MINISTERIAL FOREWORD
Over the last forty years, the life-chances and opportunities for many people have improved considerably as a result of legislation and action taken to address disadvantage, inequality and discrimination.
Although equality legislation is largely reserved to Westminster, Scottish Ministers have been active in promoting equality and in addressing the inequalities in Scotland today. Equality is a key element in our national performance framework, contributes to our national purpose and economic targets and runs through public sector service delivery and policy making.
Public authorities in Scotland provide services and support to millions of people on key matters such as housing, education, policing, social work, health. They also employ thousands of people. What they do and how they do it is therefore important and influential. The public sector equality duties have helped to ensure that the delivery of services and the policies which inform them are responsive to people's different needs and experiences.
We welcome the moves to streamline equality legislation and to introduce a new single general equality duty in the UK Government's Equality Bill. We believe that this will help our public authorities to advance equality in Scotland. Scottish Ministers can decide what specific duties might be placed on public authorities to assist in making this duty effective and we want your views to help us shape these.
We believe that any requirements which might be placed on Scottish public authorities should be considered in the context of the Concordat between central and local government, the national performance framework, public sector reform and our focus on outcomes across the public sector
This consultation provides an opportunity to consider and develop a set of strong but proportionate and flexible specific duties in Scotland. It also provides an opportunity for us to explore how the specific duties can help us respond to the extension of the new general duty to include sexual orientation, age, gender identity, and religion and belief. A good framework for the delivery of the general duty will help to drive institutional and cultural change and most importantly make a difference to people's lives.
I look forward to hearing your views.
NICOLA STURGEON
Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing
September 2009