The National Health Service (NHS), as an organisation, aims to provide comprehensive health services, which includes dental care. However, patients urgently require more choice when it comes to dental fillings specifically in molar teeth. Currently, the most commonly used filling material in the NHS is silver amalgam – a durable, yet aesthetically unpleasing option. Unfortunately, white composite fillings, which blend with the natural tooth colour and preserve more of the tooth structure, continue to be unavailable for back teeth.
[A 2009 World Health Organization report, ‘Future Use of Materials for Dental Restoration’] (https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/202500/9789241500647_eng.pdf?sequence=1), acknowledges the aesthetical advantage of composite over amalgam fillings. Furthermore, research published by King’s College London in 2017 indicated that 92% of UK adults prefer tooth-coloured fillings.
It's a major priority to respect patients' preferences and dignity in their healthcare experiences. Thus, we urge the Scottish Government to modify its policy to enable composite fillings on the NHS.
Keep private and work place pensions out of divorce
- 16 Signatures
I believe the state pension is on its way to being abolished, and not everyone wants to sign a prenuptial agreement or force their future spouse to sign it.
With the state pension age rising, it is looking likely that a young person is not going to receive a state pension, or retiring in their 90's. Workplaces automatically enrol people into workplace pensions, which are only paid by employees. No contribution is made by the partner. Young people as they get older will be relying on workplace or private pensions to be able to retire or take early retirement. If they marry and have a marital breakdown their spouse is automatically entitled to 50% of this unless there is matrimonial property for offsetting. Matrimonial property is considered as both individuals contribute to that. Why is a pension considered to be matrimonial property when only one person contributes to this?
Ban the use of toxic chemicals along our coasts
- Final Signatures: 38
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency currently licenses these chemicals to kill seaweed on jetties and slipways. In 2022 I discovered Edinburgh council was using a product labelled as "very toxic to aquatic life with lasting effects" to kill seaweed in South Queensferry. The council argued that the practice is required to reduce the slip risk for cruise ship passengers, a lucrative revenue source.
The product is banned by the Royal Yachting Association. When I notified the council thanked me and promised to replace the chemical with a safe alternative.
This year I discovered that the replacement, sodium hypochlorite, has very similar labelling and both carry the "Dead Fish" pictogram graphic.
Sodium hypochlorite is also labelled:
"causes severe skin burns and eye damage"
"may be corrosive to metals"
"contact with acids liberates toxic gas"
A ban is required because SEPA should not be licensing toxic products.
N.B. the Committee should therefore not take advice from SEPA on this matter.
Accelerate the implementation of bus franchising powers
- 3,479 Signatures
There is widespread consensus across the UK that the policy of bus deregulation (implemented in 1986) has failed to deliver the integrated and affordable public transport urgently required to meet climate targets and reduce inequalities.
[The new UK Government has announced plans for a Better Buses Bill, to “support every community [in England] to take back control of buses through franchising or public ownership”] (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-kickstarts-bus-revolution-as-she-promises-to-support-local-leaders-to-deliver-better-buses-up-and-down-the-country).
Due to severe delays enacting the franchising powers in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, Transport Scotland’s failure to support RTPs to use these powers, as well as cuts to RTPs budgets, Scotland now lags far behind England and [Wales in the process of re-regulation] (https://www.gov.wales/bus-reform-wales-our-roadmap-franchising).
We believe the requirement of an independent panel to approve proposals in Scotland is an unnecessary step, which risks wasting many more years and approx. £15million per RTP, if proposals are rejected. The legislation must be simplified to give the democratically-accountable RTP Boards the final say.
Ensure effective regulation and oversight of social care services in Scotland
- Final Signatures: 19
BetterCareScotland's data, based on the experiences of our over 3,000 members, together with publicly available information, indicate that the Care Inspectorate, and the bodies they regulate lack formal risk management, regulatory and analytical expertise to challenge when things go wrong for the vulnerable people in whose interest they have a statutory duty to act; and are not held to account for failing to identify risks to residents in poorly-resourced, commercially unviable independent care homes for older people that operate as 'closed cultures'.
