Parliament Workbench
Data: Official Report to 12 Nov 2026

Official Report · Committee

Current Petitions

Criminal Memoirs (Publication for Profit) (PE504)

Tuesday 15 January 2008 Public Petitions Committee Petitions 5 contributions · 3 speakers

Speakers

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The record

5 contributions
Frank McAveety Lab The Convener · Glasgow Shettleston
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The first current petition is PE504, by Mr and Mrs James Watson. It calls on the Parliament to take the necessary steps to prevent convicted murderers or members of their families from profiting from their crimes by selling accounts of those crimes for publication. Written submissions have been made available to us. I invite suggestions on how to take the matter forward. There is a document—"Consultation on Making Sure Crime Doesn't Pay"—out for consultation at the moment.

Nanette Milne Con North East Scotland
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The petition has been around for an extraordinary length of time, and hardly anything seems to have been done about it. We should perhaps press the Scottish Government to press the UK Government on the matter.

Rhoda Grant Lab Highlands and Islands
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Is that the correct protocol? Can we contact the Ministry of Justice about the matter ourselves? That seems more straightforward.

Frank McAveety Lab The Convener · Glasgow Shettleston
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We can write to the ministry to expedite matters. There is probably a reasonable consensus that we do not want individuals who have committed serious crimes to benefit—thanks to the nature of the media in our society—from those crimes. If it is a matter not just for the consultation document but for the UK Ministry of Justice and the Home Office, I am happy to write directly on the matter. Members indicated agreement.

Frank McAveety Lab The Convener · Glasgow Shettleston
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We will write directly. We hope to get some clarity and a response on the matter.

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