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PE2012, on removing the need for follicle stimulating hormone blood tests before prescribing hormone replacement therapy, was lodged by Angela Hamilton. The petition calls on the Parliament to urge the Government to remove the need for FSH blood tests in women aged 40 to 45 who are experiencing menopause symptoms before HRT can be prescribed to relieve their symptoms and replenish hormone levels. It was last considered on 31 May last year, when we agreed to write to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and NHS Education for Scotland.

The Royal College for Obstetricians and Gynaecologists refers to expert advice from the British Menopause Society that, in accordance with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, follicle stimulating hormone blood tests should be considered but not required to diagnose perimenopause and menopause in women aged 40 to 45. NHS Education for Scotland has confirmed that the online learning package on menopause and mental welfare is being researched and written, and it expects the resource to be available to general practitioners and primary care practitioners by the end of this month.

We have also received a submission from the petitioner, which shares the experience of a patient seeking menopause treatment and support who felt forced to seek private medical care and faced further difficulties with follow-up care when their treatment was passed to their GP.

A number of organisations have responded, advancing some of the issues that are raised in the petition. Do colleagues have any suggestions or comments for action?

PE2014, on reverting to the appeals system that was used in 2022 for Scottish Qualifications Authority exams, was lodged by Elliott Hepburn on behalf of Moffat academy students. It calls on the Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to implement a revised SQA appeals process that takes into account evidence of the pupil’s academic performance throughout the year, particularly prelim results. We last considered the petition on 31 May last year. The SQA’s written response explains that, from 2014 to 2021, the appeals system mirrored the 2023 system in that it did not consider alternative evidence. It highlights that the appeals system in 2023 was developed following an extensive evaluation of the approach that was taken in 2022.

Separate from that, an examination of exceptional circumstances consideration service is available to pupils who are unable to sit exams or whose performance is affected by personal circumstance. Evidence suggested that the 2022 appeals service, which considered alternative evidence as part of the appeals process, was not fair to all learners and increased the assessment burden. The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills has indicated that the SQA has evaluated the 2023 arrangements and was expected to confirm the arrangements for 2024 before the end of last month.

Obviously, matters have moved on and I imagine that people are more concerned now with the appeals process that will apply in the year in which we are now considering exams. I do not know whether that was confirmed at the end of February. I am unaware of that fact, but I wonder whether colleagues have any suggestions in relation to the petition that is before us.

That has been my experience with constituents, as well, although the parking ban has not yet been enforced in my constituency, despite the excited interventions of Mr Greer, who is continually invoking the local authority to proceed. There are a number of streets where the application of the law means that emergency service vehicles are not able to access the street, which is a clear issue that could have been foreseen.

The other issue that makes this all the more difficult is the continual increase in the size of motor vehicles. I think, Mr Ewing, of the cars with wing mirrors in which you and I passed our driving test, and I think back, as a Ford dealer in those days, to the Ford Capri, the Ford Cortina, the Ford Escort and the Ford Fiesta—they would occupy half the space of a modern vehicle, both in length and width. It is not a surprise that, when vehicles park in the streets, there is no road left in the middle for anybody to drive through. Vehicles have certainly got a lot bigger—unnecessarily so, in my view—with a consequent impact on the road network and infrastructure that has to support them.

Having got that out of my system, we will proceed. Mr Choudhury, were you trying to come in? Do you drive a particularly big vehicle?

I suspect that there is no data yet, because it is very early. However, Mr Ewing is probably correct to suggest that we might anticipate a petition at some point in relation to the unintended—or, in some cases, intended—consequences of the legislation that has been imposed.

PE2069 is the final new petition today. The petition, which was lodged by Nicole MacDonald, calls on the Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to ensure the accuracy of evidence gathered by child welfare reporters by introducing a requirement that statements that are provided as part of their report are signed as a true account.

Ms MacDonald raises concerns that, where child welfare reports contain inaccurate or misleading information, individuals rely on their solicitor to challenge inaccuracies and, if the solicitor does not, there is the potential for the court to be misled when making its decision. The SPICe briefing highlights the Scottish Government’s 2016 guide to the child welfare report, which notes that the reporter should only ask for information that is relevant to the remit that the court sets. However, as the briefing also notes, if someone does not agree with something in the report, their solicitor should raise that with the court. It notes that the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 provides for a system of statutory regulation of child welfare reporters, although the detail of the regulatory regime is still to be determined, having been delayed, in the minister’s words, “by budgetary pressure”.

The Minister for Victims and Community Safety tells us that a working group on child welfare reports will be set up to inform any changes to current practice and the long-term policy on child welfare reporters. Although a previous working group rejected the suggestion that interviews with child welfare reporters should be recorded, the minister will ask the new working group to consider that point and make recommendations.

It is an interesting series of issues with interesting comments in response. Do members have any comments or suggestions for action?

We might also request that the group engages with the petitioner, if possible. Are colleagues content to close the petition on that basis?

Members indicated agreement.

Item 2 is the consideration of continued petitions, the first of which is PE2035, lodged by Alex Hogg, who joins us this morning at our request to give evidence on the petition, which we last considered at our meeting on 25 October 2023. The petition calls on the Scottish Government to officially recognise the legal control of abundant generalist predators as an act of conservation to help ground-nesting birds in Scotland. Mr Hogg is petitioning on behalf of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association and has indicated to the committee that he would like to make a short statement before we move to questions. Good morning, Mr Hogg. When you are settled and ready, over to you.

Thank you very much, Mr Hogg. That is very helpful. Thank you, too, for the submissions that you have lodged to the committee. I invite my colleague Fergus Ewing to lead the questioning.

I represent an urban constituency and my life has all been urban. I enjoy the countryside, but I have never had to live in the countryside or depend on it directly. At least, I probably depend on it directly, but I have an indirect appreciation of how I depend on it. I have read a couple of books that were given to me that say that there has been, almost, an evisceration of certain bird populations. I have two or three questions and I would be interested to hear your reflections on them given what has been an occupation and a vocation for life for you.

First, why have legislators and urbanites become so sentimental about foxes and other predators in the sense that they do not wish to see them controlled in an effective manner but, instead, see them as things to be nourished and treasured? Meanwhile, the species to which you refer seem to have an almost anonymous profile in the minds of people who pursue those objectives.

I think that you have broken new ground this morning, because I think that this is the first time that the Scottish Parliament has condemned Walt Disney. [Laughter.] I am sure that that is a headline in its own right. Are you saying that the Disney factor has created an artificial and slightly sentimental view of certain animals but not others?