Scottish Government

On 8 December 2008 the Minister for Communities and Sport published a Race Equality Statement which outlines the Government's priorities for race equality over 2008-2011. The Statement is part of a package of measures which provide a focus for our work on race equality, including the Race, Religion & Refugee Integration Funding Stream 2008-11 which has allocated £5.6m to projects around Scotland Link and the Government's Race Equality Scheme 2008, which was published on 28 November

The elimination of barriers such as race discrimination will enable all of Scotland's people to achieve to their fullest potential and maximise the skills we have available to contribute to building a strong, successful Scotland with opportunities for all to flourish.

The 4 Strategic Group reports and a report on progress can be viewed using the following link

Race Equality Conference

The Scottish Government made a commitment made in the Race Equality Statement to "hold a race conference during 2009, hosted by Ministers to explore where we need to be on delivering race equality", and to focus on the theme 'We take pride in a strong, fair and inclusive national identity' - our National Outcome 13.

Following consultation with stakeholders, it was decided to hold the Conference over two separate days. The first part, held on 15 December 2009, was aimed at minority ethnic community organisations/individuals. Please see attached a copy of the conference report.

The second part of the Conference will take place later in 2010 in Glasgow. The second part of the Conference will use the learning from the first event in a way which will inform local and national public sector policy makers and service delivery organisations.

The Scottish Government remains committed to promoting race equality and tackling racism and discrimination in Scotland. This page provides information on the statutory duty on the Scottish Government (and other public bodies) to promote race equality and eliminate discrimination and our supporting Race Equality Scheme, and highlights some of our work to combat racism and discrimination.

One Scotland Campaign

The Scottish Government is committed to continuing and developing the One Scotland campaign. The campaign website provides information about the Campaign, some of our work to tackle racism, the teachers' resources available, where to get help and advice, and many other things.

Four Rock Against Racism events will see the beginning of One Scotland activity over the summer. The Four gigs in total will be held across Scotland and involve major, current, UK recording artists.

The principle aims of RoAR are to deliver the One Scotland message to a young audience. The message informs and educates young people about the damging effects of racism in Scotland and encourages them to celebrate our country's cultural diversity.

Alongside the concerts, unsigned bands or musicians living in Scotland have been invited to enter a competition offering them a chance to play at one of the concerts as an opening support act.

The first of the 2009 RoAR gigs took place on Wednesday 17 June 2009 and saw Scotland's very own Franz Ferdinand play to a sell out audience in Selkirk.

Translating, Interpreting and Communication Support

The Scottish Government facilitated an event on 1 June 2010 to seek a shared understanding of where progress has been made on this issue and where work should be driven forward. Please see attached copy of the meeting report.

Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000

Like other public bodies, we are here to serve all the people of Scotland, regardless of a person's race, religion, culture, ethnicity, or other background. Sometimes, unwittingly, the way we do things and the decisions we take adversely affect groups of people. The result may be lack of opportunity, difficulty in accessing provision or unresponsive services. We are determined that we do everything we can to eradicate racism and discrimination. This voluntary commitment to race equality is also a statutory commitment. The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 places a general statutory duty to promote race equality on the government and other public authorities. This means that we must have 'due regard', when carrying out our functions, to the need to:

• eliminate unlawful racial discrimination
• promote equality of opportunity
• promote good relations between people of different racial groups

Employment Monitoring

As an employer, it is our aim to become exemplar in the field of diversity and to broadly reflect the communities we serve. We also want to ensure that our opportunities are available to all and that we meet our legislative obligations. To help us achieve this, it is important that we obtain accurate and complete data from every job applicant and employee. Individuals do not have to provide this information, but we encourage them to do so, even if they only feel able to provide some of information requested. All information gathered is held in the strictest confidence, accessible only to a restricted number of Human Resources and other staff who require it, and in line with the principles of data protection legislation. It is used only for the purposes of monitoring and collated data is never published where there are numbers less than five to ensure that individuals cannot be identified. Where a disproportionate impact of any policy or process is identified, action will be taken to minimise or address that impact where possible.

Latest figures

Scottish Government staffing Diversity figures January 2009

Historical Figures

Scottish Government Recruitment Figures 2007 and 2008

Scottish Government Performance Management Figures April 2006 - 2007

Scottish Government Dignity at Work Figures 2004 - 2008

Scottish Government Headcount Figures 2004 - 2007

Scottish Government Leavers Figures 2004 - 2007