Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

1. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take item 4 in private. 2. Consideration of continued petitions: The Committee will consider the following continued petitions— PE1859: Retain falconers' rights to practise upland falconry in Scotland; PE1953: Review Education Support staff roles; PE1976: Backdate council tax discounts for dementia to the date of GP certification; PE2021: Ensure the definition of protected animals in the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 applies to the sheep on St Kilda; PE2028: Extend the concessionary bus travel scheme to include people seeking asylum in Scotland; PE2074: Increase local government funding to help protect the vulnerable elderly population and prevent the closure of care homes; PE2075: Prioritise local participation in planning decisions; and PE2087: Pass a law making exercising a dog in a cemetery an offence. 3. Consideration of new petitions: The Committee will consider the following new petitions— PE2133: Expand ScotRail’s Inter7City routes to include Dunfermline; PE2134: Introduce legislation to make it a requirement for swift bricks to be installed in all new developments in Scotland, and include swifts in building surveys; and PE2136: Make non-fatal strangulation a standalone criminal offence in Scotland. 4. Work programme: The Committee will consider its work programme.