Current Petitions

The final petition for consideration this morning is PE758, which was lodged by Jim Black on behalf of the Scottish Accident Prevention Council. The petition calls on the Parliament to urge the Executive to place a statutory requirement on all local authorities to employ home safety officers and to provide the necessary funding to achieve that.At its meeting on 15 September, the committee agreed to seek the views of the Scottish Executive and COSLA. The Minister for Health and Community Care, who responded on behalf of the Executive, said:"Imposing a statutory responsibility on local authorities is inconsistent with that shared responsibility, and could alter the perception and participation of these partners, and perhaps undermine the progress that has been made in recent years."COSLA responded:"Whilst COSLA values SAPC's work, its firm view is that it is a matter for democratically accountable local authorities to determine their own staffing policies and to determine how to address all aspects of community well-being, including home safety, within the context of their own local circumstances and priorities."

I am disappointed by that response. Representatives from SAPC are here today. In the past two months, in one street in a council estate in the community that I represent, three deaths that could have been avoided have occurred. In the past year there have been a number of fire and other deaths in my constituency—it is dreadful to attend the funerals of the people who died. Only six or seven weeks ago, a councillor's son was killed in a chip-pan fire. Such fires are preventable and not enough is being done about the matter. Whether or not a requirement should be imposed on local authorities to employ home safety officers, the issue should be addressed.I spoke to SAPC office-bearers today, who told me that the organisation independently approached local authorities throughout Scotland to seek the views of every authority. In response, 78 per cent of councils said that they supported the proposal that is being put forward. That puts a question mark over how COSLA reached its view. I am not content with COSLA's response and the matter should be pursued. We should write to all local authorities in Scotland to seek an independent answer.Local authorities might reply that their officers do not have time for that kind of work. However, a few years ago two environmental health officers sat in the office of one of my constituents for two hours while talking about health and safety. Two officers can be freed up to do that, but we are talking about a much more important measure, because the cost to the health service of dealing with the consequences of accidents is millions of pounds, not to mention the cost in misery and suffering of the people who have falls or are burned to death. There is grief throughout Scotland when such accidents happen, as we know from experience in our constituencies. There is a much more important job to be done and the matter should be legally enforceable. There should be legislation to support the SAPC's proposal and we should write to all local authorities in Scotland for their views.

I support that.

I see no difficulty in that. Are members happy to write to individual authorities and await their responses, before considering the matter further?Members indicated agreement.

That concludes this morning's business.