Current Petitions

The next two petitions, PE966 and PE1041, are grouped together. PE966, by Robert A Lambert, on behalf of Glenrothes Community Action Group, is about the lack of investment in swimming pools in Scotland; the petition calls on the Parliament to urge the Government to address the report that was published in 2000 by sportscotland on investment in and maintenance of swimming pools throughout the country. PE1041, by Les Trotter, calls on the Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to take the necessary steps to ensure that the facilities and pitches that are used by all community-based sports clubs are of a standard that befits a leading European nation. Members have copies of the written submissions relating to the petitions in front of them. Are there any comments?I declare an interest in that I had a meeting on the issue in Edinburgh with Les Trotter and Unite the Clubs, in my capacity as Labour's sports spokesperson.

On looking through the papers, I noticed that the representative from Fife Leisure Action Group still seems to be quite frustrated by the process. I have some sympathy; it seems as though local government and the Scottish Government recognise that the need for sporting facilities is a priority, but funding pressures limit any progress, certainly at local government level. I also have sympathy with the position in which local authorities have found themselves in recent years in having to make quite difficult choices about the policy areas in which they prioritise funding. Sport and leisure facilities have been squeezed during that period.I share the petitioner's frustration that the issue is being moved backwards and forwards. It would not be unreasonable to push the Government for a fuller response than that which we have received. The petitioner raises issues about timetables, strategy, and ring fencing, and there would be no harm in pushing the Government for a fuller explanation of how it plans to resolve those issues, although the response might be that it comes down to local authorities.It might be worth pushing the Government, which says in its letter that"many local authorities failed to adequately maintain facilities".Questions should be asked about why they have failed and whether that comes down to lack of resources from central Government, or whether central Government believes that it is a result of poor planning on the part of local authorities. Could the changes have been made within the limits of the resources that local government receives?I am a bit frustrated that the issue seems to get passed over and that no one takes responsibility for how such facilities are funded. People on both sides might need to look at some imaginative and affordable solutions, but no one has given the committee an adequate answer.

Can we refer both petitions? Can we keep them live by writing to the Government?

It might also be helpful to pursue with the Health and Sport Committee clerks the remit of that committee's inquiry and to get a bit more detail about what it will be considering.

This is a big issue, in which I have an interest because of my portfolio responsibilities. In a sense, the answer is partnership; that may be a cliché, but it is true. It is about getting in resources at national and local level, and using incentives and encouragement. One of the petitioners' issues is massive and would require major investment; the other issue concerns local partnerships through sports development.The committee should still have a degree of ownership of the petitions. The Health and Sport Committee deals with a wide range of policy areas; it has to deal with everything that does not come under the remit of the Local Government and Communities Committee, so it has to find time to deal with sport. Rhoda Grant is a member of the committee; perhaps she could give us her view.

There will be an inquiry and I guess that we will start to take evidence in the new year. We have the budget reports to do and there is a bill to be considered, too. We are also gathering bits of information on another inquiry. There is probably time to allow the Public Petitions Committee to do some further work on the petitions before referring them on. Could we copy the petitions to the Health and Sport Committee for information?

I was about to say that. Can we inform the Health and Sport Committee about the petitions? I imagine that they would be of interest to that committee, because community clubs or voluntary groups would say that they are about encouraging a seven-year-old boy or girl to participate actively in sport whether it takes place on red blaes or black ash or in a run-down pavilion. That youngster will not have such an experience in other areas of their life—sports do not compare with other products that are available in much comfier surroundings.Why do we not draw attention to the petitions? We should try to spend two or three months on the issues that have been raised. I have met people from clubs in Edinburgh—it is a sad day when a Glaswegian tries to give advice to people from Edinburgh, but that is life—and I think that there is an issue. Those people were passionately concerned and they want to work with all parliamentarians to build up the status of such issues. Let us find out whether we can help them in that respect.

Okay. We will do that. The petitions will therefore remain live. Thank you for that help.