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.
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Under consideration PE2161: Extend the time period for complaints through the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman for neurodivergent people to two years
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to amend the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Act 2002 to allow for a two-year complaints period for people with cognitive disabilities.
Background information
I applied for a time extension from the SPSO believing I would get a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act on account of my neurodivergence and was rejected. I am aware of similar issues and anxieties from my local autism community and local services, where I have established that this practice is quite common.
Many neurodivergent people struggle with executive functioning, including adhering to strict deadlines. The time restriction creates an unfair barrier to justice, preventing valid complaints from being heard. We are being excluded from the SPSO by design. Allowing additional time for us would promote accessibility, fairness, and equal treatment under the law.
The SPSO has no record of what types of disabilities are granted ‘exceptional circumstances’. I feel their policy is unreliable. I don’t think the service is transparent or understands the massive impact being ‘timed bar’ has on the neurodivergent community. My intention is to have a Scottish wide protection of inclusion to stop this practice.
54 signatures
This petition is now under consideration
Click here for further information about the consideration of this petition.