PE/S2/07/1/M

1st Meeting, 2007 (Session 2)

Wednesday 17 January 2007

Present:

Also present: Chris Balance, Fergus Ewing and Stewart Maxwell.

The meeting opened at 10.01 am.

1. Consideration of new petitions: The Committee considered and agreed action on the following new petitions:

PE1011 Petition by Ian MacKinnon of Action Against Marine Park calling on the Scottish Parliament to amend the National Park (Scotland) Act 2000 to require the approval by a majority in a local referendum before any National Park can be established.

The Committee agreed to refer this petition to the Environment and Rural Affairs Committee for consideration as part of its inquiry into the marine environment and to forward the petition to Scottish Natural Heritage and the Minister for Environment and Rural Development for information only.

PE1026 Petition by Stuart McMillan, calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to exert all its political powers upon BBC Scotland to ensure the corporation provide television coverage of every Scotland National Football Team match and notes the sporting and cultural importance of the national team which should ensure that this issue is highlighted every time the Scottish Executive meet with BBC Scotland.

The Committee agreed to seek views on the petition from the Scottish Football Association, BBC Scotland, the Cross Party Group on Sport, OfCom, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport and to seek the views of the petitioner on the responses received.

PE1012 Petition by Frank Beattie calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to adopt a nationally co-ordinated and nationally funded scheme for marking people, events and places by erecting informative plaques at sites of local, regional, national or international importance.

The Committee agreed to seek views on the petition from English Heritage, Historic Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, VisitScotland, the National Trust for Scotland, COSLA and the Scottish Executive and to seek the views of the petitioner on the responses received.

PE1010 Petition by Ron Duncan Rose calling upon the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to introduce/enhance devolved legislation to empower local councils to enforce powers to apply alcohol exclusion zones and dispersal orders under a “Fast-Track” system, thus enabling police and local councils to implement measures more expediently to rescue communities such as Aberfeldy from “death by due process”.

The Committee agreed to seek views on the petition from the Licensed Trade Association, COSLA, Perth and Kinross Council, Tayside Police, ACPOS and the Scottish Executive and to seek the views of the petitioner on the responses received.

PE1024 Petition by Ray Atkinson, on behalf of Achareidh Open Space Action Group calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to introduce legislation to prevent the development of Greenfield sites within existing residential areas which have a proven valued history of informal recreational use and benefit to the community.

The Committee agreed, on the basis of the Scottish Executive’s current consultation on Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 11: Physical Activity and Open Space, to forward a copy of the petition to the Scottish Executive for inclusion as part of this review and to close consideration of this petition.

2. Consideration of current petitions: The Committee considered and agreed action on the following current petitions:

PE504 Petition calling for the Scottish Parliament to take the necessary steps to stop convicted murderers or members of their families from profiting from their crimes by selling accounts of their crimes for publication.

The Committee agreed to await the results of the joint Scottish Executive, Home Office and Northern Ireland Office consultation, “Making Sure that Crime Doesn’t Pay: Proposals for a new measure to prevent convicted criminals profiting from published accounts of their crime”, and the joint government response to this consultation before deciding what further action, if any, to take in relation to this petition.

PE884 Petition by Sandra Clarkson, on behalf of Prestwick Marine Neighbourhood Watch, calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to amend the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to ensure that local authorities keep beaches free of litter and refuse throughout the year.

The Committee agreed, on the basis that there does not appear to be any gap in the existing legislation and that it cannot intervene in operational decisions of local authorities, to close consideration of this petition.

PE889 Petition by James A Mackie calling for the Scottish Parliament to examine the workings of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 Act and, in particular, the making available of legal representation and legal aid to patients detained in Psychiatric Wards and/or released to the Community and under the influence of prescribed antipsychotic and/or brain altering type drugs.

The Committee noted that a new accreditation process for members of the Law Society who are specialists in mental health law has now been established and agreed to close consideration of this petition.

PE899 Petition by Hazel Reid calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to review the operation of the Victim Notification Scheme to ensure that the victims of serious violent and sexual crimes are given the right to receive information about the release from prison of an offender who has committed a crime against them, regardless of the length of sentence imposed.

The Committee agreed to await the results of the Scottish Executive commissioned analysis of the statutory Victim Notification Scheme before deciding what further action, if any, to take in relation to this petition.

PE903 Petition by Eurig Scandrett calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to develop and introduce a Scottish planning policy document on ecovillages.

The Committee agreed to refer this petition to the Communities Committee.

PE904 Petition by Katie Moffat calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to consider introducing an early breast cancer screening programme in Scotland to start from age 30 upwards.

The Committee agreed, on the basis that the issues raised by this petition have been fully considered at policy and operational level and not attracted universal support, to close consideration of this petition.

PE905 Petition by Ellie MacDonald and Faith Waddell, on behalf of Trinity Primary School, calling for the Scottish Parliament to consider and debate the use of excessive packaging in supermarkets with a view to encouraging the use of recycled alternatives.

The Committee agreed, on the basis that the issues raised by this petition have been highlighted and awareness of excessive packaging raised, to close consideration of this petition.

PE858 Petition by Andrew Fairbairn, on behalf of the Woodland Trust Scotland, calling for the Scottish parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to address the threat to the fragmented remnants of ancient woodland by fulfilling their commitment under the UK Forest Partnership for Action, made in preparation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002, to protect the nation’s rarest and richest wildlife habitat.

The Committee agreed to seek the views of the petitioner on the joint response received from the Forestry Commission Scotland, the Scottish Executive Development Department, the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Development Department and Scottish Natural Heritage.

The meeting closed at 12.18 pm.

David McGill
Clerk to the Committee