Labour MSP Neil Findlay says this also affects too with hernia mesh and the committee must remember that.

Committee convener Johann Lamont says it would be useful to bring everything together including insight from MHRA.

Ms Lamont asks if anyone has opinions on what should be included in this.

SNP MSP Alex Neil says he is not a part of the committee but that he thinks opening the review outcome to public consultation would be worthwhile.

Tory MSP Michelle Ballantyne says all review group meetings should have been minuted and suggests asking about that.

Tory MSP Brian Whittle says there may be a culture of protectionism.

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Committee convener Johann Lamont thanks Elaine Holmes and Olive Mcllroy for appearing before the committee.

Ms Lamont says the committee will write a letter to the health secretary about accessing the up to date information on the government's website.

The Labour MSPs says there are broader issues about the way an independent review is conducted.

She says on the substantial issue of what happened on this process and whether women are any safer after the review.

The Labour MSPs says this is being watched around the world and a debate has been secured in the chamber.

Tory MSP Michelle Ballantyne asks if the conversation ever looked backwards instead of looking to the future.

Elaine Holmes says she asked about retrospective studies and were told it would take too long and too much money.

Ms Holmes says the entire review cost £4000 and there might have been a very different scenario had that money been spent.

She says she was told safety was not the remit of the review.

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Tory MSP Brian Wittle asks if the final report is void in their opinion

Elaine Holmes says yes and that is why they went to the cabinet secretary for help but she did not listen and published the report 11 days later.

She says: "We'd like to know why it was rushed, what was the hurry."

Elaine Holmes says she had three years of meetings.

Committee convener Johann Lamont asks if the witnesses were invited to contribute to the final findings.

Ms Holmes says there was a disagreement regarding whether or not there were new findings, she believed there was.

SNP MSP Alex Neil says she would have expected others to take guidance from the health secretary.

Mr Neil says he would also have expected all healthboards to take on the suspension.

The SNP MSP says a central delivery unit is needed to make sure the instructions of ministers are actually carried out.

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Elaine Holmes says when they met with Shona Robison she noted down that they wanted all their input removed from the review group report.

Ms Holmes says: "We were actually quite shocked with all the excuses and the blame."

Olive McIlroy says they are not sure who decided to include the input saying the chair said it was the health secretary.

SNP MSP Angus MacDonald says the committee has taken evidence from the MHRA in 2015 and their performance was poor to say the least.

Mr MacDonald asks if the witnesses have anything else to add in regard to chapter 6.

Olive McIlroy says one clinician on the review was bullied by the other three and forced to resign because he did not go along with the other three.

Ms McIlroy says another review is a waste of money and time and that the health minister should contact all patients in Scotland.

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Elaine Holmes says yes and says some meeting lasted for five hours and they came out of some meetings in tears.

Olive McIlroy says when they asked for concerns to be document in the minutes of meetings they were pooh poohed.

Ms Mcllroy says it was 20 against two and they would all sit as far away from them as they could.

Ms Holmes jokes: "Incontinence isn't catching either."

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Labour MSP Neil Findlay asks: "If this is not a whitewash what is?"

Mr Findlay says there is an oil tanker full of whitewash in this report.

The Health Committee convener says the world was watching Scotland and we flunked it.

He asks if the changes happened when the chair of the review group changed.

Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw says Ms Holmes has given evidence in Australia and asks if Scotland, who was a front runner in the process, has been compromised and what can be done about this.

Mr Carlaw asks if healthboards have now made the leaflets and information readily available in hospitals.

Elaine Holmes says Australia is forging ahead and are more organised in the process.

Ms Holmes says when Alex Neil was lost as health secretary things started to go "haywire".

She says there is no mesh information in hospitals and it is printed out if and when necessary.

Ms Holmes says the out of date information is still showing on the website.

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Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw says the petitioners feel they were duped and used as window dressing.

Olive McIlroy says they were both so shocked by the draft of the final report, saying Ms Holmes said she was nearly physically sick.

Ms McIlroy says concerns were totally brushed under the carpet in the final report.

Elaine Holmes

Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw asks if the witnesses were surprised that the MHRA were on the group in the first place.

The witnesses say they were surprised.

Mr Carlaw asks if the MHRA were "one of the principle cheerleaders" for the "pro-mesh lobby".

Elaine Holmes says she is not sure if they were the "principle cheerleaders" but that it was clear that some on the group did not change their minds unlike Dr Wael Agur.

Ms Holmes says those who didn't change their view were with the same healthboards that flouted the suspension.

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Mr Neil says he cannot see how the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency) can be independent when it is partially funded by those it is supposed to regulate.

The former health secretary says he was less than satisfied with his dealings with the MHRA, saying they were unprofessional and uncaring.

He says: "I don't think they care at all about Scotland."

Elaine Holmes says: "I find the MHRA totally frustrating as well as being a total wast of space."

She says MHRA continues to say only the benefits outweigh the risks.

Mr Neil says the failings of the MHRA are potentially endangering lives.

SNP MSP Alex Neil says the committee should email the health secretary regarding the website reflecting the leaflet.

"We should demand that this week," he says.

Mr Neil asks if the campaigners have had the opportunity to meet the professor who is reviewing the process and if the review group was meeting during the period where campaigners were "kept in the dark", if the campaigners were invited.

The witnesses say the professor has not been in touch and there were sub-meetings but that nothing was being published.

SNP MSP Rona Mackay asks about informed consent and asks about outdated information and the government leaflet.

Elaine Holmes says the 2014 leaflet is still on the Scottish government website whereas the leaflet that was developed by the review group in Scotland is available in England.

SNP MSP Rona Mackay asks who the pro-mesh lobby are.

Elaine Holmes says "lets just say Olive and I weren't" she says they were marginalised by medical professions.

Ms Holmes says they had to fight to get safety and mesh added to findings.

"We had to fight to get mesh added because they said tape is not mesh," she says.

Tory MSP Michelle Ballantyne says over 400 women have received mesh implants since the moratorium on mesh implants was introduced by Alex Neil.

Elaine Holmes concurs and says there are just over 400 women who have had the mesh implants.

Olive McIlroy says this was a joint statement and she also thanks Dr Agur.

"Mesh should be off the menu, it should be stopped right now,".

Elaine Holmes asks why the EU would consider putting these devices into the highest rating category if there was no case to answer.

Ms Holmes says the report's reference to this is "nonsense".

Elaine Holmes says: "We fully back Mr Neil's call for an international summit."

Ms Holmes calls on the commmittee to ensure the mesh suspension kept firmly in place.

She says: "Across the world the medical watchdogs have been useless."

The petitioner says there should be new medical watchdogs.

She concludes by saying: "Thank you for hearing our voice."