The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee will conclude its work this Parliament in March 2026 ahead of the next Scottish Parliament election. So the Committee has time to complete its work, it has agreed not to consider petitions submitted after 10 October.
The Committee will continue to meet but given the volume of petitions and agreed work programme it is unlikely that the Committee would be able to meaningfully progress work on petitions submitted after 10 October ahead of the election. Petitions lodged after this date will not fall when the Parliament is dissolved and will be for the successor committee to consider in the new session.
If you are seeking urgent action or policy change please contact one of your 8 MSPs or the Scottish Government directly.
Closed petition PE2088: Help eliminate cervical cancer through improved and at home HPV testing
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to help eliminate cervical cancer for woman and those with a cervix in Scotland by introducing at home HPV (human papillomavirus) self-sampling to enhance the smear testing programme, helping to increase the uptake and accessibility of smear testing.
Background information
While I was going through treatment for cervical cancer, I started to look into the smear programme and how we could improve it in Scotland to make smear testing easier and more accessible.
The uptake is at an all-time low and we need a testing programme that catches the disease at a pre-cancerous stage, helping woman and those with a cervix avoid harsh, life-changing cancer treatments. The Minister for Public Health & Women's Health Jenni Minto supports this.
I previously started a petition on change.org, which has gained over 2200 signatures.
Monica Lennon MSP shared my story during a debate on Cervical Cancer Prevention Week 2023.
I contributed to the discussion on cervical cancer prevention at the CPG on Women’s Health meeting on 25 January 2023.
This petition was considered by the Scottish Parliament
1,861 signatures