Refund legal expenses for those acquitted of a crime
- 6 Signatures
Someone who has been acquitted in any criminal legal action should be put back in the same financial position as if they had never been arrested. This covers cases with and without legal aid.
Legal expenses should be reimbursed by the Scottish Government, who may wish to seek payments from third parties depending on the circumstances of the legal action.
Although someone may have lost earnings due to the legal process and experienced the distress of being wrongly accused of a crime, the reimbursement of legal fees would be a major factor allowing them to move forward.
The process of reimbursement would also act as a brake on further injustices happening to people who have had false accusations made against them.
My own scenario was that I was arrested in 2023. I was not entitled to any legal aid due to my employment and savings and was not permitted to represent myself. I was acquitted but there is no route for me to claim back my legal expenses of over £8,000.
Economic abuse can continue after separation when one party controls money, assets, disclosure, housing, or legal funding. In family proceedings, this can prevent the other party from getting advice, challenging non-disclosure, seeking protection, or negotiating a fair settlement.
UK evidence shows 1 in 7 women has experienced economic abuse from a current or former partner, and specialist evidence reports economic abuse in around 95% of domestic abuse survivor cases. Laws alone are not enough if financial control prevents survivors from accessing justice.
Legal aid may not provide a practical route to representation, and public funds should not be the default where family resources exist but are controlled by one party. A Legal Services Payment Order, as is used in England and Wales, would give courts a discretionary, evidence-based and proportionate tool to prevent financial control from blocking justice, while protecting children, families, courts and publicly funded legal support.
I believe that the UK Government systematically denies Scotland’s democratic mandates. To break this deadlock and ensure day-one security, the Scottish Parliament must use its committee powers to examine a strategy of "pre-building the state" to maximize public and international confidence. We urge the Parliament to convene an independent inquiry to assess how Scotland can bypass political self-interest and establish a codified, unalterable Written Constitution. This inquiry should evaluate the framework for embedding three vital pillars:
• Shadow Infrastructure: Pre-establishing a Scottish Treasury, a Central Bank, and a full revenue agency to manage all national taxation before transition;
• Electoral Reforms: Embedding compulsory voting and introducing strict term limits on regional List MSPs to ensure direct accountability; and
• Resource Protection: Legally mandating a Norway-style Sovereign Wealth Fund to permanently ring-fence our renewable energy and oil revenues.
The current system places the administration of mandatory charitable rates relief with local authority non-domestic rates departments operating in a revenue and enforcement culture. This leads to lengthy processes and enforcement action against volunteer-led charities qualifying for 80% mandatory relief under the Local Government (Financial Provisions etc.) (Scotland) Act 1962.
Moving to an independent, third sector-led process would allow assessments to be carried out with a better understanding of how voluntary organisations operate, reducing the burden on volunteering communities.
Volunteer Scotland’s April 2025 report shows formal volunteering in Scotland is in crisis. Administrative demands disproportionately burden volunteers who contribute during evenings and weekends, while local authorities use multiple paid officers. This creates unnecessary barriers for small volunteer-led charities.
CAMHS Staff Need Resources, Children Need Assessments
- 3,154 Signatures
A family member was referred to CAMHS Midlothian for an ADHD assessment on 22 March 2022 and triaged on 7 June 2022. More than four years later, he is still waiting for an assessment, with very limited communication from the service.
Following a complaint in 2025, I was informed by a senior CAMHS clinician that increasing demand, staffing shortages and insufficient resources were contributing to long waits for neurodevelopmental assessments. Despite being told the wait would likely be measured in weeks rather than months, he remains on the waiting list over a year later.
This is not solely about my family member. Their experience demonstrates a wider national problem affecting thousands of Scottish children and families. Long waits delay access to support and leave families without answers. Increased investment in CAMHS neurodevelopmental services is needed to reduce waiting times and improve access to assessments across Scotland.
Improve Gynaecology, Fertility, Early Pregnancy and Maternity Care in Scotland
- 451 Signatures
The existing early pregnancy and maternity care system in Scotland, which removes pregnancy care from GPs and mandates self-referrals, is inadequate, resulting in delays, preventable pregnancy losses, and instances of medical negligence all damaging the lives of expectant mothers and families.
In my experience, there appears to be a significant issue with the level of communication between different services and across health board boundaries. There also seems to be a lack of appreciation or awareness within services about any potential risk factors that should require increased diligence when supporting expectant mothers.
Delays in understanding and addressing any risks can have devastating consequences for expectant mothers. I would like to see these delays minimised through a triaging system and an effective and reactive auditing process. There should also be a role for GPs in co-ordinating the initial provision of services.
Across Scotland, significant concerns have been raised about children displaying neurodevelopmental behaviours, emotional dysregulation, and other behaviours that place themselves or others at risk. These children often face lengthy delays or repeated referral rejections before receiving an assessment and support.
Families can be left managing serious situations while being told their child does not meet the threshold for intervention. As a result, many children only receive support once they have reached crisis point.
These delays place additional pressure on families, schools, GPs, emergency services, and local authorities, and can force parents to seek costly private assessments.
A guaranteed neurodevelopmental assessment within six months for children where significant behavioural, emotional, or safety-related concerns have been raised would ensure earlier identification of needs, faster access to support, and better outcomes for children and families across Scotland.
Reduce MSP Salaries to the Median Scottish Full-time Income
- 26 Signatures
It became clear during the previous Parliamentary session that MSPs are detached from the lived experience of the nation, with their legislative agendas and priorities not matching the needs of the people of Scotland. As a former First Minister acknowledged, the overly generous pay causes a major perspective skew.
The £77,711 annual salary puts MSPs in the top 7% of UK earners, alongside those working in highly skilled professional jobs that require extensive formal qualifications and/or extensive practical experience. Yet, the MSP position requires neither qualifications nor work experience, has no binding workload, and comes with virtually no accountability, making such remuneration inappropriate.
The Scottish median full-time salary, corresponding to that of a band 5 NHS nurse, would seem more appropriate, and would make our MSPs invested in improving the living standard of the nation.
Capping the MSP salaries at the Scottish median would fund 129 band 5 NHS nurses.
Make Childcare Choice a Right in Scotland
- 634 Signatures
NDNA Scotland, parent campaigners and providers seek national action to make cross-border funded childcare a right. We believe not doing so undermines Funding Follows the Child, parental choice and provider neutrality.
Two local authorities, Edinburgh and West Lothian, have made decisions meaning children entitled to nationally funded childcare places who live outside the council area can only access places in council run nurseries, and cannot access private, voluntary, and independent nurseries. Removing parental choice has significantly impacted families. They have had to move children from trusted nurseries, separate siblings, change work patterns, and face extra costs. This means losing familiar relationships, routines and support at a crucial stage in children’s development. Around 100 families in West Lothian are affected, having chosen a nursery that met their child’s needs and family circumstances. These decisions show how council boundaries are limiting a national entitlement and risk a domino effect in other areas.
I am calling on the Scottish Government to tighten laws over parental access where the parent has been convicted of a child sexual or domestic abuse offence. The current legislative regime leaves the decision to the civil courts which can cause delay and distress and risk of immediate harm. The placing of an offender on the sex offenders register should mean automatic removal of parental rights. The rights and protections of children should come above the rights of the offender.
The Victims and Prisoners Bill in England and Wales aims to introduce stricter controls over the access of convicted sex offenders and domestic abusers have to their children. The Scottish Government should follow suit. If a person can be placed on the sex offenders register in the criminal court, it should also be possible to simultaneously remove parental rights preventing any immediate risk of harm only to be restored by application and approval in the civil courts.