...now go away.
Incredibly, the following is a response from one of our Members of Scottish Parliament. If you think that they "work for you", you are delusional. It seems that they are NOT public servants, they are instead, Judge, Jury and Executioner.
I know what she wrote, and so will you when you scroll down, but this is what I read:
"I have ignored the considerable evidence you have presented. Yes, businesses are closing down at an alarming rate, and the very social fabric of Scotland has been ripped apart, but I could not care less if I tried. We will, in all probability, NOT review the legislation within the next four years. We will do nothing pro-active, we will not attempt to restore a fair and healthy balance, we will NOT attempt to save those businesses that will shut down between now and 2011. We have spoken. Stop making waves and get with the programme".
This letter, received today, will be her undoing. We will make it so.
The Scottish Parliament
Health and Sport Committee
Dear Mr Gibson 6 November 2007
TREATMENT OF PETITIONS PE1037 AND PE1042
Thank you for your letters of 29 October and 1 November.
Whilst I note your comments on how the Health and Sport Committee handled these two petitions, I cannot agree with your request for the Committee to ”reconsider" the decision it reached at its meeting of 12 September that the Committee consider the petitioners' points when undertaking any post legislative scrutiny of the Act which introduced the ban. I believe this to be a fair decision.
I would with respect suggest that to embark on a major piece of work such as post‑legislative scrutiny 19 months after legislation has come into force is extremely premature. For post‑legislative scrutiny to be effective, a reasonable amount of time must elapse so the impact of the Act can be observed. A major exercise like this is not taken lightly and takes several months to complete as the Committee must allow time for submissions of evidence from interested parties to be made and for the issues from all sides of the argument to be heard when the Committee takes evidence in public. I hope that the Committee will be able to take such in‑depth inquiry before the end of the current parliamentary session in 2011.
On that basis, I consider this matter closed for the time being and will not be entering into further correspondence.
Yours sincerely,
Christine Grahame
Convener
Health and Sport Committee
cc: Petitioners
Frank McAveety MSP ‑ Convener, Public Petitions Committee
Health and Sport Committee, The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh EH99 1SP
0131 348 5210 healthandsport@scottish.parliament.uk
