Apologies were received from Nigel Don MSP.
The meeting opened at 2.01 pm.
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 invite the Cabinet Secretary for Justice to appear before it to give evidence on the issues raised in the petition and the timetable for action.
PE535 Calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to (a) make an inquiry into past institutional child abuse, in particular for those children who were in the care of the State under the supervision of religious orders and (b) make unreserved apology for said State bodies and to urge the religious orders to apologise unconditionally.
PE888 Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive, in the interests of those who have suffered institutional child abuse, to (a) reform Court of Session rules to allow ‘fast-track’ court hearings in personal injury cases; (b) review the implementation of the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973; and (c) to implement the recommendations of the Law Commission report on the Limitation of Actions.
The Committee agreed to close consideration of both petitions on the grounds that the petitioner has achieved a considerable amount with an apology in Parliament by the then First Minister, the publication of an independent expert review report recommending changes to legislation and continuing consideration and announcements emanating from the Scottish Government on action to be taken arising from the petitions.
PE867 Calling for the Scottish Parliament to provide adequate safeguards against vulnerable adults being given, by surreptitious means, unwanted, unnecessary and potentially harmful medication.
The Committee agreed to close consideration of this petition on the grounds that an adequate framework with a revised Code of Practice under the Adults with Incapacity Act 2003 is now in place to address the concerns raised in the petition.
PE899 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.
PE1106 Calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review those aspects of the Stewart Committee Report on Keeping Offenders out of Court; Further Alternatives to Prosecution, that relate to the rights of victims of crime to obtain information on the handling of the case.
The Committee agreed to close consideration of petition PE899 on the grounds that the Victim Notification Scheme has been reviewed and that the length of time taken to trigger notification to a victim has been reduced to 18 months and will be further reviewed in the future. It also agreed to schedule further consideration of petition PE1106 once the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has provided the Committee with an update on the review of the policy on warnings.
PE908 Calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to ensure that traffic regulation orders are applied to all disabled parking bays to ensure that they are used by registered disabled users only.
PE909 Calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to review the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations to allow for speedier provision and enforcement of dropped kerbs and disabled parking bays to prevent their abuse, ensuring greater and easier access for disabled, elderly and other users.
PE1007 Calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to prevent the improper use of disabled parking bays and to ensure that they are used by registered disabled users only.
The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government on what practical steps it is taking to improve the availability of, and access to, disabled parking spaces for authorised users only in the light of its recent meeting with COSLA. It also agreed to write to Jackie Baillie MSP to ascertain the current position of her proposed Disabled Parking (Scotland) Members Bill.
PE931 Calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to review its policy on tackling the growing skin cancer epidemic in Scotland.
The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government seeking an update on the progress made to meet the 62 day waiting time for cancer patients to be diagnosed and treated. It also agreed to suspend further consideration of the petition until the Public Health etc (Scotland) Bill has completed its Stage 2 proceedings and to invite the Scottish Government to respond on how its amendments address the particular issues raised in the petition. It also agreed to draw the petition to the attention of the Health and Sport Committee and Ken Macintosh MSP.
PE1023 Calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to ensure that a greater proportion of residential care places for the elderly are provided for and staffed by the statutory sector, particularly in rural areas.
The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government seeking comment on the specific issues raised by the petitioner and what its timetable is to publish its response to the review of free personal care.
PE1032 Calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to improve care for the elderly at a local and national level and, in particular, to improve the standard of care provision for the housebound elderly, and to ensure that seniors forums are fully consulted in relation to the provision of care for the elderly.
The Committee considered the petition and agreed to write to the Scottish Government on what its timetable is to publish its response to the review of free personal care and what specific measures in terms of improving care standards for the housebound elderly it will develop.
PE1036 Calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive, in partnership with Remploy and other sheltered workshop employers, to promote employment opportunities for disabled people by reserving local authority and/or government contracts to supported businesses, as permitted by EU Article 19 on Public Procurement.
