Chamber and committees

I agree with Ruth Maguire and would like to hear from the chair of the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans.

In the evidence session two weeks ago, witnesses said that there is a lack of data on where ancient woodlands are. The Scottish Government is committed to a national register of ancient woodlands. Can you update us on where that is? If local authorities and planners do not know where an ancient woodland is, how can they protect it? Will the register be created quickly so that local authorities and planners know where the woodlands are and can protect them?

Are local authorities up to date in relation to that planning legislation? If they have not done what you have just described, planners will just decide yes or no. How does the Government check that they have managed to create those strategies?

I think that we should keep the petition open and write to the Scottish Government to ask when it intends to implement its commitment to expand its early learning offer to all one and two-year-olds. We should also ask for the Government’s views on the submissions received on the petition, particularly those expressing concern about the impact that the pandemic has had on the development of babies born during lockdown, and for its plans to address those concerns.

In an evidence session two weeks ago, I asked a question about how NPF4 would help to protect ancient woodlands. One of the witnesses said:

“National planning framework 4 is a tremendous opportunity that we must not lose ... We cannot afford to take risks or to have weak legislation that creates loopholes.”—[Official Report, Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee, 9 March 2022; c 12.]

In the evidence session, the witnesses said that they did not think that the language in NPF4 was strong enough to allow planners to make recommendations that the law would back them on. Is that the case? If so, will you change it?

I have no further questions.

In light of the meeting with Minister for Patient Safety and Primary Care, Maria Caulfield, having been held in February, could we write to the cabinet secretary to ask him for an update on how that went? Can we also ask when commercial discussions about the supply of the products to trials are likely to conclude; whether the trials will include patients, including children, with severe epileptic conditions and whether patients in Scotland will be recruited for the trials? Can we also ask for further information on the timescales for trials and how they can be expedited, and, depending on the outcome of the trials, the timescales for achieving authorisation?

Given that the Scottish Government has no plans to introduce new legislation and thinks that there is sufficient legislation to deal with vandalism and desecration of war memorials, I suggest that we close the petition under rule 15.7 of standing orders.

From a health practitioner perspective, what are the advantages and disadvantages of remotely delivered health and care services? To what extent do remotely delivered consultations and services ease pressures on GPs and GP surgeries? I put that to Dr Perry.

How can we improve online triage systems, so that not only patients but health practitioners are confident in using them?