Ensure abortion services are available up to 24 weeks across all parts of Scotland
- 6 Signatures
I previously called for this action as part of [petition PE1969: Amend the law to fully decriminalise abortion in Scotland] (https://petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE1969), and feel that this aspect was not responded to by the Scottish Government during the consideration of that petition.
Recent media reports suggest that there is only one doctor in Scotland who is trained to provide surgical abortions up to the legal limit, which is forcing vulnerable people to travel to England to end their pregnancies.
STV news have reported that “the number of women and girls travelling to England from Scotland for abortion care has been rising – going from 42 in 2021 to 65 in 2022 and 68 in 2023. By April this year, 26 women were already forced to make the journey”.
Funding for general practice has always been too low for service provision and currently sits at 8% of the total NHS Scotland budget, while accounting for approximately 80% of the work done in healthcare provision.
The impact of poor funding is multifaceted and adversely affects areas of socio-economic deprivation, like Drumchapel, as well as highland and rural areas. This causes widening health inequalities and poorer health outcomes for communities.
Many primary care buildings are well overdue renovation or complete replacement throughout the country, and often hospital buildings get preference for capital funding.
Improving the building stock of general practice, by ensuring enough treatment rooms that meet health and safety and infection control requirements, will significantly improve appointment availability. Better community health, as well as having a positive impact on presentations to emergency departments, is much easier to achieve as a result.
While on the waiting list myself, I discovered that post mastectomy (delayed) breast reconstructions were stopped in the UK during COVID restrictions in 2020 and that there is still a long waiting list for this procedure. The information about waiting times is not clear when patients are told that they have breast cancer and need a mastectomy. Patients can still opt for a delayed reconstruction not knowing that it could take years or never happen at all!
It’s a disgrace and the Scottish Government needs to address the waiting time for delayed reconstructions immediately. Communication with patients about waiting times must be improved to make sure they are aware of the realistic timeline for undergoing this procedure.
The Scottish Government’s vision is for Scotland to have the best air quality in Europe. Progress has been made to meet the legal limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), with 2022 being the first year, excluding lockdown years, Scotland has not breached the limits. Local authority reports in 2023 showed all automatic monitoring sites recorded NO2 and PM2.5 under the limits of 40 µg/m^3 and 10 µg/m^3 – the legal limits enacted in the Air Quality Standards (Scotland) Regulations 2010, based on the 2005 World Health Organisation (WHO) air quality guidelines.
In 2021, [WHO produced updated air quality guidelines] (https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/345329/9789240034228-eng.pdf), which halved the previously recommended limits. Using the 2023 local authority annual reports, Asthma + Lung UK Scotland found that only 60 of the 85 automatic monitoring sites would meet the new 2021 guidelines for NO2 and 35 of the 82 monitoring sites would meet the guidelines for PM2.5.
Develop a new Digital Connectivity Plan for the Highlands and Islands
- 3 Signatures
The Scottish Government should introduce a new comprehensive Digital Connectivity Plan specifically designed for the Highlands and Islands.
Despite progress, rural and island communities still face significant broadband and mobile coverage gaps, impacting local businesses, healthcare, education, and quality of life. 25% of Shetland households experience speeds under 30Mbps, and mobile service is unreliable in many areas, reducing opportunities for growth and tourism. The upcoming retirement of copper phone lines by 2027 and the shutdown of radio teleswitch meters by 2025 adds urgency to the situation.
This petition urges investment in digital infrastructure, public-private partnerships, and regular progress updates to improve coverage and bridge the digital divide.
Enhancing connectivity will enable economic development, support remote healthcare services, and improve educational access, ensuring these communities can thrive in the modern economy.
The Witches of Scotland campaign highlights 3,837 people were accused of witchcraft in Scotland, with 84% being women. Granting posthumous justice to these victims acknowledges a dark chapter in our history driven by misogyny. This remains relevant today, given the increasing misogyny in our society and ongoing witch accusations and persecution in other parts of the world.
The [public consultation for Natalie Don’s proposed Member’s Bill] (https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/proposed-members-bills/final-consultation-summary--witchcraft-convictions-pardons-bill-proposal-withdrawn-1.pdf), gathered 1,443 responses, with 82% fully supporting the Bill. Those in favour highlighted that:
* Scotland should acknowledge and apologise for the errors of its past and honour those unfairly persecuted under the Witchcraft Act 1563.
* If passed, the proposed bill would convey a strong message of equality and opposition to misogyny in contemporary society.
* Enacting a pardon would send a powerful message globally to nations that continue to persecute individuals on grounds of alleged witchcraft.
Ms Don withdrew the proposal following appointment to the Scottish Government.
Permanently remove peak fare pricing from ScotRail services
- 735 Signatures
The recent trial abolishing peak fare pricing was a positive step towards making public transport more accessible and affordable. However, the short-term nature of the trial was insufficient to create lasting behavioural change or fully address the potential benefits of long-term fare reform. A permanent removal of peak fares would allow for a more sustained cultural shift, encouraging greater public transport usage and contributing to the broader goals of reducing car dependency, lowering carbon emissions, and promoting social equity across Scotland.
We urge the Scottish Government to recognise the economic, social and environmental benefits of permanently scrapping peak fare pricing on Scottish railways. The removal of peak fares would support fair and equal access to transportation, reduce financial pressure on commuters, and help achieve Scotland’s climate change goals by making public transport a more attractive option.
A new Woodland Creation Scheme received a grant of over £2.5m from Scottish Forestry within the Cairngorms National Park. At planning stage the agents stated that wooden droppers will be used to mark the new 27km deer fence, which help prevent birds being killed if they fly into the fence. However, bamboo canes, which are cheaper and less effective, were used resulting in black grouse being killed by flying into this fence.
Black grouse are a red-listed bird of serious conservation concern, numbers are declining rapidly.
Scottish Forestry are the regulators for this scheme but do not enforce certain issues which were agreed upon at planning stage. Work was supposed to stop by the end of March to save ground nesting birds from disturbance, but in 2023 and 2024 work continued into May. The list of non-compliance issues with this scheme is considerable, but there's not enough room to list them all here.
Review and restructure Scotland’s flood risk management approach and operations
- 89 Signatures
Climate change is real. Rainfall is rising. Flooding causes loss of homes, income, utilities and infrastructure. There is also irreparable damage to the environment, hidden costs to public services and infrastructure. People are affected by stress, health related issues.
The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act, 2009 and all manuals, guidelines, theories and structures associated with it are archaic and no longer relevant against current and predicted flood threats.
The system of flood risk management and flood alleviation is to approach flooding as a theoretical rather than a live and current threat. Those designing the systems appear distant and unaffected. The system is designed around flood warnings, not flood prevention, management, or alleviation. Communities are excluded from discussions and plans for flood schemes. A complaint is that bureaucrats obfuscate when submitting reports.
Our view is the current system needs a total review and revamp including inclusion of communities.
Run a targeted roadside litter awareness campaign
- 264 Signatures
We are members of various local environmental groups who regularly clear litter in Berwickshire. We have held regular meetings with Bear Scotland, Scottish Borders Council (SBC) and have had representatives of Transport Scotland and East Lothian Council attend. The issue is predominantly on the A1 which is obviously a main tourist route into Scotland. The litter in this area, and many other areas, is mainly caused by uncovered lorries, nearby farms, fast food outlets and landfill. We work closely with SBC and each volunteer has 'adopted' a lay by to try to keep clean.
We believe that companies should be aware of the impact of roadside litter and how their activities may be contributing to the problem. They should be made aware of the penalties for littering through an awareness campaign. The campaign could include signs on the roadside, targeted information letters, and targeted online advertisements.