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Draft Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Bill

6. Equality considerations

An initial response to the Scottish Parliament Mainstreaming Equality Checklist

1. Have you considered the equal opportunities impact of each section of your Bill?
2. Have you asked relevant equality groups whether they feel there are any issues which will be of relevance to them?
3. Have you considered issues not highlighted by this checklist which are likely to arise as part of the scrutiny of the Bill, such as those in the Scottish Parliament's mainstreaming equality implementation notes?
4. Have you considered whether there should be an overarching equality statement as part of the Bill?
5. Have you properly reflected the Bill's treatment of equal opportunities in the policy memorandum's equality statement?

Initial response

We have considered each section of our Bill, and feel that there are no obvious equal opportunities impacts.

The Bill aims to develop a proportionate, consistent regulatory framework for all charities operating in Scotland. It should not have an impact on particular equalities groups.

It is not possible at this stage to fully identify the range of equalities organisations which currently are (or could be) charitable. However, evidence suggests that organisations led by and on behalf of minority and disadvantaged groups can have difficulty accessing charitable status. We expect that this position will be substantially improved by a more modern, transparent approach to the definition of charity and to charity regulation.

We expect the charities regulator to consider equal opportunities in all its decisions, but do not feel there is a need for an overarching equality statement in this Bill.

This consultation paper has been circulated to a range of equalities organisations. We would welcome your views on the suggested provisions for the Bill, and any potential impact they may have on equal opportunities.

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