Equal Opportunities Committee, 07 Nov 2000
Meeting date: Tuesday, November 7, 2000
Official Report
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Travelling People
The next agenda item is an update on our inquiry into travelling people and public sector policies.
I confirm that Delia Lomax, who was first on the list of preferred candidates, has been appointed to advise the committee on its inquiry.
The Scottish Gypsy Travellers Association and Save the Children have expressed concern that they were not consulted before the committee made that appointment. The committee has discussed at least twice the fact that we are not happy with the method of appointing advisers to committees. I raised that with the committee of conveners and the matter is being examined so that a method can be devised that is more in line with equal opportunities policies. The Scottish Gypsy Travellers Association and Save the Children have written to me and I will make their letters available to committee members. I will respond to those organisations to advise them of the position.
Delia Lomax is a research fellow at the school of planning and housing at Edinburgh College of Art and Heriot-Watt University. She has also recently completed a research report on Travellers entitled, "Moving On: A Survey of Travellers' Views". If the committee agrees, I will ask the clerk to invite Delia to attend a committee meeting as soon as possible, so that we can discuss the inquiry with her. Do members have any questions or comments?
Convener, can you clarify whether the concern that was raised by Save the Children and others was simply that they were not involved in the appointment of an adviser?
Those organisations expressed concerns before they knew who was to be appointed. They expressed absolutely no concern about the appointment of Delia Lomax and I am sure that they are happy enough with her appointment. They felt that we should have consulted them before appointing an adviser, but, given the procedures that have been adopted by the Parliament for appointing advisers, it was not possible to do so.
I met Benny Wilson, who is the travelling people's representative for Argyll and the Highlands. I spent two or three hours with him and listened to what he had to say. I can report back on that meeting at any time.
Jamie will report back to the committee on that meeting at an appropriate time.
Meeting continued in private.
Meeting continued in public.