Current Petitions

The first of the current petitions is PE522. The petitioner calls on the Scottish Parliament to encourage the Scottish Executive to investigate and remedy the lack of care homes for young physically disabled people in Scotland, including in Tayside. At its meeting of 25 June 2003, the committee agreed to approach the Health Committee with a view to determining whether it would consider the issues that were raised in PE522 together with linked petitions PE551, PE576, PE597 and PE599. Members have received a copy of the response from the Health Committee on the subject of PE522, which is to refer the petition back to the Public Petitions Committee for further consideration. The Health Committee also agreed to close PE551, PE576, PE597 and PE599.The committee may wish to note that the Equal Opportunities Committee is currently consulting on the European year of disabled people 2003. It is inviting views on what it should be examining as part of its forthcoming inquiry into disability. We have indicated that, where necessary, we could take on inquiries ourselves, but I do not think that one on that subject fits into a suitable category for us. It may well be that the Health Committee has a busy work load and, although it saw merit in the petition, it did not want to carry out the work itself. I think it would be best to ask another committee to examine the matter. If the Equal Opportunities Committee is conducting some work in that area, we should invite it to take the matter up. We must ensure that our time is used as effectively as possible.

I agree with that proposal. I notice that the response that Capability Scotland issued says:"In January 2002, the Deputy Minister for Health & Community Care gave an undertaking to the Parliament's Health & Community Care Committee that ‘work will be undertaken to improve our knowledge and understanding of the needs of younger people'". It goes on to say that, as at September 2003—more than a year and a half later—no results had been published. Are we aware of any results having been published since then? If not, an inordinate amount of time—two years now—seems to have passed since that undertaking was made. We should ask the Executive what became of that work, which might help the Equal Opportunities Committee, as well as allaying some of the fears of the petitioners.

Should we ask the Executive, or should we recommend that the Equal Opportunities Committee do that?

The Equal Opportunities Committee could do that, yes. In any case, it seems odd that nothing has been heard since that commitment was made two years ago. That is not the way in which the Executive usually operates.

We will recommend to the Equal Opportunities Committee that it ask where the information from the Executive is.

Is everyone happy with the proposal?Members indicated agreement.