The next petition for consideration, PE1733, which was lodged by Peter Ritchie on behalf of the Scottish Food Coalition, is on the human right to adequate food. The petition calls for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to make the right to food part of Scots law.
I welcome Sarah Boyack MSP and Elaine Smith MSP, who have an interest in the petition.
The right to adequate food is an aspect of article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, all of which the United Kingdom has signed up to.
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The Scottish Government’s “Programme for Scotland 2019-20” includes a number of statements on human rights. It says that the national task force for human rights leadership
“will continue its work to establish a legislative framework for a Scottish Bill of Rights”,
which will be preceded, by the end of the current session of Parliament, by legislation to incorporate in Scots law the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In December 2018, the Scottish Government consulted on proposals for legislation on the good food nation policy. The consultation document stated:
“The option of exploring a right to food which is directly enforceable as a matter of Scots law has not been ruled out. It is best considered, however, as part of the wider work on incorporation currently being done by the First Minister’s Advisory Group on Human Rights Leadership.”
We have had correspondence from Rhoda Grant, who has expressed an interest in the issues to which the petition gives rise, which will be highlighted by her colleagues.
At this point, it might be useful for our consideration of the petition if I ask Elaine Smith and Sarah Boyack to make their contributions, after which we can have a discussion.