Chamber and committees

I have a couple of questions about the secondary legislation stemming from the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. As has been mentioned, prior to the UK leaving the EU, the previous minister regularly updated the committee. On a number of occasions, he talked about the volume of secondary legislation required to fix any legislative deficiencies that stem from the withdrawal from the EU. Can you provide an estimate of the number of SSIs that require to be laid under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 to deal with the consequences of the withdrawal?

I thank Rhoda Grant for giving us that essential information. I was most struck by the fact that Dundee is available to provide such a service, but that is not being taken up. Making people who require treatment for tremors travel all the way to London causes them a great deal of discomfort, and it sounds as though it is a waste of money to do that when the treatment is available in Dundee. I think that we should get in touch with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to raise the issue and to ask why the facility in Scotland is not being used for Scottish patients.

We could write to the Scottish Government to seek an update on the outcome of the consultation, ahead of the independent review in 2023, which is a wee while away yet. It would be good to get an update on progress on the consultation and what is being considered in that, as it might answer some of the issues that the petitioners have raised.

I thank Christine Grahame for providing that depth of background. I find it difficult to believe, although it is true, that there are non-statutory child advocacy services, which I think is bizarre. I cannot see why any child advocacy service would have a particular, logical reason for being against regulation of its services.

It would be interesting to be able to make a judgment with regard to the costs involved in the project. Is the idea of the proposal to save money and put HIAL in a better financial position? I am concerned about the possibility that good-quality jobs for local people could be lost.

Another issue that is worth looking at is the safety of the remote tower solution. I am not technical, so I cannot grasp how the system operates over such a large area. The issue of the safety of the passengers, crew and people on the ground should be brought to the fore. I think that we need more information on the safety of the remote tower solution.

Can we write to the SQA to invite its comments on the proposal? Personally, I think that the significant numbers of our constituents who use BSL on a regular basis, including people who use it as part of their occupation, some of whom are interpreters, deserve the opportunity to be recognised in this manner.

Yes.

I understand the point that Tess White has made. If a bird of prey is wild, and therefore lives according to its development and nature—as mountain hares do—it will certainly kill mountain hares. However, we are talking specifically about falcons being used to hunt mountain hares. Personally, having experience over many months of the campaign to save mountain hares, and having had correspondence on the subject sent to me, as an MSP, I do not think that the mountain hare is a species that can support that form of hunting.

It is perfectly reasonable for a bird of prey to kill in order to live, but I do not think that it is reasonable for that to happen specifically for the purposes of hunting. I think that that is the view that the Scottish Government put forward in its response, too.

I very much understand the petitioner’s argument. I visited Culloden a few weeks ago, and I am aware that a lot of people in the area are talking about the persistent calls for development from developers. However, we cannot prevent people from lodging development applications. I do not think that we can take the petition any further, given that the Scottish Government has already said where it stands in relation to not allowing such developments.

On the basis that the response has been delivered, I advocate that we close the petition.