Green Alternatives to Incineration in Scotland

Convener of Public Petitions Committee replies to complaint by GAINS, 31 August 2011

David Stewart, Convener of the Public Petitions Committee, has sent the following reply to our complaint against the failure of the Committee to properly consider our petition for a ban on waste incineration. As you can see, Mr Stewart clearly sees no need to provide any sort of explanation for the Committee dismissing our petition in about 3 minutes flat.

Mr Michael Gallagher

33 Precinct Street

Coupar Angus

Perthshire

PH13 9DG

All correspondence c/o:

Public Petitions Clerks

Room T3.40

The Scottish Parliament

Edinburgh

EH99 1SP

Tel: 0131 348 5186

Type Talk Direct No. 18001 0131 348 5186

petitions@scottish.parliament.uk

31 August 2011

As you know, the Public Petitions Committee considered your petition at its meeting on 28 June 2011. I am aware that the clerk, on behalf of the Committee, contacted you after that meeting to notify you that the Committee had closed your petition. My clerk advised that although the Committee saw clear merit in some aspects of your petition, your call to “immediately ban the construction of new waste incinerators and large biomass burners, and shut all existing plants within 5 years” was, in the view of the Committee, unrealistic and unachievable.

I also know that the Clerk indicated that although the decision had been taken by the Committee to close the petition, the Committee would be willing to give consideration to any new petition you might wish to bring forward that concentrated on the other issues of monitoring emissions and accelerating the drive in Scotland to reduce and recycle.

In your email of 22 July 2011 to me and other Members you stated that you did not feel that you had been given a satisfactory reason for the Committee having closed your petition. I am sorry you feel this however the reason was simply that the Committee was not prepared to call on the Scottish Government to shut all existing waste incineration and biomass burning plants within five years.

I should say that in summing up at that meeting it was inaccurate of me to state that your petition was being closed on the basis of incompetence. I fully accept that your petition was competent. The decision to close the petition was not taken on the grounds of incompetence but on the basis that the view of the Committee was that it would just not be practical to call for the closure within five years as sought by your petition.

I know that the clerk has indicated a willingness to discuss with you how you might want to take matters forward and it may be that you will now wish to take that offer up.