became Convener of the Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee, I have been reflecting on the work done by my predecessors and trying to think about ways that can be built upon. For example, we have learned
that if our processes are complicated or seem out of touch, it can be off-putting. We have therefore produced simple and easy to use guidance about petitioning and the process to be followed and the committee staff are always more than happy to answer any questions a prospective petitioner might have. We have learned that we need
to try to reach those who, traditionally, may not have been interested in petitioning the Parliament. During the last session of the Parliament the predecessor Public Petitions Committee held meetings out in the community at times and places most suitable for those it was trying to reach. It met across Scotland, from the Borders to the Highlands, in schools and community centres. This work included delivering
presentations to schools to inform them of the role of the Parliament and the impact that politics has and could have on pupils’ day to day lives. It also included working with pupils to support them in preparing a petition on a subject that mattered to them. This led to the committee
just one way in which the Public Petitions Committee is working to ensure that it reaches as many people as possible.
Reaching out effectively to all The committee previously commissioned research to look in more detail at who our petitioners are. It discovered that the vast
majority of petitioners were white middle-class males in their late 50s. While this may be true of the people who are most likely to engage with the Parliament across all subject areas and not just petitions, it is important to recognize that there are large parts of the population who do not engage with politics or the Parliament. That is why, since I
considering petitions on protecting the rights of school age workers, a payment scheme to encourage blood donations and free access for school age children to publicly funded leisure facilities. I believe that by seeing their petitions considered by the committee, people, and young people in particular, see that our petition system gives a voice to individuals which can be heard right at the heart of the Parliament. I am determined that we will
continue to go out into the community. That we continue to meet in places where traditionally there have been low levels of
engagement. By doing his we can show to the people of Scotland that the Scottish Parliament – their Parliament – works for them. I want to continue to show people that they do have a voice and that no matter where they live or what their background, they can be directly involved in the policy making process.
Making a noticeable difference I feel privileged to be the Convener of the Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee which has at its heart the people of Scotland. I am also proud to say that there are many areas in which public petitions have made a real difference, where policies have been changed and where lives have improved for the better. This has included the introduction of new national guidance in response to petition seeking to ensure equity of the provision of cancer drugs throughout all National Health System boards and the introduction of new guidelines on the provision of Vitamin D supplements for children and pregnant women following a successful petition highlighting the issues around a lack of Vitamin D. The purpose of all petitions
systems, from the one developed then by King David, to the one in place at the Scottish Parliament today, is to encourage participation and to allow the public, the people we seek to represent, to have a real investment in the political process. The system has changed as the
country itself has changed. The petitions system and the processes behind it have kept pace with the demands of a modern society. But we must never allow ourselves to sit back and think that the job is done. I believe that it is important that we constantly examine what more we can do for the poor, the dispossessed and the powerless and that our systems constantly evolve to meet these needs.