FUNCTION OR POLICY | COMMITMENT
Actions we committed to in our Scheme and new commitments | OUTCOMES/ ACTIONS TAKEN
Work undertaken to date | FUTURE ACTION
Work underway or planned to address these challenges | DEADLINE/ TIMING | CONTACT
Lead unit working on this |
Medium impact |
To work with and support Ministers in their commitment to enhance all aspects of rural life and development | Evidence gathered through Scottish Household Survey; report commissioned by Ministers, Poverty and Social Exclusion in Rural Scotland; and workshop on minority ethnic groups in rural Scotland at conference to follow up recommendations in report with external interests. All of this work highlighted a lack of evidence of race issues in rural areas - difficult to get reliable statistics that conform to data protection regulations due to low numbers/scattered nature of different groups in rural areas. Likely to be further work taken forward, perhaps in the form of seminars in rural areas, with Equality Unit, CRE and other interests. Will explore research into race equality issues in rural areas. | - Commissioned census analysis of rural research
| - Analysis of Census 2001 data for rural areas will provide evidence on race equality issues which we will use to direct further activity
| April 2004 for census analysis results | Land Use and Rural Policy (LURP)
x46190 |
Management of the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund | We have included updated guidance on equality groups (taken from Social Justice Action Note 3) within the information note that is going out for the 2003/4 round of the Fund and have emphasised the need for communities to engage with equality groups in consulting on local needs/taking forward projects. Considering training for Local Rural Partnerships, which will look at advisability of including training on RR(A)A and associated issues. | | - Review of the SRPF due to be complete in June 2004 will address equality issues
| Ongoing | LURP
x46190 |
Land Reform Bill/Act - Part 2 | Report from Equal Opportunities Committee at Stage 1 of the Bill drew attention to the need to consider how Gypsies/Travellers would be affected by the definition of communities in the Bill. In approving community boundaries, Ministers will consider whether any group have been unfairly excluded from the community | Community is defined in Section 34(5) by postcode unit, comprising those residents entitled to vote at a local government election. Gypsies/Travellers are therefore treated like all others within the postcode unit. | Ministers will consider each community body's definition of community and its members on application on a case-by-case basis. | Ongoing, following commencement in Spring 2004. | LURP
x46190 |
Environmental Justice | Environmental Justice is concerned with addressing inequalities in the quality of environments in which people live. It is believed that the problems of environmental injustice may be most acute in Scotland's most deprived neighbourhoods. Insofar as Scotland's minority ethnic communities might tend to live in more deprived neighbourhoods, it is possible that addressing environmental injustice would have a particular impact on these communities. Those responsible for environmental justice initiatives will need to be aware of this potential impact. Environmental justice is also concerned with public participation in environmental decision-making, including access to information, in line with the UN(ECE) Aarhus Convention. | Environmental justice is a cross-cutting issue; much of the work seeking to meet its ends takes place out with ERAD, for instance in planning and regeneration divisions. We are updating the regulations on access to environmental information to meet the requirements of the new European environmental information directive (and the Aarhus Convention). This directive does not impose requirements for provisions of information in languages other than English. | We are commissioning research to investigate the distribution of factors affecting environmental quality in relation to areas of deprivation. There are currently no plans to include analyses according to the distribution of ethnic groups. However the Sustainable Development Directorate will discuss with colleagues in the Equality Unit the potential for future research of this kind. We will be running a public consultation on the revised environmental information regulations in spring 2004 | This work should be complete by December 2004 | Sustainable Development Directorate
x40880 |
Low impact |
To implement A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture, promoting sustainable farming, rural development and environmental protection. | The vision in A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture is of a prosperous farming industry that benefits all the people of Scotland, regardless of culture or race. The Strategy aims to create economic opportunities, for example through grants to diversify farm businesses or through help to process and market food, that are open to all farm businesses. The Strategy will be subject to review and ongoing monitoring. | The Strategy is kept under review and in particular the Minister is advised by a group that includes a range of rural stakeholders. | The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will have an impact on the implementation of A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture. Decisions on how to apply the reform in Scotland will not be made until later this year. | A continuous process once decisions have been made on CAP reform, which is expected to be later in 2004. | Agricultural strategy
x45248 |
To support farmers in the Less Favoured Areas of Scotland | The Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (which covers about 85% of Scotland's agricultural area) makes payments on the basis of land quality and the mix of animals within a business. The scheme is therefore open to all farm business that fulfil the scheme's requirements (which relate to technical conditions such as location, the minimum size of the holding, stocking densities, a commitment to continue farming in the area for a specified length of time and similar matters), regardless of race or cultural background. We will review procedures periodically to ensure the scheme does not exclude any applicant unfairly. | | The European Commission's Rural Development Regulation, which underpins the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme, will be amended in 2006. The operation of the scheme will be reviewed at that time. | 2006 | Agricultural strategy
x45248 |
Appeals system across CAP schemes | The Appeals process allows for: A choice of written or oral appeals, thereby catering for both (a) those who may not feel comfortable with face to face dialogue (whether due to race, education, health or any other factor) to opt for written, (b) those who feel that they really want to have a chance to have their say in person to opt for oral. Appeals can be submitted by an agent rather than the claimant themselves. For oral appeals, representation by an agent or A.N Other or bringing a friend (or union rep) along. So someone who did not speak English could make their own arrangements to bring someone they trust who does speak English. We allow choice of English or Gaelic as the spoken language for the open part of the session. We have a source of translators for such an occasion. Translators can be provided for other languages if required. | Operation kept under continual review to ensure accessibility and equal treatment of all appellants. | ongoing | ongoing | CAP Management Division
x46145 |
To ensure the provision by the Scottish Agricultural College of education and training services geared to the needs of the rural sector | The Scottish Agricultural College is itself subject to race relations legislation and is obliged to produce a Race Equality Action Plan by end-November 2002. | - Race Equality policy incorporating action to be taken has been produced and implemented.
| a) Equal opportunity monitoring being established under the new e-hr system. b) Policy to be reviewed to ensure compliance with the RR(A)A | a) December 2003 b) February 2004 | Rural Affairs Agricultural and Biological research group
x46110 |