This enables bad practice and encourages risk-taking by owners who are kept in business by their local council, leading to an inevitable decline in the quality of care. It also deters openness and candour when things go wrong.
We envisage an independent oversight body of social care regulation operating in real time to address the country's record of poor social care outcomes. This would also help reduce complaints to the SPSO, allowing the Ombudsman to more closely focus on its own extensive remit.
Conduct an independent review of childcare costs and availability in Scotland.
- 3,549 Signatures
The charity, Pregnant Then Screwed, conducted a survey looking at childcare in Scotland. Over 2600 parents responded, with 83.7% of parents saying their childcare costs are the same or more than their income. 71% of mothers, and 50% of fathers, say it doesn’t make financial sense for them to work. Our survey also found that 4 in 10 women in Scotland who have terminated a pregnancy say the cost of childcare was the primary reason for their decision.
It is time for the Scottish Parliament to look in depth at the early learning and childcare system in Scotland. Until we have a good understanding of why our childcare system is failing families, we will never have effective solutions.
Prohibit mobile phone use in Scottish schools
- 6,267 Signatures
There is a greater recognition of the harm of mobile phone use in schools, shown by a growing number of Scottish independent schools and some state schools prohibiting their use.
Government-led guidance prohibiting the use of phones during the school day has been introduced in France and England.
In a May 2024 staff survey in a high school in Moray:
* 79% said phones are a distraction to pupils
* 62% said misuse of phones disrupts learning
* 59% said phones create conflict between teachers and pupils
* 49% said phones are used to film teachers and pupils without consent.
Staff have written of the pull of the online world which is always on in a child’s pocket leading to severe loss in focus, the hostility with which teachers are met when attempting to challenge inappropriate phone use, and also of having to work with the fear of being filmed without permission and the footage uploaded onto the internet.
Fund early learning and childcare from 9 months
- 8,753 Signatures
Maternity pay ends after 9 months, which is when many women return to work. Many families need to pay for early learning/childcare for over 2 years and this is simply not an option for many others.
This cost often leaves many women having to give up work, and that leads to many families struggling to survive with mounting debt, stress and crossing over the poverty line.
We are asking the Scottish Government to implement funding for working families when their children reach 9 months of age, enabling more people to get back into work and have a better quality of life.
The SNP website has an extremely vague description of their plans for extending funding, but there are no dates or details on what their plans are.
In England, funding has become available for working families with children aged from 9 months old. We are asking them to take swift, decisive action and to implement the same policy.
Dogs Against Drugs has played an integral part in the seizure of drugs and cash which was destined for Shetland. Other organisations like Orkney Drugs Dogs could also benefit from expanded funding which come from the proceeds of crime.
Information from the Police Scotland Divisional Commander revealed that Dogs Against Drugs had a direct involvement in the seizure of £360,414 of drugs and £14,638 of cash in 2023 across 160 operations. In the previous year, £332,391 of drugs and £28,858 in cash were seized.
As well as detecting illegal and deadly drugs, the charity’s dog handlers visit schools across the isles to teach children about the dangers of drugs.
Dogs Against Drugs are now facing financial difficulty having fallen short of its annual £120,000 running costs by around a quarter. It has let go of one of its three handlers to save costs, meaning fewer opportunities to detect harmful drugs.
Distributing the proceeds of crime more fairly could help reduce these financial pressures.
Falkirk Council are seeking to plug a £65m deficit in their accounts over the next 5 years. They have allocated a significant proportion of the required savings, £40m, to Children’s Services and are proposing to finish the school week at 12:30 on Fridays to achieve £5.751m of this. However, this requires a reduction of school hours from 25 to 22.5 hours per week for Primary children and from 26.6 to 24.75 hours per week for Secondary education. This is 10% less than every other Primary school in Scotland, putting the children of Falkirk at a significant disadvantage compared to their peers. Over the course of a child’s formal education in a Falkirk school they would receive 52 weeks less teacher contact time, more than an entire academic year, and yet will be expected to achieve the same standards of grades.
Alongside the hugely detrimental effect on our children’s education, working families will suffer as hours, and thus family income, will have to be cut to accommodate this change.