister. Several members have questions. I will start.

Has there been any further engagement with local authorities’ directors of education following the cabinet secretary’s letter regarding the issues raised in the petition?

Do we agree with those recommendations?

Members indicated agreement.

PE1934, which was lodged by Craig Scoular on behalf of Greenfaulds high school rights and equalities committee, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to work with Education Scotland to develop an educational resource on gender-based violence for all year groups in high school. The resource should educate on the causes of gender-based violence and ensure that young people leave school with the tools to help them to create a safer society for women.

At our previous consideration of the petition, the committee agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and to COSLA. We requested information from COSLA on the current provision of gender-based violence lessons across local authorities. COSLA’s response details a number of on-going workstreams that schools are delivering in partnership with local rape crisis centres and Rape Crisis Scotland.

The submission from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills states that recording and monitoring of incidents in schools is essential, emphasising the importance of a consistent and uniform approach. SEEMiS, which is a local authority-owned tool, provides a function to record instances of sexual harassment. An evaluation was due to take place in 2022 to assess the success of the system. The submission also highlights upcoming reviews of personal and social education and prevention practices.

Does any member have any thoughts?

PE1919, which was lodged by Ted Gourley, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to ban the sale of fast-release caffeine gum to under-18s for performance enhancement due to the risk of serious harm.

At our previous consideration of the petition on 28 September 2022, where we agreed to seek information from the Scottish Government on when the report on the consultation on ending the sale of energy drinks to children and young people will be published.

We have now received a response from the Government, which states that it will publish an independent consultation analysis report and set out its policy response “in due course.” The response also suggests that the evidence base in relation to caffeine, and caffeine gum specifically, continues to develop. Furthermore, it will look to the European Food Safety Authority and others as the evidence base evolves to consider the implications for the current advice on caffeine products. At this stage, the Government is not considering a ban on the sale of fast-release caffeine products to under-18s.

We have also received two submissions from the petitioner in which he raises concerns about the lack of available evidence to understand the impacts of high-strength, fast-release caffeine products on athletes of various ages. Mr Gourley also offers suggestions for further information gathering by the committee, as well as drawing our attention to advice that the US Anti-Doping Agency provides in relation to caffeine.

Do any members have suggestions?

Does the committee agree to all those recommendations?

Members indicated agreement.

Do members agree with those suggestions?

Members indicated agreement.

Does the committee agree to those suggestions?

Members indicated agreement.

Before we conclude taking evidence, is there anything else that you would like to add?

PE1986, on the provision of testing kits for drugs in public spaces, has been lodged by Andy Paterson on behalf of the help not harm campaign. The petition calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to provide free testing kits for drugs in public spaces such as local pharmacies, libraries and university buildings.

The SPICe briefing for the petition highlights recommendations of the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce, which states that drug testing should be supported and that current drug-checking facilities should be reviewed to ensure that they are open, transparent and accessible. The briefing points to a research project on licensed drug-checking facilities, which was due to report in January 2023, and another related project, which is due to conclude in March 2023.

The Scottish Government’s submission shares its reservations about the simplicity of the testing kits proposed in the petition. It highlights the planned establishment of drug-checking services in Dundee, Aberdeen and Glasgow through upcoming pilots. That approach includes laboratory testing and links to other drugs services and provides wider public health information about the drugs in circulation.

Do members have any comments or suggestions for action???