PE1069 Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to encourage employers to provide home working opportunities for those with disabilities which prevent them from accessing the workplace.
The Committee agreed, in relation to PE1036, to write to the Scottish Government seeking an update on how and when it till take forward the action points that arose from its meeting with Supported Business and on the scope for an umbrella organisation for sheltered workshop employers. In relation to PE1069, the Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government asking, in the light of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth’s oral evidence to the Equal Opportunities Committee, what practical actions it is taking to develop home working for disabled people. It also agreed to write to the Federation of Small Businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the National Group on Homeworking seeking responses to the issues raised in the petitions, including how they disseminate information to members on home working.
PE1044 Calling on the Scottish Parliament to investigate the merits of extending the ‘One Year Job Guarantee’ employment assistance for newly qualified nurses and midwives to include newly qualified physiotherapists in Scotland, with particular reference to the benefits for patient care.
The Committee agreed to close consideration of this petition on the grounds that the National Solutions Group for Physiotherapy, of which the petitioner is a member, recently met to consider the issues raised in the petition in the wider context of physiotherapist workforce planning and agreed that a ‘One Year Job Guarantee’ would not be appropriate and that the group agreed to work with all stakeholders to agree the future shape of physiotherapy workforce planning in Scotland.
PE1061 Calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to ensure that measures taken by communities to tackle anti-social behaviour in urban residential areas are not restricted by the duty of a local authority to uphold access rights under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
The Committee agreed to write to East Renfrewshire Council asking it to give further consideration to the issues raised in the petition and written submission received to date.
PE1099 Calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to monitor the provision of ambulance services, such as those in the Highland Perthshire area, and to ensure that the Scottish Ambulance Service undertakes open and proper consultation with local communities, such as those in Highland Perthshire, prior to any changes to services to ensure that these always properly reflect the needs and safety of patients in the area.
The Committee agreed to close consideration of the petition on the grounds that the Scottish Ambulance Service carried out the local consultation process appropriately and that no concerns have been raised by the Scottish Government or any of the organisations involved in the decision to restructure ambulance provision to Highland Perthshire.
PE1100 Calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review planning and environmental regulations to allow for the provision of safe local and national off road motorcycle facilities, including a Centre of Excellence in North Lanarkshire, as a way of tackling anti-social behaviour, promoting youth citizenship and improving health.
The Committee agreed to write again to the Scottish Government asking it to respond to the issues raised in the petition and each of the written submissions received as a matter of urgency and to state why it did not reply to the Committee’s previous request.
PE1109 Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to urgently develop clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: to develop national standards of care for people with psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis; and to define psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis as chronic conditions to be included in the list of conditions exempt from prescription charges.
The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network to ask whether national standards of care for people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis will be included in the clinical guidelines currently being developed and whether the other issues raised by the petitioner in supplementary evidence are being looked into.
PE1110 Calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review the policies, guidance and procedures that apply to the recruitment process of foreign teachers and the right of recourse to investigate claims of discrimination.
The Committee agreed to close consideration of this petition on the grounds that the current system for recruiting and vetting teachers is robust and adequate.
The meeting was suspended at 3.21 pm and resumed at 3.32 pm.
PE1086 Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to issue new guidance to health boards to remove excessive charges for car parking, particularly for those staff who work shifts and for whom public transport alternatives are limited.
PE1091 Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review the levying by NHS Boards of car parking charges at NHS hospitals, such as that proposed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde at Stobhill Hospital.
The Committee agreed to write to the Welsh Assembly Government asking for information on how it was able to provide free parking without over-subscription. It also agreed to write to the Scottish Government on whether impact assessments were undertaken into the policy of car parking charges, whether the constraints of PFI contracts and their effect on car parking charges were considered and what the overall impact in financial terms to the health service is of free parking. It also agreed to copy the petitions to the Health and Sport Committee for information only.
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