Stewart Stevenson Praises the Public Petitions Process

Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banffshire & Buchan Coast, has this week congratulated the Scottish Parliament on their petitions process.

Speaking in a Scottish Parliament debate entitled: Review of the Petitions Process, Mr Stevenson said:

“I have found myself engaged with the Public Petitions Committee, sitting alongside many of my constituents. I cannot think that a single one of them who has come here has been other than delighted with the opportunity to put their case to Parliament, if not always equally delighted with the outcome”

Mr Stevenson went on to highlight the importance of looking at Public Petitions committee process from an external rather than internal view, he said:

“There is always a danger, when we are looking at our processes, that we will focus on our internal view of how successful they are in a parliamentary context, whereas the reality is that we should look at such processes from an external point of view and ask, 'How does this serve the people of Scotland?'”

Mr Stevenson finished by praising the role of the clerks in helping people to come before the committee with a petition:

“We cannot overestimate the value of the clerks in helping people who approach the committee with an idea for a petition. The clerks help to turn those ideas into something that enables a petitioner to come before the committee and speak to their petition with confidence, knowing that it is properly constructed and proposes something that the Parliament can do”