Question reference: S6W-07629
- Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 23 March 2022
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Current status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Keith Brown on 24 March 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with the consideration of a Parades Commission for Scotland.
Answer
Today I am announcing the establishment of the independent ‘Facilitating Peaceful Assemblies in Scotland: Procedures and Best Practices – Short Life Working Group’ which brings together a small number of experts with backgrounds in marches, human rights, community engagement and mediation/dialogue.
The working group will consider what can be learned from other models used in relation to the regulation of marches and parades including, but not limited to the Parades Commission in Northern Ireland, and consider whether any of this learning can be usefully adapted and applied in Scotland to improve the regulation of marches and parades.
The remit for the working group is:
To identify any challenges that are involved in the running of marches and parades and the notification process in Scotland to achieve the right balance between the human rights of organisers/participants with those communities impacted by these events. To consider how these challenges could be addressed, and the practical implications of making any changes, and make recommendations based on these .
The members of the working group are:
- Professor Dominic Bryan, (Chair) Professor at the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics, Queens University Belfast;
- Lorraine Gillies, Chief Executive Scottish Community Safety Network;
- Graham Boyack, Director of Scottish Mediation;
- Dr Michael Hamilton, Associate Professor in Public Protest Law, School of Law, University of East Anglia.
The working group will provide their initial report to me by summer and I will update the Scottish Parliament on any actions I propose to take in response to this report.