Equal Opportunities Committee, 07 Nov 2000

Meeting date: Tuesday, November 7, 2000

Official Report 196KB pdf

---

Equalities Checklist

For the benefit of new committee members, we have agreed that we will produce a research proposal for mainstreaming equality in the Scottish Parliament. However, we also agreed that because that will take some time, as a temporary measure we would have a mainstreaming checklist, which we could ask other committees and the Parliament to have regard to. Members have copies of the draft research proposal. We agreed to submit a bid for funding. Does any member have any questions on that?

Members indicated disagreement.

Does the committee agree to that proposal?

Members indicated agreement.

Do all members have the paper relating to the checklist? Are there any questions on that?

Members indicated disagreement.

I realise that members will not have had time to examine the paper, so I ask the clerk to explain it.

The committee wanted to go forward with a more detailed investigation on the bid, using external research. At the previous meeting concern was expressed about what we should do in the meantime. I have used a paper by the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Commission for Racial Equality—which was circulated to members last year—as the basis for some interim arrangements. That paper is included as an annexe to the paper that has been circulated to members.

The clerks would like to know whether members are happy for the questions that are listed to be used by other committees and areas of the Parliament as the basis for considering equalities issues in a more structured way and, if so, how they would like to implement that.

There are two options. The first is to publish a proper committee report that is based on the checklist and to debate that report in Parliament. The second option is to wait to see whether our bid for research funding is successful. If it is, we will be able to make proper recommendations—once the research is completed—which can be debated in the Parliament. In the interim, the convener may want to write to other conveners to inform them of the committee's current advice and that something more substantial will be produced later. The committee needs to decide between those two options.

I have already indicated to the conveners group that at some point we will want a half-day of committee business in Parliament to discuss the final checklist. I am happy to write to conveners to ask them to build the existing checklist into their work as an interim measure. Are members happy with that?

Members indicated agreement.

I will write to the other conveners on that. We have already made a bid for a half-day for committee business.