There are a series of key weaknesses in the approach taken within the Equality and Human Rights Budget Statement: • The content does not adequately reflect the range of inequalities which have implications for budget decisions o Whilst it provides some limited examples of key decisions taken and their link to equality evidence, as stated in the document, these are not indicative of the wider range of decision making o The evidence presented is extremely limited and selectively included to provide brief validation of key aspects of the budget • CRER has consistently maintained that Scottish Government’s budget decisions require Equality Impact Assessment o Each budget is “a new or revised policy or practice”, and Scottish Government should be able to demonstrate how its budgetary decision making has paid due regard to the three needs of the general equality duty with regard to each affected protected characteristic group o In its current form, the Equality and Human Rights Budget Statement does not fulfil this obligation o As well as having a deleterious impact on how budgets meet the needs of minority ethnic people, failing to adequately Equality Impact Assess budget decisions opens up the possibility that these could be challenged through judicial review The lack of a robust approach to assessing equality impact results in a situation where evidence on inequality does not appear to have a meaningful influence on how spending under each consecutive budget is directed.