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SECTION TWO: Progressing the Equality Strategy: Making a difference through legislation
Significant advances have been made in equal opportunities through legislation introduced through the Scottish Parliament. We have:
- Made promotion of equality a national priority in education.
- Put a duty on education authorities to say how they will improve equal opportunities.
- Put school and nursery managements under a duty to identify how they will improve access for and communication with disabled children.
- Put a duty on Scottish Ministers, local authorities and social landlords to encourage equal opportunities and comply with equality legislation in providing housing and related services.
- Increased mortgage rights for co-habitees and same sex couples.
- Put a duty on the Scottish Commission for Regulation of Care and Scottish Social Services Council to encourage equal opportunities and comply with equality legislation when carrying out their functions.
- Established a statutory committee to advise on transport needs of disabled people.
- Increased protection for those experiencing domestic abuse.
- Recognised rights for same sex couples in cases of adults with incapacity.
- Improved procedures in sexual offence cases e.g. protecting rape victims from being cross-examined by the accused.
- Put a duty on local authorities to offer eligible disabled people direct payments.
- Repealed section 2a of Local Government Act 1986 thus removing constraints to the discussion of sexual orientation in schools.
(For an outline of the Acts of Parliament where equality provisions have been included see Annex B .)
Many people have played a role in increasing the prominence of equal opportunities in recent Scottish legislation. The Executive has sought to consult widely and to engage directly with representative and equality organisations to discuss equality aspects to legislation.
Civic groups have input to the legislative process. The Parliament and its committees have scrutinised legislation and sought amendments where they deemed improvements were necessary.
The Executive and the Parliament's Equal Opportunities Committee held a joint seminar in 2002 to share understanding about the approach to mainstreaming in policy and legislation.
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