Summary:
23 February 2005: The Public Petitions Committee heard from Caroline Paterson and Ian Paterson and agreed to write to the Scottish Executive, Scottish Power, Scottish and Southern Energy and the Human Radiation Effects Group of the University of Bristol and to seek independent advice on the implications of underground cables. Link to Official Report 23 February 2005
8 September 2005: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to write to the Minister for Health. Link to Official Report 8 September 2005
8 February 2006: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to write to the Deputy Minister for Health and to invite the views of the petitioner on the previous responses received. Link to Official Report 8 February 2006
6 September 2006: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to await the final report of the SAGE working group before deciding what further action to take in relation to this petition. Link to Official Report 6 September 2006
4 December 2007: The Committee agreed to seek responses to the issues raised in the petition from the Scottish Government, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, Health Protection Scotland and SEPA. Link to Official Report 4 December 2007
19 February 2008: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government to clarify how the principle of precautionary approach is being adopted by local planning authorities when considering application for new developments close to overhead power lines, what analysis it has made of the broad conclusions being formed through available national and international scientific research, whether its guidance, for example to local authorities, on this reflects the best available research analysis and whether it will bring forward statutory measures to address this matter. Link to Official Report 19 February 2008
24 June 2008: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government asking how it will ensure that the principle of precautionary approach is being adopted by local planning authorities when considering application for new developments close to overhead power lines and whether and when it will undertake analysis of the broad conclusions being formed through current and available national and international scientific research. Link to Official Report 24 June 2008
16 December 2008: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government seeking a response to the specific points raised during the meeting. Link to Official Report 16 December 2008
3 March 2009: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government and the Health Protection Agency seeking a response to the specific points raised during the meeting. Link to Official Report 3 March 2009
19 May 2009: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government and the Health Protection Agency seeking further responses to specific points. Link to Official Report 19 May 2009
1 December 2009: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government seeking responses to specific points. Link to Official Report 1 December 2009
9 February 2010: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government seeking a response to specific points. Link to Official Report 9 February 2010
4 May 2010: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government seeking a response to specific points. Link to Official Report 4 May 2010
7 September 2010: The Committee agreed to consider the petition further once Scottish Power has published its Stirling Visual Impact Mitigation Scheme report. Link to Official Report 7 September 2010
23 November 2010: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government seeking a response to specific points. It also agreed to seek information about schemes in the Netherlands and London. Link to Official Report 23 November 2010
8 March 2011: The Committee agreed to invite, in its legacy paper, the Session 4 Public Petitions Committee to give further consideration to this petition. Link to Official Report 8 March 2011
15 November 2011: The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 on the grounds that the Scottish Government had previously confirmed that, in the light of the report of the Beauly-Denny power line inquiry and the conclusions of the Technical Assessor, it did not consider that a specific review of planning policies was necessary. Further, the Scottish Government had re-stated its position that the proposal complied with existing UK Government guidelines on electromagnetic fields. The petitioner participated in the UK Stakeholder Advisory Group on ELF-EMFs (SAGE) to which the Scottish and UK Governments submitted a joint response and the Health Protection Agency had been asked to keep the issue of potential health impacts under review. Link to Official Report 15 November 2011
Written Submissions: