Local Government and Communities Committee, 23 Apr 2008

Meeting date: Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Official Report 224KB pdf

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Mainstreaming Equal Opportunities

Item 5 is on mainstreaming equal opportunities. The convener of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee has written to all committees on whether committees should be obliged to report periodically on how they have built equalities considerations into their work. I invite members to consider the letter and to agree a response.

I think that we should make such reports.

There are two issues. First, should we incorporate reference to this aspect of our work into our annual reports? I have no objection to our doing so, as I think that the committee takes equal opportunities matters properly into account. Secondly, do we support a change in standing orders to make that a statutory requirement binding on all committees of the Parliament? I am not disposed to changing the rules to that end. There is no need for us to do so—we should just follow existing good practice.

The problem is that bad practice is developing in committees. We may need to discuss the issue further, as there are already examples that concern me. We are awaiting an equality statement from the Government on what was agreed at the turn of the year. The Government decided to declutter the landscape by merging the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland with the Public Transport Users Committee for Scotland, without subjecting the decision to an equality impact assessment; it is now carrying out such an assessment.

When we ask questions about policy development, scrutinise the Government's work and conduct inquiries, we should be alive to the fact that we need to raise equal opportunities issues. At our round-table session on child poverty, we discussed whether poverty impacts differently on different groups. Whether we need to change the rules is a judgment call, but we should discuss the issue. The Equal Opportunities Committee could give us further advice on the matter. The committee seems to be suggesting that unless we—by which I mean all committees—are required to take equal opportunities into account, we will not do so. If that is the judgment of the Equal Opportunities Committee, I would support obliging committees to report on their work in the area.

Remarkably, I agree with every word that Johann Lamont has said.

That looks like a consensus that is binding on us. We accept the Equal Opportunities Committee's recommendation.

That ends committee business for today. I thank members for their attendance and participation.

Meeting closed at 11:45.