This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Homelessness strategy shared with Europe
02/11/2003
The advances whichScotlandhas made in dealing with homelessness will be
discussed today at a major European conference on social
rights.
Minister for Communities Margaret Curran will be
inParisto speak to a gathering of her European counterparts,
at the request of the Council of Europe and the French
Government. The Minister will share the progressive work
achieved by the Scottish Executive in the field of
homelessness over the last four years.
Ms Curran will also meet the French Secretary of
State for Combating Social Exclusion, Mme Domenique
Versini, to share their experiences of tackling the
causes and consequences of homelessness.
Speaking ahead of the conference, Ms Curran
said:
"In the past four years, the Scottish Executive has
achieved much to be proud of. We have introduced
new laws which give every homeless person extensive new
rights to accommodation and support, setting us ahead of
many other areas of
Europein this area.
"I am very much looking forward to sharing our
policies with my European colleagues, and to learning from
their experiences. By sharing our best ideas, we can
continue to make a real difference to lives inScotlandand acrossEurope."
The conference, which is being convened by the
Council of Europe and theFrench Government is entitled "Access to Social
Rights: combating exclusion and reducing inequality". Other
speakers include: Mme Dominque Versini (Secretary of State
for Combating Social Exclusion); Ms Gabrielle
Battaini-Dragoni (Director General of Social Cohesion of
the Council of Europe); Mr Gerry Mangan (Director of the
Office for Social Inclusion,Ireland); Ms Lidija Apohal Vuckovic (Secretary of State for
Social Affairs,Slovenia); Dr Lawrence Gonzi (Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister for Social Policy,Malta).
Margaret Curran will speak to the conference at 1430
onMonday 3 November 2003.The conference takes place at Maison de la
Chimie, Paris.