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Review of Marches and Parades in Scotland
Foreword
I am pleased to present the report and recommendations of the Review of Marches and Parades in Scotland. I believe these recommendations, when taken together, will professionalise and modernise the way that decisions about processions are taken. The package of recommendations should also improve people's experiences of processions, making sure that they are better informed, disruption is minimised and conduct is improved.
I am grateful to all those who have contributed to the Review. Their expertise has been valuable and their suggestions have been helpful. I welcomed the open and constructive dialogue and informed consideration given to the issues raised over the course of the Review. Many organisations provided me with detailed information about statistics and current processes which was not always readily accessible and which took time to collect. Other organisations which arrange marches shared with me their experiences. Without the foundations which that evidence provided, my recommendations could not have been as well informed.
I decided to undertake the Review alone, without a group of specialist advisors. The only person who supported me throughout was Karen Jackson, seconded from the Scottish Executive for the duration of the Review. I am extremely grateful for her energy, wholehearted commitment and significant support with this critical Review.
Not everyone will agree with all aspects of my recommendations. Some may think I have gone too far, others may think I have not gone far enough. However, I hope that they will agree that the process which informed my recommendations was open and robust. I hope also that they recognise that the recommendations strike an essential balance - between the rights of those who want to march and the rights of those who want to go about their daily life undisturbed by such events. During the course of the Review, I continued to be struck by the degree of consensus I have encountered. People of very different perspectives agreed that improvements needed to be made and that my approach represented a fair balance.
I am confident that, when implemented, the arrangements will lead to a fairer and more transparent and inclusive decision making process and one that is appropriate for a multi-cultural Scotland of the 21st century. For the recommendations to deliver the benefits which I believe they can, implementation will require the commitment of many: the Scottish Executive; local authorities; police forces; and march organisers working together in partnership. I look forward to that next stage.
Sir John Orr
December 2004
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