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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 30 December 2024
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Displaying 581 contributions

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Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

New Petitions

Meeting date: 22 February 2023

Alexander Stewart

It is important that we collate as much information on this topic as we can. If we contact those agencies and organisations that you indicated, convener, they will be able to give us their views on any action that may be required. That will enable us to take a much better and a more holistic approach to challenging the issues raised by the petition. As Carol Mochan has said, the law requires updating. It has been decades since the issue has been examined in that way. By collecting that information and putting it all together we will have a much better picture as to how the issue is being approached across those organisations in Scotland.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

New Petitions

Meeting date: 22 February 2023

Alexander Stewart

This is a very important issue. We have heard about some areas in the submissions that we have already received, but we need to get more information. We should write to the Scottish Government highlighting the online systems that have been introduced in Australia and in the Netherlands and seek information on what considerations have been given to developing a similar service in Scotland for parents who have separated. It would be very useful for us to collate information on other countries that have put that in place.

It might be quite useful for us to seek the views of some of the organisations that we have here in Scotland, such as the Law Society of Scotland, the Family Law Association, the Scottish Legal Aid Board, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, Relationships Scotland and the family law committee of the Scottish Civil Justice Council, to find out where we can take the petition. Those are my suggestions, convener.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 22 February 2023

Alexander Stewart

I think that we need to write to COSLA to ask which of the local authorities are yet to roll out the mentors in violence prevention programme in secondary schools, requesting information about what challenges have prevented implementation and details of work planned to address those. We should ask what challenges local government faces in embedding schools-based prevention of violence against women and girls.

We should also write to Rape Crisis Scotland to request information on its reporting mechanisms for its equally safe at school—ESAS—strategy and whether its planned work with local authorities has resulted in an increase in ESAS activities across Scotland. That information would be very useful and clarify where we are in this whole process. As you have indicated, convener, this is an immensely important issue. If measures are embedded at school level, that will help to prevent gender-based violence once pupils have left school.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 22 February 2023

Alexander Stewart

Progress is being made, but we require more information. I suggest that we write to the Minister for Transport encouraging the Scottish Government to continue to make progress on the issue, which has already been raised by other MSPs and not just by those on this committee. We should also recommend that it explores all available options to formalise the role of community representation on boards of public organisations providing a lifeline service to island communities. We have discussed some of those organisations in the past, when we have talked about the representation on HIAL, David MacBrayne Ltd or CMAL. It is those types of organisations that we would be requesting the minister to give us more information about. With that information, we can then assess what progress is really being made.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

New Petitions

Meeting date: 8 February 2023

Alexander Stewart

I agree with that. I think that the petitioners have found that there is a gap, and there is no doubt that the process is confusing and complex. A whistleblower might well be what is required. By getting information from those organisations, we will get a better flavour of how the process is working. There is guidance in place but, as I said, I think that there is a gap in the process, which that action might help us to understand. Also, we should ask the Government how it plans to progress the issue, if the gap is perceived to be real, and we should ask to what extent it is focused on addressing it.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 8 February 2023

Alexander Stewart

Thank you for your comments so far. NICE has already done some appraisals and some technological outlook work to see what has been happening with the product in question. Are you aware of any other countries that are using Evusheld that have carried out appraisals or technological processes that are similar to those that are being undertaken by NICE?

10:30  

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 8 February 2023

Alexander Stewart

There was a health authority in one country—was it Ontario Health?—that had some issues with Evusheld. I think that Ontario Health would not recommend its being used routinely. Are you aware of any other countries that have withdrawn it or are having difficulty with it?

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 8 February 2023

Alexander Stewart

I agree that the sessions were very informative, but it is now time to follow up on some of that information.

I suggest that we seek details of the 2018 suicide prevention action plan evaluation. It is important that we try to establish where we are and when the outcome framework for the new suicide prevention action plan will be published. It is also important to have specific information on mental health assessment units, including locations, funding, patient uptake and any expansion. We felt very strongly about that, and there is room for more detail on that and for it to be expanded. It would also be useful to have an update on whether the Scottish Government will publish its response to the Scottish mental health law review before summer recess.

Those are some recommendations that I would make on the petition.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

New Petitions

Meeting date: 8 February 2023

Alexander Stewart

I am perplexed by this in some ways. I appreciate what the Scottish Government is saying about what it is attempting to do, but, in my view, there are still areas of responsibility that may require some clarity. I think that the time lapse on this is also stressful. I note what the petitioner says about being let down and the complexities of such issues. There is no doubt that there is exposure of individuals to potential abusers in the process.

I would seek some clarity. I would like to see more information from organisations that may be able to give us a little bit more advice and support. I suggest that we write to the Law Society of Scotland. I think that Scottish Women’s Aid, Shared Parenting Scotland and the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland have a role, too.

I acknowledge what the Government is saying. In due course, things may improve, but at the present time I do not see that being the reality.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

New Petitions

Meeting date: 8 February 2023

Alexander Stewart

It would be also useful to gather more information from organisations that you have talked about in the past. The Law Society of Scotland has a role, as do the Family Law Association and Shared Parenting Scotland. Their views and opinions would be useful, in addition to what David Torrance said we should ask the Scottish Law Commission.