Minutes: 08 March 2023

1. Decision on taking business in private:

The Committee agreed to take item 4 in private. 

2. Consideration of continued petitions:

The Committee considered the following continued petitions— 

PE1867: Establish a new national qualification for British Sign Language (BSL). The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government. 

PE1931: Improve the R100 rollout by prioritising properties who currently have speeds of less than 5 Mbps. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government. 

PE1935: Create an Independent Committee to judge whether Scottish Ministers have broken the Ministerial Code. The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders on the basis that an operation system of Independent Advisers on the Ministerial Code exists, the Scottish Government has no plans to amend the decision-making process in the way proposed by the petitioner; and there are no current examples of independent committees in other UK legislatures in the way proposed by the petitioner.   

PE1937: To give children the respect they deserve by providing options for privacy when changing for P.E. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government. 

PE1938: Introduce compulsory microchipping of cats in Scotland. The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders on the basis that, the petitioner is satisfied that the Scottish Government’s current approach will adequately address the issue of mandatory microchipping in Scotland's cats, the Scottish Government does not consider that the scanning of microchips should be made compulsory for cats at this time due to concerns about the potential impact on the welfare of cats and veterinary surgeons; and Microchipping domestic cats features in the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission’s work plan as a medium term issue. 

PE1939: Amend the date of birth to allow wider accessibility to the HPV vaccination programme for boys. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). 

3. Consideration of new petitions:

The Committee considered the following new petitions— 

PE1983: Improve the transparency and accountability of Scottish legal courts. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service. 

PE1988: Review the process for disposal of household raw sewage. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Law Society of Scotland. 

PE1989: Increase defibrillators in public spaces and workplaces. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government, the British Heart Foundation, and the Order of Saint John.  

PE1990: Introduce a Scottish Parliament question session for young people. The Committee agreed to write to key stakeholders and delegated authority to the Convener to agree the final list of stakeholders. 

PE1994: Review the trial process for sexual offence cases. The Committee agreed to write to the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service, Faculty of Advocates, Law Society of Scotland, Rape Crisis Scotland, and Victim Support Scotland.

4. Consideration of a continued petition:

The Committee agreed on correspondence to the Scottish Government on the following continued petition –   

PE1864: Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms.