Question reference: S6W-26563
- Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 28 March 2024
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Current status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 April 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, when it is designing new policies, how it ensures that an assessment is made of any potential impact that a policy may have on older people.
Answer
The Scottish Government carries out Equality Impact Assessments on all new policies as required under the Equality Act 2010 and the associated Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). PSED requires public authorities to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations across all the protected characteristics, including age. These assessments draw upon existing research and data on equality issues, as well as the lived experience of those impacted. Specifically for older people, the assessments analyse and identify any potential impacts using evidence from relevant sources and direct feedback from older people's organisations.
Where relevant impacts on older people are identified through this evidence-based process, mitigating actions are carefully considered. The Scottish Government also directly engages with stakeholder groups representing older people, such as our trusted partners in the Older People’s Strategic Action Forum (OPSAF), to ensure their real-world views and experiences inform policymaking from the outset.