The Scottish Government

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SECTION ONE: THE EQUALITY STRATEGY

Introduction

We know that it will take a long time to remedy the inequalities and injustices experienced by many in our society. However, we have a responsibility to do what we can now to make a difference and to make real improvements in people's life experiences in the long term. The Equality Strategy entitled Working Together for Equality published in November 2000 sets out how we intend to do this.

This report, Making Progress, charts the progress which the Scottish Executive is making with the Equality Strategy. It complements the preliminary report published in November 2001.

Working in Partnership

There have been significant advances on equality across a range of policy areas. Progress would not have been possible without the work of the statutory and representative equality bodies, the input from many organisations with an interest in equality and the efforts of committed individuals. It would have been less effective without the positive engagement of the Scottish Parliament and its Equal Opportunities Committee.

The Scottish Executive has worked closely with a wide range of external bodies over the last two years. In particular we have welcomed the establishment of the Equality Co-ordinating Group (ECG) the membership of which is the Equal Opportunities Commission, Disability Rights Commission, Commission for Racial Equality, Equality Network, Scottish Interfaith Council and Age Concern. Officials from CoSLA, the Parliament's Equal Opportunities Committee and the Scottish Executive attend the meetings. The ECG has been instrumental in providing a strategic approach to a number of key equality issues not least the current consultation around the new equality machinery. It has helped the co-ordination of equality work in Scotland and has been able to provide useful input to the development of policy, legislation and guidance.

Throughout the report there are references to collaborative working and examples of partnership working. We value this approach and will continue to work in this way in the future. Finding the solutions and making a difference is not just a matter for the Executive. Equality is everyone's responsibility.

Devolution and Equal Opportunities

As part of the devolution settlement, the Scotland Act 1998, kept the power to legislate on equal opportunities with the UK Parliament. However, the Scotland Act made two important exceptions to this. It gave powers to the Scottish Parliament to encourage equal opportunities and to place duties on Scottish and cross-border public bodies to have due regard to existing equal opportunities legislation in their work in devolved areas. Most public policy affecting the daily lives of people in Scotland is devolved. For example, the Scottish Parliament can legislate on housing, education, transport, local government, economic development, justice and health.

The definition of equal opportunities in the Scotland Act is very wide. The Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Executive therefore have scope to improve the opportunities for a wide range of interests.

Scottish Parliament and Equal Opportunities

The Scottish Parliament, as a key principle, recognises the need to promote equal opportunities for all in its operation and its appointments. This commitment to equal opportunities underpins the work of the Parliament.

Under the Parliament's Standing Orders all legislation proposed by the Executive must be accompanied by a statement of its impact on equal opportunities.

The Scottish Parliament set up the Equal Opportunities Committee as one of its mandatory standing committees. The Committee has undertaken a range of important investigations and provides continuous scrutiny of the Executive and Parliament's activities on equality.

Ministers and officials have appeared frequently before the EO Committee to give evidence on equality matters.

Scottish Executive and Equal Opportunities

In Making it work Together: A Programme for Government, published in September 1999, the Executive stated its commitment to promoting equality for all. In December 1999 the Minister for Communities, Wendy Alexander MSP, published an Equality Statement and the Parliament debated equality for the first time on 2 December 1999. The Executive undertook a number of early initiatives on equality:

• Designated equality a key cross cutting issue and established an Equality Unit in 1999 to take forward the Executive's equality work.
• Strengthened the Equal Opportunities and Diversity Unit in personnel to improve the role of the Scottish Executive as an employer.
• Made Equality part of the portfolio of the Cabinet Minister for Communities (later to become Minister for Social Justice).
• Established the Stephen Lawrence Steering Group and the Race Equality Advisory Forum, in late 1999 to advise on a race equality strategy and the actions necessary to implement the recommendations of the Macpherson Report.

Following the debate in Parliament on equality, the Executive undertook an extensive consultation during 2000 on the development of an Equality Strategy. A report of the consultation was published in June 2000; further grassroots consultation with equality groups were undertaken in summer 2000 and the Equality Strategy was published and debated in November 2000.

The Equality Strategy

The Executive published its Equality Strategy entitled Working Together for Equality on 6 November 2000. The Strategy outlines how the Executive plans to change the way it works to ensure better service provision and greater equality of opportunity. It provides a framework for work on all the equality areas in particular, race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation and religion.

In seeking to secure its vision of an open, just and inclusive Scotland, the Executive outlined seven aims:

• To integrate equality into the Executive's work - in policy and programme development, legislation, spending plans, service design and delivery.
• To develop policies and programmes which address inequalities and exclusion arising from discrimination.
• To promote the Equality Strategy widely to all key public, private and voluntary sector bodies.
• To promote the inclusion of under-represented groups in policy-making, decision-making and public appointments.
• To foster greater understanding of and respect for Scotland's different communities.
• To educate and raise awareness about discrimination and the need for it to be challenged.
• To build and promote the Executive as an organisation that is effective, open and accessible, which broadly reflects the communities it serves and is committed to equality of opportunity.

At the centre of the strategy is the integration of equality into all aspects of the Executive's work. This approach, which is called 'mainstreaming', demands that policymakers and those delivering services take account of and reflect the diverse needs of the population. Policymakers need to know about the inequalities and difficulties faced by different communities and groups. They need to assess how policies and programmes might impact on these groups. They need to take action where the impact is adverse. In this way it will be possible to make a real difference to the lives of those currently suffering discrimination and inequality.

Whilst we acknowledge that there is much to be done, we have achieved a considerable amount in the two years since the adoption of the Equality Strategy. Equality is no longer an issue on the margins of debate. There is growing recognition that significant numbers in our communities face difficulties or barriers on account of their gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation or religion. Now equality issues are much more prominent on the political agenda and there is a greater understanding amongst decision makers of the need for change.

Whilst this report is concerned with the developments in Scotland, we acknowledge the context provided by UK and European legislation. The development of the European legislative framework on equal opportunities is changing the complexion of UK equality legislation. The UK Government is consulting on the introduction of legislation to offer protection in employment and training on the grounds of sexual orientation, religion and age. The first two to be introduced in 2003 and the latter by 2006. In addition, the Government is consulting on the structure that should be developed to support this new legislation. In particular there is debate about the creation of a single equality commission. The Scottish Executive is working to ensure that whatever machinery is developed it is properly resourced and structured to operate in the devolved context and engage effectively with the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Executive and Scottish institutions, including the proposed Scottish Human Rights Commission.

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