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Might the committee be minded to keep the petition open and to write to the Scottish Government to seek details of the engagement and consultation that it plans to undertake when developing the new BSL national plan?

We can take the petition no further on the evidence that we have, so I would like to close it under rule 15.7 of the standing orders, on the basis that an operational system of independent advisers on the ministerial code exists; the Scottish Government has no plans to amend the decision-making process in any way proposed by the petitioner; and no current examples of independent committees in UK legislatures exist in any way proposed by the petitioner.

I wonder whether the committee can write to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service to ask what steps it is taking to ensure that the procedural rules and practices of the courts and their complaints procedures are transparent and accessible to members of the public.

It is an important issue. I used an accessible defibrillator for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and it makes a huge difference. It is important for defibrillators to be in the public domain. I would like us to keep the petition open and, in doing so, write to the Scottish Government to ask when the next report on the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest strategy will be published and what percentage of OHCAs in 2023 had a defibrillator applied before the ambulance service arrived. I would also like to write to the British Heart Foundation to seek information about its grant funding of public access defibrillators and, specifically, about demand and the potential barriers and challenges that it faces.

Our next new petition is PE1984, on introducing the C100 form for child arrangement orders in Scotland, which has been lodged by Amy Stevenson.

The petition calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to reduce the financial barriers that prevent parents from having contact with their children by introducing a Scottish equivalent to the C100 form, with a fixed fee for making applications for child residence or child contact orders.

Members may recall that we previously considered a petition from Amy Stevenson, which focused on the provision of legal aid to parents fighting for access to their children. Amy has followed up on that petition with this call for the introduction of a form similar to the C100 form used in England and Wales when applying to the court for a child arrangement order. Amy suggests that introducing a similar form in Scotland, along with a fixed fee for submitting it, would help to reduce the financial burden on parents seeking child residence or contact orders.

In responding to the petition, the Scottish Government set out the current process for applications to the court for child residence and contact orders, and the fees associated with that.

While accepting that the current procedures for lodging writs and defences in Scotland are viewed as difficult to understand, the Scottish Government highlights a range of issues that it would require to consider before moving to a forms-based system, including criticisms that the C100 form is too lengthy and can be difficult for vulnerable applicants to complete without assistance; the fact that the form may not capture all the relevant issues for the court to consider; and concerns that a forms-based approach may not be focused on the best interests of the child. It is also noted that a forms-based process may reduce costs at the initial application stage but would not rule out the need for applicants to access legal advice at other stages of the process.

The committee has also received submissions from Shared Parenting Scotland and Claire Baker MSP, copies of which are included in our meeting papers. I briefly highlight that Shared Parenting Scotland has suggested that the introduction of a C100 form, or something similar, would remove some barriers for parents who are trying to restore or establish a schedule of contact with their children, but that wider improvements are necessary to provide support to parents in those circumstances.

Do members have any suggestions or comments???

Stephanie, just take your time.

Thank you, Rhoda Grant.

I suggest that the clerks continue to discuss with the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee the possibility of an inquiry, and in the meantime we continue to gather evidence on the matter. We could also invite the petitioner to provide evidence to the committee and invite the Minister for Transport to provide evidence at future committee meetings, if that is acceptable to committee members.

It is okay. Just take your time.

Thank you, Fergus Ewing. Is the committee happy with those recommendations?

Members indicated agreement.

I thank Murdo Fraser and Rhoda Grant for their attendance. That concludes the public session of the meeting. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 8 March.