The common swift are migratory birds, returning from Africa to the same nest site each year, and are solely reliant on buildings for their breeding success.
Added to the UK Red List for conservation status in 2021, [nest site loss is a factor in UK swift decline of 62% since 1998] (https://www.bto.org/sites/default/files/publications/bbs_report_2022_v1.1.pdf)
Nest sites are unseen and lost at an alarming rate due to unsympathetic building upgrades, inadequate nest protection, and no requirement to survey within the planning process.
To reverse the decline, we must provide nesting opportunities in their thousands and retain existing key swift colonies.
Swift bricks are building compliant, BSI standardised, inexpensive, incorporate into all build types, maintenance free, and will also serve other building reliant species.
Including swifts in all building surveys would significantly reduce the loss of existing nesting colonies and would make a huge impact. A mandatory approach is the ONLY way to achieve this.
For decades, people in Nairn and surrounding areas have called for a bypass to take traffic from the A96 trunk road out of its town centre.
In 2011 the Scottish Government pledged to complete the dual carriageway network between all of Scotland’s cities – including the dualling of the A96 and Nairn Bypass, with a preferred route published in 2014.
In March 2024, Made Orders were published and the process for the acquisition of land required for the scheme started in May 2024.
At present there is no timeline for when the project is set to be delivered.
After more than a decade of delays, local communities continue to face worsening traffic congestion, pollution, and road safety risks.
With significant developments set to bring thousands of new residents and workers to the area, urgent action is needed to address these growing challenges which will further impact the livelihoods of communities affected.
Introduce a parking badge for pregnant women
- 26 Signatures
Too often pregnant women can return to a car park and find that the person that has parked next to them on the driver’s side has parked uncomfortably close, making it a challenge for them to get into their car.
I believe that the Scottish Government should provide pregnant women with parking passes that last until a few months after their pregnancy. This would allow the woman time to recover and get used to having a child in the car, providing them with both peace of mind and ease of use in this very stressful time.
Fair regulation for non-medical aesthetic injectors
- 5,297 Signatures
Non-medical aesthetic injectors play a vital role in Scotland's beauty and wellness industry, offering accessible cosmetic treatments such as Botox and dermal fillers. While safety is paramount, banning these professionals is neither a practical nor fair solution. Instead, introducing robust regulation would ensure a higher standard of care while preserving consumer choice and protecting livelihoods.
A complete ban risks driving treatments underground, where unregulated and untrained individuals could operate without oversight, significantly increasing risks to public safety. By contrast, regulation would mandate accredited training, ongoing education, and adherence to strict safety protocols, ensuring injectors have the necessary knowledge to perform procedures responsibly.
Proper regulation, not prohibition, fosters a safer, more equitable industry while retaining the diversity of expertise and affordability that consumers value. Let us prioritise improvement over exclusion.
Make non-fatal strangulation a standalone criminal offence in Scotland
- 2,129 Signatures
Non-fatal strangulation (NFS) is increasingly recognised as a severe form of domestic abuse. In June 2022, England & Wales made NFS a standalone crime, followed by Ireland in 2023. Scotland must urgently address the dangers posed by NFS. NFS is a significant predictor of homicide in abusive relationships, with victims being 8 times more likely to be killed. The act can cause brain damage, organ failure, mental ill health, and death. Victims often describe NFS as a near-death experience, with 80% suffering lasting impacts. Women are disproportionately affected, with a 2024 review showing that 81% of NFS victims were women, and 97% of perpetrators were male. The introduction of NFS legislation in England & Wales has revealed the extent of this crime. Between June and December 2022, 8,375 NFS offences were reported, with 971 charges. These figures reflect the prevalence and urgency of addressing this form of abuse. Scotland must follow the example set to protect women and girls by making NFS a standalone crime.
Make it illegal to remove all the hair from a horse’s tail
- 41 Signatures
The tail is an extension of the horse's spine, made up of two parts: the dock, the skin and muscles covering the vertebrae; and long hairs (the skirt) that fall below the dock. It is a vital part of the horse’s anatomy serving several functions: balance and temperature regulation, pest deterrence, and communication of the horse’s mood.
The practice of completely docking a horse’s tail was banned in 1949.
Many horse breeders try to present their horses in a “historic manner”. As they cannot dock the tail, they remove all the hair from the tail, leaving the bare stump. That practice is cosmetic and can cause the horse stress, as well as exposing the horse to, or hiding, other conditions.
An alternative to removing tail hair is braiding which keeps the hair out of harm's way and can be undone easily allowing the tail to function as it should.
Make publicly owned buildings accessible for people with colour blindness
- 55 Signatures
Colour blindness, mainly an impaired ability to distinguish between red and green, affects about one in twelve Scottish men and one in two hundred women. Despite this frequency very little if anything has been done to make life easier for colour blind people, indeed things are slightly worse. For example, once the signage on public toilet doors was 'vacant' or 'engaged' but now it is usually red or green and the recent proliferation of unisex toilet cubicles drives men to use cubicles when before a urinal in a men only toilet would have been used. Hospitals use red and green lines to direct patients and graphs on government documents use colour to differentiate trends.
Just a few examples.
Ensure abortion services are available up to 24 weeks across all parts of Scotland
- 916 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.
MSPs continue to ignore Parliament’s motion of 26.09.2012: “Parliament acknowledges the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine the form of government best suited to their needs and declares and pledges that in all its actions and deliberations their interests shall be paramount”
The First Minister recently stated “I have complete faith in the People of Scotland to take the right decisions about their future. If we give them the tools, they can build whatever country they want” (SNP 2024 Annual Conference)
This petition provides access to such tools - direct Political Rights (e.g. Initiatives and Referendums) applicable to devolved legislation. Access to other ICCPR rights would allow the People to guide nation-building.
The Scottish Human Rights (HR) Commission has stated “The Scotland Act 1998 requires both the Scottish Parliament and Government to observe and implement all the UK’s international HR obligations” (4th Feb.2024 Report to the UN HR Committee, page 15)