Official Report 303KB pdf
Agenda item 3 is consideration of a paper from the clerk on mainstreaming equalities in the work of the Scottish Parliament.
I think that the current system has worked satisfactorily.
I do not have any problems with the recommendation in the paper. Are members content to continue with the existing arrangement of publishing an annual equalities report? I think that that would be expected of all the Parliament's committees. Should the production and publication of that report be formalised through a rule change in the standing orders?
Is that necessary?
That is for the committee to determine. Do members have any strong views on the matter one way or t'other?
We discussed what approach should be taken in the Health and Sport Committee and decided that committees should be asked to publish a report. If they did not comply with that request, perhaps a formal rule change could be considered, but we thought that that should not be done immediately. Rather, we thought that committees should be given the chance to comply voluntarily.
Okay. So there should be autonomy for the committees. We do not wish the production of equalities reports to be formalised, but we will produce them as a matter of practice. I will prepare an appropriate letter to the convener of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee.