PUBLIC PETITIONS COMMITTEE Tuesday 5 May 2009 Session 3 £5.00 Parliamentary copyright. Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body 2009. Applications for reproduction should be made in writing to the Licensing Division, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich NR3 1BQ Fax 01603 723000, which is administering the copyright on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. Produced and published in Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body by RR Donnelley. CONTENTS Tuesday 5 May 2009 Col. NEW PETITIONS................................................................................................................................... 1729 Football Stadia (Safe Standing Areas) (PE1248) ............................................................................... 1729 Holiday and Party Flats (Regulation) (PE1249) ................................................................................. 1740 Sheltered Housing (Self-funded Tenants) (PE1245) .......................................................................... 1750 Smoke-free Mental Health Services (Consultation) (PE1246)............................................................. 1751 Scottish Courts (McKenzie Friends) (PE1247) .................................................................................. 1753 CURRENT PETITIONS ............................................................................................................................ 1757 Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations (PE909) ..................................... 1757 Disabled Parking Bays (Improper Use) (PE1007) .............................................................................. 1757 Disabled Parking (PE1149).............................................................................................................. 1757 Sleep Apnoea (PE953) .................................................................................................................... 1758 Plants (Complaints) (PE984)............................................................................................................ 1761 Electricity Transmission Lines (Underground Cabling) (PE1087) ........................................................ 1761 Fire Service Boards (PE1147).......................................................................................................... 1762 Closed-circuit Television Provision (PE1152) .................................................................................... 1762 Free Public Transport (Under-16s) (PE1174) .................................................................................... 1763 A92 Upgrade (PE1175) ................................................................................................................... 1763 Permitted Development Rights (Port Authorities) (PE1202)................................................................ 1764 Bone Marrow Services (PE1204) ..................................................................................................... 1765 Public Transport (Equal Access) (PE1206) ....................................................................................... 1767 Robert the Bruce’s Castle Gardens (PE1209) ................................................................................... 1768 Bus Services (Rural Areas) (PE1215)............................................................................................... 1768 Enterprise Education (PE1216) ........................................................................................................ 1769 Licensing Reform (PE1217) ............................................................................................................. 1769 Clostridium Difficile (Public Inquiry) (PE1225) ................................................................................... 1770 Biological Data (PE1229)................................................................................................................. 1771 Public Service Contracts (National Framework) (PE1231).................................................................. 1772 NEW PETITIONS (NOTIFICATION) ............................................................................................................ 1777 PUBLIC PETITIONS COMMITTEE 8th Meeting 2009, Session 3 CONVENER *Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab) DEPU TY CONVENER *John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD) COMMI TTEE MEMBERS *Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab) *Nigel Don (North East Scotland) (SNP) *Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) *Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green) *Anne McLaughlin (Glasgow ) (SNP) *Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con) *John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP) COMMI TTEE SUBSTITU TES Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Christina McKelv ie (Central Scotland) (SNP) Nicol Stephen (Aberdeen South) (LD) *attended THE FOLLOWING ALSO ATTENDED : Andrew Bailey (Pars Supporters Trust) Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Sarah Boyac k (Edinburgh Central) (Lab) Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP) Margo Mac Donald (Lothians) (Ind) Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab) John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Deborah Paton (Pars Supporters Trust) Stanley Player Stephen Taylor (Pars Supporters Trust) CLERK TO THE COMMITTE E Fergus Cochrane ASSISTANT CLERKS Franc k David Linda Smith LOC ATION Committee Room 1 1729 5 MAY 2009 1730 Scottish Parliament necessarily guarantee ticket sell-outs now. Many factors are involved—the standing/sitting debate is only one factor to consider—but it is clear that we Public Petitions Committee need to draw supporters back to the game. Football has a major economic influence in Tuesday 5 May 2009 Scotland. It supports many businesses and jobs throughout the country and is therefore extremely [THE CONVENER opened the meeting at 14:00] important. New Petitions The Scottish Football Association’s licensing rules for member clubs impose minimum standards in all aspects of running a professional Football Stadia (Safe Standing Areas) club. They include the minimum 6,000-seat rule (PE1248) and the no-standing rule for Scottish Premier League clubs. Many clubs have put themselves The Convener (Mr Frank McAveety): Welcome into severe financial difficulty to comply with the to the eighth meeting in 2009 of the Scottish all-seated rule. They include our club, Kilmarnock Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee. I thank Football Club and Inverness Caledonian Thistle. I everyone for their attendance. We have received think that Falkirk FC is introducing a new third no apologies, but one member may be late stand as well. We saw the demise of Gretna FC because of another committee commitment. last year. That was partly due to the ground rules, I say to everyone in the room that all mobile which meant that it had to share with Motherwell phones and other electronic devices should be FC for a season. That certainly did not help its switched off. financial situation. Agenda item 1 is new petitions. We have five This time next year, clubs such as Queen of the new petitions to consider. Members have copies of South, Greenock Morton and Ross County could them and the supporting information in the papers be in contention for promotion to the SPL, and that were issued for the meeting. they might have to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds to upgrade their grounds. That is silly in The first petition is PE1248, by Stephen Taylor, these difficult economic times. Many of the seats on behalf of Dunfermline Athletic Supporters will never be needed, so what is the point of Society Ltd. The petition calls on the Scottish having them? Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to reintroduce safe standing areas at Scottish We believe that there has been a clear reduction Premier League football stadia to give professional in the general atmosphere at football matches. clubs the option of having seated or standing The tone tends to be lower and things tend to be a areas at their football grounds. I welcome to the bit quiet when everybody sits. I think that even old meeting Stephen Taylor, Andrew Bailey and firm fans would say that the atmosphere can be a Deborah Paton. John Park MSP has also bit flat in normal, run-of-the-mill games at indicated an interest in the petition. Parkhead and Ibrox, although it is not in UEFA champions league matches or when the old firm Stephen Taylor has two or three minutes to meet at those grounds. We were at Dumfries on speak to the key points in the petition. He can then Saturday. Queen of the South has one of the respond to questions from members of the largest traditional terracings in the country. It was committee. Andrew Bailey and Deborah Paton well populated and safe. should feel free to speak when appropriate. Safety is a major concern in the campaign. We Stephen Taylor (Pars Supporters Trust): On have been asked many questions about safety behalf of the Pars Supporters Trust, I thank the over the past three or four months. It is a bit of a committee for giving us an opportunity to speak to coincidence—an unhappy coincidence in some it. That opportunity has lifted our campaign’s respects—that our campaign has clashed with the profile and given us a boost. I hope that it will give 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. That us a good platform as we proceed. I also thank the has caused many questions about safety to be parliamentary support staff